Blue is the colour, gala is the game

FIVE BR blue-liveried main line diesels are among the attractions at the Nene Valley Railway’s October 8-10 diesel gala. Headlined the ‘Three Peaks Challenge’, examples of Classes 44, 45 and 46 will be represented, along with a Class 14 and a Class 31.

Wansford’s resident Class 45 No. 45041 Royal Tank Regiment will be joined by Class 44

No. D4 (44004) Great Gable, and Class 46 No. D182. The locos will arrive in convoy with No. 31128 from the Fletton Branch – the NVR’s link with the East Coast Main Line. The gala begins on Friday, October 8 with limited ‘Peak’ running, but with the added activity and visual interest of pre-booked driver experiences.

The intensive and extended timetables kick off on October 9 with the three ‘Peaks’ being joined by resident Class 14 No. 9529, which will be enabling its bigger brothers to ‘topand-tail’ onto the Fletton Branch to provide passengers with a rare opportunity to travel along the mile-long link, which is not used by regular NVR timetabled passenger services.

No. 31128 will be on shed at Wansford.

Subject to availability, other attractions will include driver for a fiver on ex-London Transport Sentinel 0-6-0DH No. DL83 in Wansford Yard, and the opportunity for some on track plant haulage with rides in the spacious cab of TASC machine No. DR98500 between Wansford and Yarwell – providing passengers with a unique view of the line, including the 616yd Wansford tunnel.