Dean Forest Railway GWR Gala Weekend 30th June & 1st July 2012

Dean Forest Railway 'Great Western Weekend' 30th June/1st July 2012

Once again the Dean Forest Railway are holding a 'Great Western Gala Weekend' in the summer, over the dates of Saturday 30th June & Sunday 1st July 2012.

Locomotives in action will be -

GWR 0-4-2T 14xx number 1450 - running as 1401 in black livery
GWR 2-6-2T Small Prairie Tank number 5521
BR(W) 0-6-0PT Pannier Tank number 9681

Apart from the Titfield Thunderbolt event at the North Norfolk Railway, this may be the only chance to see 1450 operate as 1401 and she will be repainted very soon after this gala weekend (so I am led to believe). 5521 will only be at the DFR for around 4 weeks during this visit as it is off to the Swindon & Cricklade in mid July.

Auto trains, made up of GWR liveried 178 and BR maroon W238 'Chaffinch', Demonstration Goods trains and passenger services will run over the weekend including a double headed service once each way both days. All locomotives will face Parkend with the two auto trailers behind the auto tank.

Timetable here http://www.deanforestrailway.co.uk/shopimages/Timetable (W)Gala2012Pub.doc

Rover tickets allowing unlimited travel all day - £13 adult, £12 Senior, £6 child and £36 family. Also this is an Armed Forces Day, with members of the forces being able to claim money off fares for themselves and their families/friends. See the event details on the railway's website for more info.

http://www.deanforestrailway.co.uk/

Whitecroft station has now been opened too as seen here http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co...-restoration/story-16208383-detail/story.html and here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-18203477 and trains will call here during the gala weekend.

I hope to see you at the Friendly Forest Line over this weekend!

 

I'm planning to visit the DFR for their Great Western Gala event this coming weekend which will feature 1450 (running as 1401), 5521 and 9681.

I've downloaded the gala timetable from the DFR site. There is no mention of trains calling at the recently re-opened Whitecroft station. Does anyone know whether or not trains will be calling there during the gala?

Does anyone know which way the three locos will be facing?

Thanks in advance,
Mick

 

Re: Dean Forest Railway 'Great Western Weekend' 30th June/1st July 2012

Just a reminder guys that this event is this weekend! Hope to see you there...

 

Re: Dean Forest Railway 'Great Western Weekend' 30th June/1st July 2012

Looks very tempting. Might have to pay a visit!

 

Re: Dean Forest Railway 'Great Western Weekend' 30th June/1st July 2012

Will be along on Saturday. My first visit to the DFR for some time. Weather not looking too good according to met office, but then they said Sunday around here would be awful - and it was the best day of this so called "Summer" so far. Fingers crossed!

 

There's another thread on this already answering all your questions!
http://railways.national-preservati...end-30th-june-1st-july-2012-a.html#post487354

 

I should be there on the Sunday- looks like a nice event for the DFR, with the 5521-9681 double headers.

 

Can someone tell me where the Lyd East and West Loops are and can the Goods be seen running round from Lydney Junction station?

Thanks

 

The east and west loops are the run round loops at Lydney Junction, so as long as there isn't another train in the way you will be able to see the goods running round.

Also the timetable has been updated with times for Whitecroft which can be found here: http://www.deanforestrailway.co.uk/shopimages/(DFR) Timetable2012Gala30June1JulyPub.doc

 

My photographs of the second day of this event are now online at my Zenfolio site here:- Mick Rogers Photography | DFR Great Western Branchline Day 1st July 2012

Cheers,
Mick

 

Pity 1450 can't stay like that for a bit longer, not fussed about the 1401 plates, but the matt black finish looks so realistic.

 

Was anyone on the double header on the sunday, as there were a few on the train suggesting speeding, and it was a cracking run up to parkend. Any estimates at the speeds involved? To me it reached maybe line speed on the whitecroft to Parkend section.

 

Post now irrelevant after mod's action on the above

 

The calculations i have for that section were from a video i took, where the prairie's wheels rotated between 2.5 and 3 times per second, which comes out as between 11.07 and 13.29 m/s, .

 

The former, if that, I'm sure.

 

Okay, i give up
Were any of you on that train?

 

I've just had another look at my video of this train as it neared Parkend. Though I haven't gone through it frame by frame, by stretching the timeline to the maximum in my video editor software (Premiere Elements 10) the driving wheels of 5521 do appear to rotate just under 3 times in the space of a second just before it passed my camera position.

I don't think that you can slow it down when played in Zenfolio, but if anyone wants to look at it in real time, the sequence in question starts 8 and a half minutes into the video here: - Mick Rogers Photography | Steam Videos | Dean Forest Railway 1st July 2012

Cheers,
Mick