Great Central Winter steam gala

ELR web-site now confirms 34046 Braunton to run at the 19/20 Jan gala, also states that K1 62005 is to visit and could make Jan gala, but if not will be there for Feb gala together with other guest locos to be confirmed.

 

More info in the newsletter in that awful "press release" style.......

The Great Central Winter Gala has a special guest star. The debut of GWR ‘King’ Class No 6023 King Edward II on the award winning Leicestershire heritage line is eagerly awaited. Fresh from overhaul the locomotive, in a vibrant blue livery will join a host of other steam locomotives for the three day event.
Other guest performers are expected to be announced before the event, which should also see BR Standard 2 No 78019, LMS Ivatt 2 No 46521, LMS ‘3F’ No 47305 and SR 'King Arthur Class' No 777 Sir Lamiel taking part. A full line up of motive power will be advertised on the GCR website.

The GWR ‘King’ will be a good fit with the line’s new signalling at Swithland, which has been installed to reflect a Great Central / Great Western joint line theme. The recently opened box at Swithland has won a national heritage award and enthusiasts will see it put to good use at the gala. The railway is promising a super intensive timetable with freight trains and postal trains mixing with passenger services.
Kate Tilley, Marketing Manager at the GCR said, "The Winter Gala is the first major event in our 2013 calendar. With the ‘King’ in action and lots of other first class motive power in supporting roles it will be a great steam show."
Saturday evening will also feature our famous Twilight Steam Show, where a procession of trains and locomotives run through Quorn station, with a commentary live from the signalbox describing the action.
Kate continued "Our intensive timetable - and the Saturday night show - are as close as you can get to standing at the line side in the 1950s. People who want to relive the good old days of main line steam, no longer need a time machine!"
The weekend of the event will also feature demonstrations of the railways turntable at Quorn and Woodhouse station and non-stop postal drop trains. The new family restaurant 'Greenacres', adjacent to Leicester North station will also be open as well as the new family bistro 'Butler Henderson' at Quorn and the recently extended Ellis's tea room at Rothley station

All attractions and locomotives appear subject to repair and availability.

 

Sorry, A blue King doesn't impress particularly when they already have a red 8F. Are they going to put faces on the smokebox doors?

Regards

 

Is the N2 colourful enough to make your list?
do they still have the bright yellow 37?

 

At least there's no attempt to turn a loco lineup into a film plot this year!

 

Best colour for a King and authentic too.

 

Ah, it's NP's very own little ray of sunshine

What exactly is wrong with a Blue King? Entirely authentic, and a much more interesting than just yet another engine in Brunswick Green - IMHO. Anyway, if you are riding behind it, you'd be hard pressed to know what colour it was painted!

Tom

 

I'm the complete opposite. I haven't ridden behind a King as yet so thats one reason for me to go and the second is that I quite like BR Express Blue(I think it suits all the classes that carried it). I also don't mind the Red 8F although its not listed as running for the gala (same as 1744) unless it is and its not listed on the GCR website or the above press release.

Also looking forward to seeing 777 in Malachite and not at the Bluebell where I've seen it twice (1995 and 2010).

 

The blue King is nice, unfortunately the GCR sacrificed their carmine and cream dining set to the gods of Cromwell Tools so it's going to be late BR red or green coaches paired with it.

 

I don't like the blue either. I know it's authentic but it's a colour I associate with diesels.

 

The set still exists and is the set used at weekends, i'm pretty sure the kitchen car was painted only last year. Also a brake and i think a TSO have also recently been repainted in Carmine and Cream.

 

Of the 6 coaches in the 'Cromwell' set only two FOs and a BG were previously in carmine & cream, and the BG hadn't run much (if at all) since it was used as Leicester North's booking office, so the carmine & cream set was hardly 'sacrificed'. However we only have four FOs in service so with two in each colour, inevitably they get swapped about a bit due to either maintenance or the occasional diner requiring a 3rd coach. Makes the decision a few years ago to sell 3095 look a bit silly, really, but lets not go there.

At galas, rakes tend to get put together to try to maximise capacity where it is needed, rather than to try to match colours.

I spotted a 6- or 7-coach train with 5 different coach liveries* in it going through Swithland the other day, top and tailed with a BR-era diesel and pre-grouping-era steam engine. Well, that's Santa trains for you! I didn't see what colour nose the reindeer had, though.

(*LNER teak, carmine & cream, maroon, green, Cromwell. I didn't check for black vs coloured ends on the coaches...)

 

The GCR needed more eating establishments as the buffet at Loughborough was very small also the income they provide is probaly more than they receive through running lots of steam engines i believe the overhaul of the cromwell set was funded by Cromwell tools so made commercial sense the set is very smart and joe public who make up the majority of travellers would rather travel in a smart coach are not concerned by a mixture of colours.

 

Also TSO's E4630 and E4857 have been refurbished and repainted into carmine and cream. BSK E34393 has recently been restored and is also in carmine and cream. If anything the green set is currently being disbanded and gradually being repainted into maroon and carmine cream liveries respectively.

The BR (w) chocolate and cream set is not far off being completed. The set will eventually consist of FK W13313, RBR W1962, SK W25711, BFK W21242, TSO W4982 and W15207.

BR Mark 1 E1695 is to be withdrawn after the steam gala at some point for a much needed overhaul, the griddle car service I think will be replaced by BR Mk1 RKB 1526 or LNER Gresley RB 25278.

 

You say that, but at the last January gala, the blood & custard/Cromwell rake consisted of a an SK, an RBR, a BG , two TSOs and a BCK. 6 coach train but only 3 1/2 coaches worth of passenger accommodation. And that was one of the two sets used on the Friday!

 

I trained as a guard in E34393. So unless I managed to pass out as a guard aged 11, it was most definitely in service until the winter of 2005/6, possibly even 2006/7.

 

Sorry Jamie my mistake I think have been mistaken with the BG in the pullman rake, my apologies

 

I always find the GCR gala rakes are a bit stupid. I see videos that on normal days sometimes the normal load is 7 coaches? So why during galas is it 6? Also the last Winter Gala the maroon rake had the Beavertail, the LNER kitchen and the BR griddle car, so really there were only three normal carriages on that rake, which is why it is always rammed!