Class 73 50th Anniversary Barry Island Bash Sun 29th Jan

2012 is the 50th Anniversary of the Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives. E6001 (later 73001) was completed at Eastleigh Works at the end of January 1962. It was rolled out for its official photograph on 2nd February and completed its first main line test run on 5th February.
To celebrate the anniversary of this unique innovative class of locomotives, we've arranged a 'mini-bash' on the Barry Tourist Railway on the afternoon of Sunday 29th January. We'll be running our ex-Eurostar Class 73 loco, 73118, 'light engine' and' offering cab rides between 13.00 - 16.00hrs giving a round trip from Barry Island Station to either the Waterfront Station or Gladstone Bridge Station. The trip will have a main line feel as we run parallel to the Network Rail main line over two sections of track between Barry Island and Barry Dock Stations. This adds an interesting feature to the experience offering the opportunity to pass or cross main line sprinter, pacer and heavy freight services on your cab ride.
£16.50 buys you a return 'cab pass' ticket - front cab one way, rear cab the other .......or vice-versa.
The event is organised on a first-come-first served basis and a turn-up and go basis. The loco will run continuously offering trips about every 25 minutes.
Blow away the winter blues with a bash at Barry Island! Our cafe will also be open too serving hot drinks to keep the cold out!
I'll be driving - see you there?
John

 

Just a line to say that we gave 73118 an A exam today in preparation for the Class 73 'min-bash' this coming Sunday afternoon. Everything in order and we're looking forward to our 50th Anniversary event dedicated to this amazing class of locomotives.
John

 

Well! We marked the 50th Anniversary of the Class 73 today!
Everything went well and our class 73 loco, 73118, performed faultlessly.
Most of our cab ridders went away with a smile on their face! These little 'shoe box' locos really are quite impressive - and ideal for a railway like ours.
I was impressed with the distance that some people had travelled to be with us this afternoon - it was good to see so many people ...and to have a full cafe! The hot beverages were well received on a cold January day!
In fact I was so busy, including having some interesting conversations with people, I didn't get time to take a photo - can any of our visitors oblige and post a picture of today's event please?
I'll post details of future dates when we'll operate the Class 73 - at present our Diesel Gala on 28/29 July is the only confirmed date this year, but we'll be operating the loco with the GATEX coaches on a number of other occasions this year, as we did last year.
All in all a good and rewarding day.
John