Dean Forest Railway - Royal forest of steam gala! 2019

Featuring 5541, 152 "Rennes" and 5199 (from Llangollen)

The Dean forest is holding its annual Royal Forest of Steam gala on the 7-9th June 2019.

Save the date!

https://m.facebook.com/events/592230417900901?acontext=

 

Tickets now available here

Saturday & Sunday adult rover's are £19, £17 senior rover and £9 children, family £52. Friday is £1 cheaper per person, family £4 cheaper.

According to the latest DFR magazine another guest locomotive is being sourced to run alongside 5199 and the two resident locos.

The website has the info from last year's event about the Hawksworth Saloon evening trips, but the premise if the same, however this year will take place both Friday and Saturday evening (these cost £19.50 for all) -

On Friday 15th June 2018 at 18:00, hop aboard our 1948 Hawksworth Saloon for a unique evening trip along the entire 4.25 miles of the Dean Forest Railway, all the way from the Network Rail boundary to Parkend headshunt. These are lines that are not normally used for passenger services, so this is an exclusive opportunity and we expect tickets to sell fast!

Your ticket will include a cold buffet provided by the DFR Cafe, as well as the opportunity to disembark from the train and take photographs at points of interest. It will be hauled by visiting locomotive, Ivatt 2MT no. 41312. Not to be missed!

This year, visitors will have the exclusive opportunity to visit the locomotive restoration shed, where the DFLGs twin Pannier tanks no. 9681 and 9682 will be on display for the first time. No. 9681 is due to return to steam later in 2019. It may also be possible to view overhaul progress on 14xx no. 1466, from the Didcot Railway Centre.

If that's not enough, for just £10, you can take control of a full-size steam locomotive at Norchard Low Level station! Truly an opportunity not to be missed.

Further attractions include:
- Freight trains
- Double-headers
- Intensive timetable
- Traction engine display
- Model railway display

St Mary's footbridge has now been restored and reopened Saturday for the first time in 11 years, so this could be of interest to some (although the halt has now closed).

Get it in the diary! 7-9th June.

 

So why isn't this on the Dean Forest's website under "upcoming events"?

 

I've been checking the DFR website for events since the start of the year, but other than a couple of mentions for their Rover tickets there does not seem to have been anything updated since last year.

 

I have to agree, there is no full listing of events anywhere on the website.

If you hover over the calendar blue days a description of the event comes up but that is it.

 

Hunslet '48150' class 'Jessie' is also visiting the Gala, owned by Mike Pearce a long term DFR volunteer.

 

Isn't this supposed to be the shop window for the railway? It's one of the better looking websites but lacking in current information. Any member of the public would only find details of the event by chance and that's hardly going to help sales. " Early to bed, early to rise, no use at all if you don't advertise!"

 

Just booked my ticket for the Friday night special. Just got to hope I get there in time from Didcot now!

 

Hi, just a quick apology for the state of the website at present: the Commercial team are in the process of building a new one which has been slightly delayed. No excuse for the lack of information on the present one of course!

 

Will Rennes be working passenger trains? (I hope it won’t just be doing the driver for a tenner)

 

Timetables now available (only on facebook but anybody can see without an account) -

https://www.facebook.com/deanforest...445293797608/2762443283797809/?type=3&theater

Same all three days basically, only difference is WD132 does not get used Friday, and double heads in the morning Sat/Sun, slight differences in the way 5541/Jessie are rostered Friday morning.

5199 arrived today and is facing Gloucester.

 

Only runs Saturday and Sunday, one Norchard LL - Lydney Junction and return with Jessie (passenger wise).

 

Outward journey is not a lot of use for passengers arriving by public transport and return journey requires a 47 minute wait at Lydney Junction.

 

Thanks for the link, although it seems not to be printable unless you screenshot it and dump it into word. Understand the website rebuild issue, but not a great show by the railway if (in my case) you want me to drive a 250 round trip and then I struggle to even print the timetable.

 

Here is an excel version of the Sat/Sun timetable I have typed out myself. It can be easily printed unlike that on the DFR's facebook page. Friday is the same times just slightly different roster in the morning as WD152 is not running. I can't upload an excel spreadsheet here otherwise I would've.



* next to Freight means freight is not ride-able for the public. So basically passengers can be carried on Freights until 14:35 (source - railway's facebook).
Underlined loco numbers means bunker first.

Jessie (18) would need to return to Norchard as well, so there will be a light move around 1700, I would think, from Lydney Junction.

 

I have typed it up in excel, as post above, might make it easier to print.

 

https://deanforestrailway.co.uk/events/detail/royal-forest-of-steam-gala-2019

 

I have just rung the railway to ask the following and the chap couldn't answer a single question!

They were:-
I am assuming that the £10 driving experience on Rennes is only from 1pm on Sat/Sun.
For £10 what do you get i.e. one trip up the yard or more?
Sets A & B: what is the consist please i.e. 4 x Mk1s etc?
Freight: again what is the consist please?

Thanks for any help.

 

The railway has a MK1 BSOT BSK TSO, MK2 TSO and a GWR Hawksworth Saloon operational, so A will probably be 3 coaches and B Saloon+Mk1/Mk2. The DFR have various freight wagons from the steam era, probably will a dogfish wagon or two as well with a Queen Mary and LMS/Toad brakevan either end.