Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

Fair play to you mate, hope it all goes well for you and your team

 

She was meant to attend Embsay's steam gala last year I think, but failed and was replaced by terrier 2678 Knowle. Presume that was going to be part of a tour around England?

 

Douglas is a very useful engine...

 

Tell that to Ian Longworth ...... Whoops, wrong Douglas!

 

Just as long as he doesn’t try to take out signal boxes!

 

April 3rd sorted then. I would have come down on the 10th as well but I'm scheduled to move house the next day and I don't think the wife would appreciate me heading off out for the day and leaving her to do all the packing.

 

Simple solution - do all the packing the day before that!

 

Worth remembering that for the last decade you could often expect nothing like this ever happening at the Spa Valley.

Our services were regularly in the very capable hands of ‘Ugly’ or a hired in Austerity, at times it was just one or the other and they did brilliantly.

We’re now home to ‘Sir Keith Park’, there’s a likelihood you’ll see another Bulleid later this year, we’ve jumped from 30,000 to 55,000 visitors in a year when we spent 5 months of it closed and have now put together the combination of the two Caledonian Railway engines in South East England.

Let us have our moment.

 

You deserve to enjoy and should heartily! Hoping to try get down for the Wet Hop/ SVR fest if I can lean on central CAMRA right.

 

I don't want you to have a moment. Because I want this to be your breakthrough, and the new normal for the Spa Valley.

 

Enjoy the moment!......but could this be a convincing argument in favour of "Big Chufferitis"??

 

Likelihood? What is this other Bulleid? I take it the big jump in passenger numbers is in part due to polar?
Congratulations on the Scottish pair, will be a draw I’m sure.

 

Jonnie, as far as I’m concerned you and your team are very much welcome to have your moment, I see the photo’s, videos and read the articles and reviews about what you and your team are doing, and I keep thinking ‘I really should pay a visit because that place looks brilliant’
Keep banging your drum as loud you can because you do seem to doing something right, long may it continue

 

".......there’s a likelihood you’ll see another Bulleid later this year,...."

I read that Manston will be returning to operation at Swanage soon......but will they need three Pacifics? (257 Squadron and Eddystone also resident)....

 

A pacific does the same work as any other engine and if you only have 3 locos and they all happen to be Pacific’s… just because you have three, doesn’t mean you don’t need three. SR will only have 34028,34070, 34072 and 31806 as home based engines this year. That’s only 4, and that’s assuming absolutely nothing fails or goes wrong. Swanage has proved many times over the last 5 years that 4 isn't enough or at best is only 'just enough'.

 

Although this was part of the 257 info on the SLL December update.
"The planned visit of the locomotive to the Spa Valley Railway had to be cancelled, but its hoped that a similar visit in 2022 will take place."
Of course we are now a few weeks on so maybe things have changed.

 

Of course, but only if SR can spare it.

 

Some photos from my visit on 12th Feb : -

And from the Network platform at Eridge -

 

I'm afraid to say that was Donald.
Douglas is well know for smashing brakevans!

 

I'll be working to feed the local masses the day before and the day before that so thanks for the tip but not practical.