'Greatest Gathering' bound | 57307 drags 390119 on 'The Creighton-Ward Explorer' 31/07/2025

On the eve of one of the biggest and highly-anticipated railway events of the 21st century, the last puzzle pieces are falling into place as the final few exhibits make their way to Derby ahead of the ‘Greatest Gathering’.

2025 marks the 200th anniversary of what is widely considered to be ‘the birth of the modern railway’, when No1 “Locomotion” spearheaded the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825, becoming the first steam locomotive in the world to haul passengers on a public railway. The ‘Greatest Gathering’ is one of many events taking place across the country under the ‘Railway 200’ banner celebrating this milestone, with the aim to assemble the largest collection of locomotives, rolling stock, and railway related exhibits in a generation; taking place over the weekend of August 1st-3rd.

DRS Class 57 - 57307 “Lady Penelope” is scheduled to be attending the event, with its arrival coming at the helm of the one-way railtour 'The Creighton-Ward Explorer', dragging Avanti West Coast Class 390 - 390119 “Progress”, which is also scheduled to be in attendance. The tour started out of Crewe, travelling the short distance to Derby via Stafford.

Shortly before the tour passed Rugeley Trent Valley, there would be a near-miss with a member of the public involving a freight service hauled by Freightliner Class 90s - 90003 & 90004, working 4M63. Due to the nature of the incident, subsequent services through the station would be subject to severe speed restrictions. The tour, running roughly 20 minutes late, would therefore crawl through platform 3 as continued towards Derby.

00:00 - 730005
00:55 - 90003 & 90004
01:58 - 57307 & 390119

All footage filmed on Thursday the 31st of July 2025.