Avon Valley Railway Gala 2010

Looking ahead to the railways ‘End of Season Gala’ on the 24th of October, we have been looking for a suitable guest loco.

We have decided that due to the fact that we are a Midland line, in the heart of the Western region and the low attendance of last years gala with GWR small prairie 5521, we would choose a loco that provides something of an alternative to GW175.

The railways Traction Inspector began his railway career as a fireman on the Eastern region, starting at Epping, before eventual transfer to Stratford shed, often working commuter trains out of Liverpool St.

As a thank you for his involvement at the railway for so many years and with his seventieth birthday about a year and a half away, we have decided to look at the possibility of bringing in ‘N7’ 69621, courtesy of the East Anglian Railway Museum and it’s current custodians, the North Norfolk Railway.

The loco is symbolic, as it was one of the engines that our Traction Inspector regularly fired in his last months as a fireman before passing over to diesel traction at Stratford. He has not seen or stepped foot on a N7 since.

We are currently in a position where all we require to do is to sign the hire agreement and arrange final transport arrangements. The only problem is funding, for the hire of the loco and the transport cost from the NNR to Bitton and return.

We need to know the level of support for the idea, which will require donations to help with the additional costs.

We are planning to run a Photo Charter/Pie ’n’ Pint train as well as an experience course. The Charter/Course will both be run with either a suitable suburban/branch passenger or a freight service.

At the moment we are trying to gauge people’s interest. We need to be able to see sufficient interest by Monday 1st March at the latest otherwise we will need to seek an alternative, although from what I can see, that will also present the same problems.

As far as I know, the loco has only been in the area once, with a visit to the West Somerset a couple of years ago (correct me if I am wrong), so we are presenting a rare opportunity to see and ride behind a extremely different engine, as well as allowing us to thank a special man for many years commitment.

 

I'd be more likely to attend if the N7 wasn't there than if it was, to put it bluntly. I quite simply find it quite a dull locomotive.

It's an interesting idea to go against the buck, but i'd imagine if a similar event was advertised right and tied in with local GWR events, a GWR visiting engine would go down well. It's not every year you have a 175th annivarsiary of the GWR to celebrate.

Remember also that sometimes it's not what you have, it's how you use it. Any line can have a star fleet of locos, but put into a poor timetable and no complimenting factors at stations or 'sideshows' makes for a poor event.

 

A non GWR loco on that date may well be sensible as it clashes with the second half of Didcot's celebrations - which is where I will be unless the AVR guest loco is Lode Star in steam!

The Prairie last time was potentially an attractive guest loco, but for the time I could get there (church on Sunday morning!) it wasn't really doing much of interest. The DMU was too much in action, the TKh doesn't fit in a UK gala, nor really does "Salty". That has to be the essence of it - AVR spends 364 days of the year being a steam train based tourist attraction (a bit like the PDSR but without being as authentic!) and so on the one day of the year it tries to switch to the enthusiast market, there isn't much other than one guest loco to interest people. The most marketable enthusiast galas have a coherent theme - the "anything goes" type of thing will have a limited appeal and probably is more of a play day for the lines own volunteers than a serious outsider attraction.

Its fine to be pragmatic and base the line on making ends meet, keeping something in steam etc, but there needs to be a vision, and other than having rail based transport into the outskirts of Bath, I don't feel the AVR is communicating a vision that speaks to enthusiasts. Whether that impacts on more than just gala attendances (i.e on volunteer recruitment) I don't know but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.

 

Something unusual, by all means, but the N7 doesn't stir my blood either... Speaking personally (but then, as a potential passenger), something like a usa tank or an austerity would be far more likely to bring me in ;-). I do see the sense in not bringing a gwr loco in though, much as I like them, with that level of competition around it'd only end up diluting multiple events...

 

I disagree with the people saying the N7 is dull, it is an attractive looking locomotive and i much prefer her to the N2, which seems to be going everywhere at the moment. If this is about how much noise the locomotive makes then yes i agree she can be a bit quiet, but she did seem to make a bit of noise on the videos i saw of her at the NYMR.

Robert Heath No.6, i fail to see how an Austerity would bring in many people when there are quite a few preserved, the N7 is a last survivor. I like Austerities but i can't say they excite me too much, same for USA tanks. Interesting she is now a boring locomotive when she went to the NYMR gala and seemed to fit in quite well...?

I like the idea of it being a thank you to the Traction Inspector. Though personally the N7 wont get me to the AVR, it's too far from me for a start and i've seen the locomotive very often at the NNR in the last few years and will of course be able to see her when she visits her homebase (EARM) which is about 40 minutes away. Though it will be nice to see her somewhere different.

 

Alas, I did say "speaking personally", as I can't speak for anyone else (although the fact that 2 of us posted similar comments within the space of a few hours, and as you said yourself the N7 wouldn't bring you to the AVR - yet noone has yet replied "yes, that's a fantastic visitor and I'll be there to see it!" would tend to favour my argument), but an austerity would be more likely to bring me to the gala than the N7. The austerity and USA tank examples were simply the first examples to spring to mind of locos of a sensible size for the line which would be more likely to bring me in, there are many many others. I'm also not quite sure how going to an NYMR gala and seeming to fit in well makes a locomotive interesting? I wouldn't travel to the end of my road for an A4 or west country, but they seem to fit in well on the moors... Nor does being unique in preservation make a loco interesting in its own right - you only have to look at the anticipation over the upcoming NYMR gala with 4 black 5s to see that a well-represented class can still be popular. It's not possible to please everybody, of course, and I appreciate I'm in a minority - especially with the A4/west country point - but they did ask for a gauge of peoples' interest, so I gave an honest opinion. None of this is meant as a slur on the N7's owners, it's just not my cup of tea.

As an aside, comment was made above that the Tkh doesn't really fit a UK gala - maybe that's a point to build on then? Just for example, the RSH 18", Tkh and a USA tank - 3 very different ways of getting a hell of a lot of power from an 0-6-0 tank loco from 3 different countries!

 

As an alternative what about 41241 from the KWVR? Surely that would be at home on the AVR metals and isn't a loco that leaves the KWVR that often?

 

Can someone please borrow the N7, preferably somewhere with a turntable so that it can come back to the NNr the right way round. It currently faces sheringham which is a pain.

 

Another loco that would get in the punters, would be 45379. To see it back at its preservation "first home" would certainly attract me up the M5 to Bitton.

It should hopefully be well up and running by October.

Persuading the MHR to release it for a short while, may be a problem as well as finding the transportation costs.

 

What has a turntable got to do with it? Surely it can just be loaded/unloaded the right way round on the low loader....

 

Not an expert but i thought the loco can only be put on one end of the trailer in most cases. I know some trailers can be loaded from both ends but didn't think they were that common. Of course if it went somewhere that you can load in 2 different places then it wouldnt matter.

 

Doesn't matter.....hwell:

I'd happily support the N7 to the Avon Valley if Karel made the same trip in reverse....

 

N7 is a good engine; makes a somewhat funny noise though. Has historical significance and much prefer it to a USA tank (ugly) or an Austerity tank (boring)

 

Austerities boring - there speaks a trainspotter! USA tanks ( i assume you refer to the Yugo 62) are nice and loud but is not going to be a draw at the Avon Valley considering it has been down the road at the East Somerset for last few years.

Living in Bath I would again like to see a Midland engine on the line. Like Matt's idea of the Keighley 2MT or my preference would be the 4F or a Jinty. Alternatively how about the lovely black pannier at the Dean Forest or 3205 as both are kind of appropriate for when the otherside took over.

To keep costs lower why not a local ex LT&S Class 4 tank? Will also tick the GE box almost and would not look out of place.

As a regular photo charter attendee I would be prepared to attend for any of the above (assuming the charter is properly organised) but not an N7.

Totally agree with the comments from the previous poster about the gala timetable. Last year it was great if you wanted to travel on a DMU or industrial diesels but steam (and more importantly the guest engine) hardly got a look in. Nobody (ok there will someone on here that disagrees but they are in a tiny minority) wants to go to a gala to see a DMU. If really necessary give it one early trip then drag it with diesels and allow steam to take centre stage.

The Avon Valley is never going to be the best line in the world but it is a nice set up with some good photo locations if you look hard enough and a fantastic freight set.

Hope this helps and good on you for thinking outside the box.

 

and what is your problem "Hunslets finest"?

The N7 is an excellent choice, being a unique survivor and an ex-BR engine. Though, I'm sure that a 4F or jinty or mickey mouse tank would also be worth it.

You should be trying to support the preservation movement not criticise it.

 

Bit rich considering your previous post dismissed austerities as "boring"! Is it because they don't have animals painted on the side? Also, surely constructive criticism is a form of support? It's no good saying "yes, last year's gala was perfect" if there were clear issues which could very easily be addressed to increase visitor numbers!

The 2MT sounds like a good idea to me as well! Appropriate loco for the line, sensible size, looks and sounds good - and if the tkh were to visit Keighley afterwards, well, that's 2 visits I'd be making!

 

No, I'm not being negative. The difference is clear; the N7 is coming, "Hunslet's finest" is immediately whingeing about it. I'm being positive about the event, which I hope will be a success. Austerities and other ex-industrial engines have their place in the preservation movement but would hardly be starring at a small line that already has its fair share of meh industrial saddle tanks.

 

The original post states that the N7 MAY come, but they need to gauge demand, hence my reply that personally it's of little interest. Hunslet's finest, correct me if I'm wrong, never even mentioned the N7, so quite how he can be "whingeing"[sic] about it is beyond me! Secondly, unless I'm mistaken, the railway doesn't have ANY industrial saddle tanks running, "meh" or otherwise!

 

If only we could have the loco that was at the Avon Valley Railway at the beginning of the month.
Namely the replica of Stevenson's 0-2-2 'Rocket'. What a wonderful locomotive. <BJ>

 

I disagree with Hunslets Finest claiming that a USA Tank won't be a draw. If anything having worked at the ESR will have gained it some enthusiast fans locally who might travel to the AVR to see it. It seemed to prove a big draw at the recent Churnet Valley gala event.