Great Central Railway | Winter Steam Gala with 73082 & 506! - Saturday/Sunday 28th/29th January 2023

#GreatCentralRailway #Camelot #s15

Friday 27th to Sunday 29th January would see the Great Central Railway's annual 'Winter Steam Gala'. This years star guests were the Camelot Locomotive Society's Std 5 no.73082 'Camelot' from the Bluebell Railway, the Urie Locomotive Society's S15 no.506 from the Mid Hants Railway and DMU no.M79900 'Iris' from the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. They joined home fleet steam locos 8F no.48305, 9F no.92214 - recently repained into BR Black, Std 5 no.73156 and Std 2's no.78018 and no.78019. Peak no.D123 was due to be operating but failed on the Saturday so was replaced with the home fleets DMU with 48305 & 78018 taking its booked freight turns alongside a bit of timetable shuffling.

The timetable for Saturday and Sunday was the same for both days with just 48305 and 78018 swapping diagrams and the two rakes of goods in use also swapping diagrams. Saturday saw 32 departures from Loughborough and Sunday 31, the usual excellent Great Central mix of passenger, express passenger, local and DMU plus two goods sets in action, making full use of the double track stretch from Loughborough to Rothley.

For us, after the cancellation of the Spa Valley Railway's 'Winter Steam Up' earlier this month we found ourselves suddenly with nothing in the diary to while away the last couple of long winter months before Spring, so we made a farly late decision to book weekend visit for the gala. Staying in Premier Inn at Leicester Forest East on the Saturday night we spent Saturday at Quorn and Woodhouse and then Loughborough before having an evening round trip, Sunday we were lineside at first Kinchley Lane, then Woodthorpe and finally Rothley.

As usual all my footage from across the weekend is grouped together, the railway was certainly exceptionally busy throughout so hopefully it has been a good event for the railway in these difficult times. Thanks as always to everyone involved in organising the event, we had a brilliant time and will hopefully be back for the 50th Anniversary Gala in June!

Photos...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...

Locations and Locos...

506 at Kinchley Lane, Rothley.
73156 at Kincley Lane, Rothley.
78018 at Kinchley Lane, Rothley.
73082 at Kinchley Lane, Rothley.
78019 at Kinchley Lane, Rothley.
48305 at Kinchley Lane, Rothley.
506 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
73156 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
92214 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
73082 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
92214 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
DMU at Quorn and Woodhouse.
506 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
73156 & 73082 at Quorn and Woodhouse.
506 at Woodthorpe.
73156 & 73082 at Woodthorpe.
78018 at Woodthorpe.
M79900 at Woodthorpe.
48305 at Woodthorpe.
78018 ar Rothley.
92214 at Rothley.
506 at Rothley.
506 at Loughborough Central.
48305 at Loughborough Central.