Third time’s a charm for South Devon winter gala
DINMORE MANOR made a third consecutive appearance at the South Devon Railway’s annual Winter Steam Gala on December 29-31.
The Collett 4-6-0 has participated in all three of the SDR’s Winter Steam Galas since their inception at the end of 2021 (SR528), running at that year’s event and the one held over the New Year period in 2022/23, when it starred alongside resident ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6430 and visiting Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-2T No. 41312 (SR540). The latest gala was an all-GWR affair, with No. 7820 working alongside another SDR resident ‘64XX’, No. 6412, and ‘Small Prairie’ No. 5553, which is currently based at the Bodmin Railway on long-term loan from Peak Rail.
The latter made its first ever visit to the Buckfastleigh-Totnes line at the gala, and hauled a double-header with Dinmore Manor – with both locomotives in matching early BR black liveries – each day. As in previous years, the ‘Manor’ had been at the SDR for its popular ‘Polar Express’ services, for which it had been fitted with a headlight, cowcatcher and bell to ‘Americanise’ its appearance as Pere Marquette ‘N-1’ 2-8-4 No. 1225 from the original Polar Express film, but these accoutrements were removed for its appearance at the gala.
The event was one of the final gala appearances for No. 6412’s as its boiler ‘ticket’ expires at the end of the 2024 season. The pannier tank hauled a typical GWR branch line autotrain during the gala, while Dinmore Manor unusually worked a demonstration engineer’s train, complete with ballast hoppers.