GCR Winter Steam Gala- 28th-30th January 2022

Lovely, thanks for the update. It's been a long time since I last made it over to Quorn so I wasn't sure if I'd get there before it filled up. I was meaning to come today but I wasn't too good this am.

I'll try again tomorrow, fingers crossed.

There's some really nice videos on You Tube, I love the MK1 CCT on the short passenger rake and the variety in the van train including, if I'm not mistaken, a Shoc Palvan of the GW persuasion, a rare beasty indeed.

 

Rather surprisingly the trains ran more or less to time today, which is unusual for a GCR Gala......
Most services seemed to be very busy, as were the food outlets and the "Tin Shed" bar . Not much mask wearing in evidence either, for those who might be put off by such things....

 

The answer, such as it is, is that the Office for Rail and Road has asked the Heritage Railway Association to produce a standard operating procedure for TPO demonstrations so until that has been finalised and published TPO demonstrations won't happen and that goes for all railways that do them. Hopefully it'll be done sooner rather than later as they're very popular and a fun thing to do.

 

Had a second trip down to Loughborough today for the Great Central Railway Winter Steam Gala
Rover ticket bought for today, Saturday
Definite highlight
73156 & 34072 257 Squadron nonstop Loughborough to Leicester North run through Quorn station 29th January 2022
https://tinyurl.com/363ek6cz
everywhere was teeming with people all trains that I was on were full even the humble 2 coach sub
seen here with 78018
https://tinyurl.com/5x8yjk5e
rest of photos tomorrow I am knackered after a nightmare journey home with mandatory blanket speed limits in Yorkshire due to bad weather

Neil

 

Which was a bit of a miracle considering two small trees blew down in a gust of wind at 3pm at Rothley station, partially blocking the track near the signal box. Kudos to the younger members of the platform team who immediately swung into action; donning their orange jackets, and with bow saws, they cut away the thick obstructing Leylandii branches. Much to everyones surprise, the next scheduled train departed only 1 minute late. Among the hundred plus witnesses, there were the usual jokes about had it happened on network rail, it would have meant a six hour closure and a replacement bus service.......

 

I had a grandstand view of the group out of my carriage window of them cutting them up as I was on the 1515 from Leicester North behind the Standard Tank. I hadn't realised that the wind had been that strong during the day, though it got a bit nasty at Quorn whilst waiting for the DMU around 13.00.

A few pictures from yesterday.....

 

Had a second trip down to Loughborough today for the Great Central Railway Winter Steam Gala
Rover ticket bought for Saturday, all photos taken at Quorn. Leicester North & Loughborough.
Main highlight though
73156/34072 257 Squadron double header at Quorn
https://tinyurl.com/mr3jvyk7

Neil

 

My video and a few photos from yesterday's visit to the gala. An enjoyable day, even if the wind was trying its best to blow everyone away!

 

I had commented to a mate that there was a tree creaking earlier so it probably didn’t need a lot of wind to bring it down.

 

My snaps from Saturdays G.C.R. steam gala hope everyone who visited enjoyed it.
David 56F

 

Just got home (near Winchester) after my first ever visit to a GCR gala event. I got there at lunchtime on Friday and left at 2pm today. I have to say I was incredibly impressed by a fantastic event. I hadn't really appreciated previously just what a difference the double track would make to the whole feel of the event, but from the minute I arrived at Quorn on Friday and watched a train departing without having to wait for something coming the other way, I realised what I'd been missing out on. The constant activity was just amazing, and everything seemed to be running pretty much as planned (at least it was up until I left!). Seeing and hearing the vans and mineral trains trundling through Quorn non-stop is an experience without parallel in the preserved railway world imho. Thank you to everyone involved - the railway should collectively be very proud of what it has and how it makes use of it. It might have been my first GCR gala, but I very much hope to be back.

Meanwhile a couple of my photos are below:

 

Exelent day ,they get even better ,first class light conditions AM Sunday ,two images of visitors attached.

 

I enjoyed a good day out on Saturday at the gala. Heres a couple of pictures of 257 Squadron

 

And a shot of 80080 on the windcutters...

 

Nice pictures being posted - many thanks.

 

A couple of mine from yesterday:





Seven more at https://richardstevens.smugmug.com/My-pictures/Britain/Preserved-railways/

 

How did you get to the Swithland shot? Photo permit?

 

From the shadow in the foreground, looks like it was taken out of a train window on one of the services that were recessed in the down loop.
I did the same with my shot posted earlier, also of 6990 - but viewed from the rear, taken from the DMU on the Saturday

 

A few of my favourites from a great Sunday.

Video

 

Where have the Mk1 subs appeared from?