DATES BOOKED FOR ‘CALEY 419’S’ TOUR OF THE SOUTH

Caledonian Railway star will head further south than ever in trio of gala appearances.

‘CALEY 419’ WILL THEN MAKES ITS FURTHEST EVER TRIP SOUTH TO THE SWANAGE RAILWAY

Fresh from its booked starring role at the Churnet Valley Railway’s Winter Steam Gala on February 23/24 – as a last-minute replacement for Lydham Manor – Caledonian Railway No. 419 is to embark on a tour of England for a host of galas during the spring.

As part of its first trip away from Scotland in 37 years, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s McIntosh ‘439’ class 0-4-4T has been booked to attend the East Lancashire Railway’s Spring Steam Gala on March 8-10, where it will line up alongside visiting ‘42XX’ No. 4270, the latter courtesy of Jeremy Hosking and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. The Churchward 2-8-0T is staying on for the gala, having been on loan to the ELR since last September.

‘Caley 419’ will then make its furthest ever trip south to the Swanage Railway, where it is booked to appear on regular service trains on March 16/17 and 27/28, and then at the line’s ‘Scottish, Southern & Sulzer’ Spring Steam Up on March 29-31. Complementing the Scottish theme, resident BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80104 is to be renumbered – with an authentic blue-backed smokebox numberplate – as Perth-based classmate No. 80126 for the event.

The rest of the Swanage’s home fleet will comprise ‘T9’ No. 30120 and ‘U’ No. 31806, although the latter will only run on the Friday.

A locomotive with a slightly more tenuous Scottish link at the event will be ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. Although it will not be hauling service trains (see SR489), the Gresley ‘Pacific’ will run light engine from Swanage to Corfe Castle, where it will go on display alongside the ‘Devon Belle’ Pullman car with which it travelled across the United States from 1969-72.

The blue 0-4-4T will conclude its southerly tour with a visit to the North Norfolk Railway; standing in for Ivatt ‘Flying Pig’ No. 43106, which is now unable to attend the April 5-7 event, originally intended to mark the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway’s closure in 1959 (see separate story below).

The ‘Caley’s’ impromptu visit coincides with agreement from the Bluebell Railway for the hire of its mascot ‘P’ 0-6-0T No. 323 ‘Bluebell’, which, together with resident ‘Y14’ No. 564, will mean that the NNR can field three blue-liveried engines at the event, among other members of the home fleet.