Autumn galas delight
Varied line-ups generate welcome ‘feel good’ factor
SEVERAL well known heritage lines have operated steam enthusiast events during their traditional autumn diary slots, providing welcome variety and featuring guest locomotives alongside trusty home fleets.
First up was the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
(NYMR), which held its steam gala on September 23-26, featuring three visiting locos – ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado, Great Central Railway-based (GCR) ‘8F’ No. 48305 and ‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend (see picture p66) from Didcot Railway Centre. Resident performers included ‘9F’ No. 92134, ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T
No. 81036, ‘J27’ No. 65894, ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 No. 76079, Lambton
No. 29 and 0-4-0VBT No. 8 Lucie.
The Great Central Railway’s September 30-October 3 Autumn Steam Gala brought two ‘heavy freight’ visitors, with members of the line’s restored wagon fleet coming to the fore.
Welcome sights included double-heading ‘9Fs’ featuring resident No. 92214 City of Leicester and sole surviving single chimney No. 92134 visiting from the NYMR (see picture p66). Also in attendance was Llangollen Railway-based GWR ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No. 3802, which looked at home hauling the rake of ‘Windcutter’ wagons.
Performances
As always, the home fleet put on a strong performance with LMS ‘8F’ No. 48305, GWR ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6990 Witherslack Hall, BR ‘5MT’ No. 73156, BR ‘2MT’
No. 78018, ‘Ivatt 2MT’ No. 46521 and Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. 68067. LMS ‘Black Five’
No. 45305 made its final gala appearance before overhaul – the 4-6-0’s last booked operating dates being October 23/24.
October 8-10 brought a pair of Southern Region visitors to the Bluebell Railway’s Giants of Steam gala. National Collectionowned ‘School’s 4-4-0 No. 30925 Cheltenham (see picture p66) starred alongside Bulleid Pacific No. 35028 Clan Line, which made a rare appearance away from its regular main line haunts. On October 12, No. 35028 and supporters of its owning group, the Merchant Navy Preservation Society, gathered at Sheffield Park to rededicate the loco, 70 years after it was originally named. The 4-6-2 returned to its Stewarts Lane home on October 18.
Substitutions
The line-up for the East Lancashire Railway’s October 15-17 Autumn Steam Gala was hastily rearranged following the withdrawal from service of ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa (see p17).
The Watercress Line’s BR ‘2MT’
No. 41312 starred alongside Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway-based WR ‘Manor’ No. 7820 Dinmore Manor. Also operating over the course of the event were GWR ‘56XX’ No. 5643, LYR Class 27
No. 52322, SR Bulleid Pacific
No. 34092 City of Wells ,BR‘4MT’ No. 80097, LYR No. 51546 and Sentinel 0-4-0VBT Ann.
Another late addition was recently overhauled LMS ‘Jinty’ No. 47298. No. 60009 was on static display at Bury Bolton Street.