***SOLD OUT***

Recreating the spirit of steam's last warrior, Evening Star No.92220 on the famous Red Dragon, 23rd April 2015.

About this event

It was in March 1960 that No.92220 Evening Star, the last of the Riddles-designed British Railways '9F' Class locos, emerged from Swindon Works, the 999th 'Standard' to be ordered, and the last. 

No.92220 has, of course, been a static exhibit, mostly at Swindon and York, for over two decades. There is no immediate plan for this historic locomotive to re-enter traffic and a new generation of photographers has grown up never having seen this iconic engine in action. TimeLine cannot promise you a return to steam of Evening Star, but we can recreate the spectacle for a limited period using sister locomotive No.92214 which has recently been repainted into BR lined green livery, identical to the unique livery carried by No.92220 in her all too short career with British Railways. With grateful thanks to the locomotive's owner Cromwell Tools, the Great Central Railway, and with permission from the National Railway Museum which owns Evening Star, we will be running two days of charters using 92214 with changed identity to recreate the spirit and appearance of a loco with a very special place in railway history. No.92214 is paired with a BR1G tender which again replicates that with which Evening Star ran in BR service. In addition to this we have also ordered brass plaques, shed plates and of course name plates to complete the transformation. 

Evening Star would have been equally at home on either goods or express passenger turns, though the latter workings were restricted by BR, wary of damage occurring to a locomotive ear-marked for preservation from the moment of her construction and which was very happy running at 90 mph hauling heavy passenger expresses. So, we have decided to run one day each with a lengthy mixed goods on one day and an equally lengthy chocolate and cream passenger rake on the second day which will give us two days photographing trains representative of No.92220's main duties in the early 1960s. The reason for choosing chocolate and cream Mark I stock is that 92220 was a Western Region locomotive for much of her working life, being based at Cardiff Canton Depot (86C) from new until July 1962 and ending her working career based at Cardiff East Dock (88A) from November 1963 until withdrawal in March 1965, being seen at the head of such prestigious named trains as the Red Dragon (between Carmarthen and London Paddington, 5th June 1950 - 12th June 1965) and the Capitals United Express (London Paddington to Cardiff/Swansea/Fishguard, 6th February 1956 - 12th June 1965, named in recognition of Cardiff becoming the capital city of Wales on 20th December 1955). We have very kindly been offered the use of an authentic Red Dragon headboard which we will use for part of the day on passenger stock along with the correct reporting numbers. 

We are sure many of you will want to join us for what promises to be an unusual and exciting event recapturing the spirit of the latter days of Western Region steam on the UK's only mainline double track preserved railway.   

Event cost £70.00 per person. 

Event requirements