Wicksteed Park Summer Gala 2009

Just to let folks know, the annual Steam in the Park event at Wicksteed Park will be on the 11th and 12th July.

The new build Paddy, Chaloner, and Peter Pan will provide motive power for all passenger trains

Trains running 10.30 - 21.30 on Saturday, and 10.30 until 17.30 on Sunday

Real Ale and Live music at the station on Saturday Evening.

Steam Boats on the Lake, vintage displays etc. (anybody wishing to bring anything please feel free to, email for details)

The original Baguley Loco's will be on display (Lady of the Lake is undergoing overhaul, King Arthur will be shunting most of the day)

Creepy from the Leighton Buzzard Railway will also still be there, many thanks to the LBR for her loan in a difficult time.

Cheyenne - the only original steam outline motor-rail will be in action as well on the Saturday Evening.

More information visit www.wicksteedpark.co.uk

or email railway.wicksteed@tiscali.co.uk

 

That website is very comprehensive and really cracking for a narrow gauge railway!

I did a re-enactment (Civil War, with the Sealed Knot) and Wicksteed a few years back now and couldn't take my eyes of the railway, which, whilst I think it wasn't running, still managed to capture my imagination! A lovely place!

 

Thanks for this. Happy childhood memories of the railway and its "steam" locos. will be good to see some real stem in action on the line.

 

Just a flavour of last years event. The link below is to a photo site I found with our event on it.

http://psychobadger.fotopic.net/c1546488.html

This will be the first time Paddy has operated with another VB Loco (it was displayed at Alan Keef's open day with Taffy but did not operate) Definitely something to see. there will be plenty of double heading and also solo working up the hill.

Lots of interest being shown in the Saturday evening event so I have just ordered more beer! The event tent will be open sided onto the railway line right by the station so you will be able to sit back in your chair, supping a pint, listening to the music and watching the trains go by in the evening sunshine (i hope!)

Passenger trains will run through out the evening.

Rover tickets are availible for unlimeted travel on the line for the day (and evening)

£4.00 in advance (e-mail railway.wicksteed@tiscali.co.uk)
£4.50 from the railway ticket office

 

Great event last year! Il be there!

 

It was good last year (thanks for plugging my photos!). I'm working nights that weekend but hope to get up there for a few hours one day. Last year I went to Amberley in the morning and Wicksteed in the afternoon; I think I'll visit them on separate days this year!

 

Paddy arrived Sunday and was towed around to check clearence. all was well. Today she was lit up and completed 4 trips without incident. she is now ready to enter traffic for the weekend. Peter Pan and Chaloner due to arrive Friday. Its all coming together for another great year!

 

Paddy on test yesterday approaching the station with ECS.

 

Quite a pleasant afternoon at Wicksteed Park today. A pity that Chaloner wasn't running and the only steam boats I saw were decidedly high and dry but Peter Pan and Paddy put on a good show.
Will upload some pics in due course.

 

I was there too. Loads of pictures will appear on my Fotopic site in due course.

In the meantime, can anybody tell me anything about the history of 'Paddy'? If something only two years old can have a history, that is!

I'd be interested to know where it normally lives and, although it is a de Winton look-alike, is it actually built to a de Winton design, or is it a VB freelance design?

 

Thanks to all of you who attended the gala. Chaloner suffered leaking tubes on the Saturday morning and only managed 3 trips. however Paddy and old faithful Peter Pan coped well with the 4500 passengers over the weekend themselves! The boats did go in the water but decided the weed was to to thick to operate, and so where recovered to the station where they continued to steam for the weekend. looking forward to next tears event. more details and photo's of this years soon

 

Evening All,

If anyone is interested to have a look, the first batch of pictures is now on my Fotopic site :

http://ronfisher.fotopic.net/c1099919.html

The rest will follow in the fullness of time.

 

Afternoon All,

I have put another batch of pictures on Fotopic this morning; usual place for anyone interested to see them :

http://ronfisher.fotopic.net/c1099919.html

I've still got some of the captions to do, but as a picture is meant to be worth a thousand words, I don't suppose you will miss them!

 

Can't tell you too much about it other than it normally resides on the Amerton Railway near Stafford. Their website is here http://www.amertonrailway.co.uk/ and there is some stuff in the newsletter pages about Paddy. A friend of mine is a driver there so will try and get some more info off him regarding it.

 

Thanks for the info re PADDY. I'll incorporate it in the caption. In the meantime, I have finally got the rest of the pictures from Sunday onto Fotopic; this is the link for anyone interested to see them :


http://ronfisher.fotopic.net/c1099919.html

As usual, this is my 'Stop Press' collection for new pictures. In due course I shall move them to a new collection in the 2nd Gallery; hopefully, I will have completed all the missing captions by then!

 

At long last I've got round to sorting through my pics of the Sunday. Here's a few.

 

And a few more.