DIESEL DIARY

GBRf ‘73’ TO VISIT SPA VALLEY

GB Railfreight is to supply one of its Class 73/1s to the Spa Valley Railway for its diesel gala on August 12-14. The ‘ED’ will remain on the line for its 25th anniversary gala which takes place later in the month. It will be the second time GBRf has supplied a loco to the line, No. 73136 Perseverance having visited back in 2017. Also due to attend is the South Devon Diesel Trust’s No. D7535 (25185) and there is the possibility of another guest loco appearing.

‘RAT’ HIRE EXTENDED

THE visit of Pete Waterman’s Class 25, No. D7659 (25309) to the North Norfolk Railway has been extended and it will now see use during the line’s 1960s weekend on July 23/24 (alongside resident ‘37’ No. D6732) before it returns to Peak Rail.

FRIDAY DELTIC AT GCR

AFTER its issues at the Great Central Railway’s diesel gala at the end of April, work has been carried out to resolve the problems with

No. 55009 Alycidon and in June it made several successful test runs along the line, culminating in it being used in passenger service at short notice on June 22, owing to nonavailability of the planned steam loco (see image below). The Deltic has a running day booked on July 29, which will see it operate six return trips between Loughborough and Leicester North. It replaces No. D8098 (20098) which is unavailable on this date. Other locos rostered to operate on forthcoming Diesel Fridays are Nos. 37714 Cardiff Canton on August 5 and No. D6700 (37350) on August 19.

No. 55009 works the Great Central Railway’s 12.50 Loughborough to Leicester North at short notice on June 22. The Deltic went on to complete two return trips (one on the rear) without issue. Jake Atkinson

EE Type 3 No. 37215 (D6915) will be one of the performers at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s July gala. Here it passes the Bishops Cleeve station site on the GWSR on April 24, 2021. Ian Crowder