For many years now, I have been attending this event which this year was spread over Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the 24th, 25th, and 26th. of January.
The format is that the GCR utilize their home based fleet together with a number of visiting guest locomotives to run a regular passenger service which is backed up by the same loco’s running on additional freight and Traveling Post Office workings. In addition there are turntable demonstrations at Quorn and Woodhouse station.
Something for everybody then and a good day out for all.
The visiting Loco’s were
Great Western Railway (GWR) class 56XX 0-6-2T No. 5643
Built in the mid 1920’s, the ’56’ were developments of the Rhymney Railway classes ‘M’ and ‘P’.
The railways of South Wales at that time moved vast quantities of coal over fairly short distances and this type of loco proved ideal.
The same qualities can also be put to use on preserved lines swapping coal wagons for passenger coaches.
Built in 1925, 5643 is one of 9 of the class currently preserved.
Having worked all its life in South Wales, it was withdrawn in 1963 went for scrap to the now famous ‘Woodhams’ scrapyard at Barry.
After several moves in preservation the loco moved to Cumbria and is now owned by the The Furness Railway Trust.
British Railways (BR) Standard class 7 4-6-2 No. 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’. Also known as the ‘Britannia’ class.
Only two of the 55 loco’s built between 1951 and 1954 survive. The other one being No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ itself.
After withdrawal after a very short working life 70013 became part of the National Railway Museums collection.
After spending some years at Bressingham Steam & Gardens in 2004 it was announced that the loco was to be returned to steam in time for the 40th. anniversary of the ending of steam.
It re entered service in 2008 and since that time has made regular public appearances.
During the gala a wreath was carried on the smokebox door in memory of Mick Pickering a GCR driver who passed away earlier in the month.
British Railways (BR) Standard class 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 ‘Cock ‘O the North’ a name it did not carry in service.
One of 9 surviving loco’s it did not carry the lined BR black livery in service either and although some people do not like loco’s carrying non authentic liveries, I think it looked gorgeous.
After the gala it was announced that 92214 is to stay on the GCR.
Designed and built in the 1950’s the 9F’s were destined to be the last steam loco’s built for BR. Its classmate 92220 being the very last.
Hunslet 0-6-0T Austerity No 22.
Unfortunately failed at Loughborough on the Friday and was withdrawn from the gala.
Designed for the Ministry of Supply for use in wartime, the Austerity’s were built in their hundreds.
After the war, surplus loco’s were sold off. The LNER bought 75 and gave them the designation of J94.
They continued in BR service until the mid 1960’s most famously on the Cromford & High Peak Railway.
No.22 was built in 1956 and worked at the Appleby-Frodingham steelworks in Lincolnshire.
It is currently on loan from there and is normally resident on the Nene Valley Railway.
This image is produced here courtesy of my eldest son Andrew Basford.
He edits his own blog which can be found on 'Rudderless Railway Ramblings'.
Loco’s from the GCR ‘fleet’
LMS 3F 0-6-0T No.47406
Was one of a batch of 35 loco’s built by the Vulcan Foundry
for the LMS in 1926.
Based on a Midland Railway design that dates back to 1889. Over 420 ‘Jinties’ as they were known were produced for the LMS between 1924 and 1931.
47406 was one of 9 Jinties ln ‘Woodhams’ scrapyard and was the last to leave as recently as 1983 for preservation on the GCR.
LMS Ivatt class 2 2-6-0 No. 46521
One of a batch of 13 loco’s built at Swindon in 1953. Derived from Ivatt’s 2-6-2T tank loco, the addition of the tender with its greater carrying capacity for both coal and water gave the loco a greater radius of operation.
On the Saturday, 46521 was used on the turntable demonstration and here it is seen on its way to and from the demo.
BR standard class 2 2-6-0 No. 78019
Is visually a close relative of the Ivatt 2-6-0. 65 of this class which were derived from their Ivatt forebears differed only in detail.
The build dates for this class are shown as 1952 to 1954 which is interesting in that when the BR loco’s were in build in 1952 that their LMS forerunners were still being built until 1953.
78019 built at Darlington was another loco rescued from ‘Woodhams’ yard at Barry. After being ‘parked’ on the Severn Valley railway it came to the GCR in 1998.
Two loco’s in green paint albeit in different shades.
Great Northern Railway (GNR) N2 class 0-6-2T No. 1744 currently in Apple green.
Designed by Nigel Gresley for the GNR and introduced in 1920. the class were mainly used on suburban duties out of Kings Cross. They would have been seen hauling sets of articulated coaches.
They performed similar duties around Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Their hauling capacity is put to good use on the well loaded GCR trains.
1744 became an LNER loco at the grouping and later entered BR service as No. 69523.
Southern Railway (SR) N15 ‘King Arthur ‘class ‘Sir Lamiel’ 4-6-0 No. 777 currently in Malachite green.
All the loco’s in this class carried names from the fictional ‘Knights of the Round Table’.
Built in 1925 by the North British Locomotive Company in 1925. It was withdrawn from service in 1961 and although resident at the GCR it is part of the National Collection.
It too became part of BR stock as No. 30777.
LMS Stanier class 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624.
Another wearing loco carrying a livery that is not authentic to its class and as with the 9F in some quarters a contentious choice.
As far as I know, no 8F’s carried the LMS express passenger livery but I think that it sits very well on the loco and is a pleasant change from plain black that adorns the other members of this class in preservation.
One of 852 built by or for the LMS or War Department between 1935 and 1946 as heavy freight loco’s. 48624 is the only surviving Southern Railway built loco having been built at Ashford in 1943 and is one of 14 survivors.
The class were used extensively in Europe and the Middle East.
Numbered 8624 in LMS days, currently it carries its BR number 48624 on its LMS livery.
I have never visited a steam gala at the GCR when by way of contrast, a DMU has not turned up. This time was no exception.
We were treated to several runs by this BR class 127 which first came to the GCR in the 1980’s. Its 2 power cars have Rolls-Royce engines which sound lovely.
The standard of restoration is first class and although it was at a steam gala it attracted a considerable amount of attention.
On the question of quality of restoration, I would offer the two following images which could be titled before and after.
Both are Gresley LNER teak stock. One has a long way to go, the other, superb.
Well done.
