Steam gala round-up

FOUR guest locomotives have been confirmed for the West Somerset Railway’s (WSR) May 3-6 Spring Steam Spectacular. Visitors include ‘B1’ No. 61306 Mayflower,

Swindon & Cricklade Railway-based GWR

0-6-2T No. 6695, Bahamas Locomotive Society-owned LNWR Coal Tank No. 1054 and Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway-based GWR ‘28XX’ 2-8-0 No. 2807.

Resident performers due be in action include Nos. 9351, 9466 and 7828 Odney Manor.

The gala is set to include local trains between Bishops Lydeard and Williton, demonstration goods workings, double-heading, semi-fast expresses and trips to Norton Fitzwarren. Some evening running is planned to take place on the Saturday, plus some evening photoshoots at Minehead.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Warwickshire Steam

Railway (GWSR) has announced the first visiting locomotive for the line’s May 25-27 Cotswold Festival of Steam – No. 6880 Betton Grange. The GWSR said

No. 6880 perfectly fits the event’s theme, ‘Western Workhorses’.

SWANAGE Railway plans to hold a Strictly Bulleid 2 gala on June 7-9, building on the success of Strictly Bulleid in 2017. Powered exclusively by Bulleid Pacifics, trains will run the full length of the line to the Network Rail boundary at the River Frome. While the full roster remained to be confirmed at the time of writing, it is due to include No. 34070 Manston,

No. 34028 Eddystone and

No. 34072 257 Squadron

– the latter making a brief return to the railway.

THE WSR’s July 16-21 150 event is due to include a visit from Furness Railway No. 20 – Britain’s oldest operational standard gauge steam loco. The occasion will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the extension of the WSR from Watchet to Minehead in 1874. In addition to railway focussed events, the Quantock Brewery has promised to brew a special WSR birthday beer.