Stanhope Steam Centenary event - 13-14th May

13-14th May 2017

11am - 17:00 (last entry 16:00)​

Stanhope Steam Centenary event - a gathering of Kerr Stuart narrow gauge locos to mark the 100th birthday of Apedale resident "Stanhope".

Full size Kerr Stuart locos include:

Stanhope (Tattoo Class), 3014 (Joffre Class), Diana (Sirdar Class), Jenny & Roger (Wren Class).

Model Railways include:

Gamle Carlsberg (O16.5), The GunPowder Works (SM32 Finescale), Franklin (ON2), Clee Valley Railway (OO9), End of the Line (O14) & Untermutten (HOm)

Refreshments, Real Ale Bar etc all available on-site.

Apedale Valley Light Railway, Apedale Country Park, Loomer Road, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 7LB


Entry costs include access to the model railway exhibition and 1 return train ride per person.

Adults - £6
Children 3-15 - £3. Under 3 are Free.
Family 2 Adults & 2 children - £15

Further details on the Apedale Valley Light Railway website www.avlr.org.uk

 

An important announcement regarding tickets for the Stanhope Gala - 13 & 14 May. We aren't doing advance tickets by post for this event - BUT you will be able to buy tickets from the shop at Apedale for the event from this weekend. It's a great way to beat the queue on the day. Tickets are just £6 for adults, £3 for children 3-16 and there's a family ticket at £15 (2+2). We've also re-vamped the Access All Areas passes aimed at serious enthusiast photographers - £20 buys you access to the whole site for both days of the event plus the Friday set-up day - including access outside the public hours PLUS unlimited train rides and footplate rides on the locos. Only a limited number of passes are made available, and again these can be bought in the shop beforehand or from the gate on the day.

 

Hi. Can you elaborate on what is available with the Access All Areas pass? Does this include the trackside, workshops, etc.?

 

The AAA pass includes access to the whole lineside (with a couple of restrictions to prevent the need to call an ambulance). The main shed will be in use as a display area, but we will try to ensure access for pass holders to the other buildings is available. It would need to be guided access to ther workshop itself for safety.

 

Sounds good. Really looking forward to this.

 

Great day out at Apedale. Six steam locos and 3 internal combustion in action. Passenger and freight alternating on the main line. Lots going on in the war zone. Locos rotated around the various services.

Lots of action, lots of photos, and all for six quid. A bargain.

Well done Apedale.

 

Moseley Railway Trust celebrates successful Stanhope Gala – and looks to the future

The Moseley Railway Trust held the annual railway gala at the Apedale Valley Light Railway on May 13 & 14. The theme for the 2017 event was to mark the centenary of the Kerr, Stuart locomotive “Stanhope”. Kerr, Stuart were a firm of locomotive builders based in Stoke-on-Trent – just a few miles from Apedale.

Three visiting engines attended, two built by Kerr, Stuart, and the third built to a Kerr, Stuart design. With the home-based fleet of Stanhope and a further 1916-built Kerr, Stuart loco, it is believed that this was the largest gathering of Stoke built locomotives in preservation.

The Gala attracted over 1000 visitors. Phil Robinson, the Trust Chairman said “We are very pleased with how the Stanhope Gala went. On behalf of the Trust, I’d like to express my thanks to the visiting loco owners and also to all our volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the weekend a success”.

The centenary of Stanhope was marked with various cakes – edible by humans and edible by engines. The owner of Stanhope – or the “current custodian”, as he described himself – Dr John Rowlands made a speech describing the remarkable story of how the loco survived into preservation. It was a close-run thing! This story has been put into print in a new book written by Phil Robinson and published by the Trust.

Looking to the future, there will be a new enthusiast-focussed event in October. The Diesel Delights weekend – 7 & 8 October 2017 – will see many of the Trust’s collection of internal combustion locos in action. Some will haul passenger trains – in some cases, these will be the first-ever passenger working for locos over fifty years old!

In 2018, the Trust will hold the third of the popular Tracks to the Trenches events, themed around the First World War. The site will be transformed into the Western Front for the weekend – July 13, 14 & 15 2018. The Trust would be pleased to hear from potential exhibitors of WW1-appropriate items, particularly road vehicles.

More details of the Trust and the Apedale valley Light Railway can be found on Facebook or on the website www.mrt.org.uk.