M&GN 50 - Anniversary Gala on the NNR

Ditto, but for the weather only.

I'm glad i chose the first weekend to go, mainly for the late night running on the Saturday, night shoot & and of course it being the actual anniversary. Plus of course it was over 3 days, rather than 2.

Dave, you snapped one of the double headers i really wanted to see but they only did it the second weekend, the J15 & A class. Great stuff.

 

Well I hope to have nice weather for tomorrow
up nice and early (5.45am) \/

 

Kieran,

The small 0-6-0 pairing was interesting, a slightly different angle to them here. Similar machines built at opposite ends of the country. This was the last shot I got with any sunshine (though by then very weak) as the dark clouds were looming. Not long after there was thunder and lightening and buckkets of rain!

Steve

PS. I wonder if the Woodbine advert on the station is breaking any modern rules?

 

Sounds to me like you're having a lie in! It's 4:30am for me. See you there.
I'll be in a black coat, blue woolly hat and bloomin' enormous ruck sack!

Regards,

Paul

 

My last shot on here for the gala

 

A very nice pairing, its not that often you get 2 black 0-6-0 tender engines in steam together and with the 4f being present 3 must be even rarer. I was suprised this pairing didn't happen more often during the event.
Given that 1300 is staying in Norfolk til the end of April the opportunity to repeat this pairing should hopefully be taken again =P~

 

Mine and dads pics on my website: http://georgesrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/

Was at the railway on 4 days (missed the Friday due to college...) and really enjoyed it, well done all

 

http://jasonhull2000.fotopic.net/c1665151.html my update from sunday

 

Teenager with a tripod, blue bag and hat hat etc
I'm arriving with Ben who is picking me up from Sheringham mainline station

 

Website now updated with the rest of my pictures from the event

http://www.dave-ballard.co.uk

 

I've now got all of my photos from the Gala online, and can be viewed on my site - http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.fotopic.net


Friday 27th Lineside:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 62036.html

Friday/Saturday Sheds:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 62064.html

Saturday 28th Lineside:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 62305.html

Saturday 7th Sheds:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 64903.html

Sunday 8th Loco Prep/Yard:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 65021.html

Sunday 8th Lineside:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 65057.html

Sunday 8th Sheds:
http://www.owensrailwayphotographs.foto ... 65097.html



Cheers,
Owen

 

My pictures from the Gala 8/03/09. http://jamiep.fotopic.net/c1665004.html

But what was going on with the B1 and 76079, sounded like we had 2 A4s on the line, and what about that 25 shunting at Sheringhan station? Most of the time there were at least 1 steam engine that could have done any shunting.

JamieP

 

You travel quite a way don't you?!

Peterborough - NYMR... come join us at NNR!! \/

 

Not if you keep running diesels on steam events mate. Its like running a steam engine on a diesel gala, unthinkable

 

Well the period being recreated was 1959... so having diesel shunters was surely not uncommon

Hopefully though, with ring haw now back in ticket and other restoration projects such as the Y7 and Wissington underway, it won't be too long before they are dispensed with at steam galas, and this work passed over to said locos

 

I believe the idea of having the spare loco at Weybourne was to reduce delays etc if another loco failed somewhere as it would be free to get to either end of the line quickly. If the spare was to be involved with shunting at Sheringham then any delays would be a lot larger and you'd still end up with a diesel doing the shunting.

Hopefully in a year or two when we have Wissington, Ring Haw and the Y7 we could end up with a station pilot at Holt and Sheringham and the third loco running shuttles with the Wisbeach & Upwell coach.

We did run a steam special with the B12 on a diesel gala once. I was a cleaner on the footplate and at every station we came to there were considerably more families crowding round the B12 than enthusiasts round any of the Diesels. Just a shame it was a private charter otherwise we could have made a lot more money that day.

 

The 25 was running because the 08 failed on the Friday of the first weekend. The 08's owner then came down over that weekend and the following to repair the loco and undertake some light maintenance whilst he was there, hence it's unavailability during the Saturdays and Sundays.

By having a seperate shunting engine at Sheringham sets could be moved into and out of the yard and sidings without "swallowing up" precious watering time for the steam locos. This year we managed very well with our limited water supplies, which was particularly good considering the increased number of locos running. The same applied at Weybourne, although another major reason for the diesel there was to shunt release the steam engines in the yard, therefore not blocking both platform lines whilst the "local" services ran round.

As Dave and Nat said, in future we hope to have steam engines available for this task. Had Ring Haw not been away I'm sure that would have found use at Sheringham.

Personally I don't think it's a major problem having diesel shunters operating at steam galas in the interim, but I'm a firm believer that they should not haul passenger trains (except in extreme cases after failures when it's a choice between a diesel and no train at all), just as I don't think steam engines should haul trains on diesel galas. I know steam engines are more popular with the average family but for one weekend a year I don't think people can really complain at an all-diesel service!

 

The diesel shunter at weybourne, class 11, is most definatly older than some of the steam locos that were there over the weekend so was by no means out of place! [-X

 

My photos from Sunday up now at http://5944.fotopic.net/c1665534.html

I'm glad I stayed out in the field near Weybourne during the hailstorms to get the last few photos!

 

An excellent 5 days of Gala - it's difficult to say what was best - personally probably the B1 with the Quads, but returning a 4F to the Joint was also memorable, as was Ian Riley's Pocket Rocket. All in all a superb production. Looks like the next 'big one' :-# will be 2012 so we've got a little while to plan for it. Ben, you'd better got on the phone and start booking those locos you were mentioning! :-D =P~

Mind you, the weather on Sunday morning will take some beating - those ultra clear ice blue skies!

Steve