***SOLD OUT***

BR Standard No.78018 on her first GCR charter appearance, Wednesday 31st January 2018

About this event

We are delighted to be able to offer you a place on the debut photographic charter of recently-restored British Railways '2MT" Class No.78018 hauling a train of covered vans at the Great Central Railway courtesy of the locomotive's owners, the Darlington Railway Preservation Society. This will be the first charter to feature the newly-reborn van train, work partly funded by TimeLine Events.

No.78018 is one of the more recent ex-Barry locomotives to steam, entering traffic at the Great Central Railway in Autumn 2016 following an initial steaming in August of that year following a 35-year long restoration. Built at Darlington, 78018 entered traffic at West Auckland Shed, County Durham, on 3rd March 1954. During February 1955, the loco unwittingly became a film star when, working the Stainmore route out of Kirkby Stephen Depot, it became lodged in a snowdrift; the rescue was made into the now well-known transport film Snowdrift at Bleath Gill. Further allocations were to Chester Midland, Workington Willesden and Nuneaton, its final BR shed being Shewsbury from where 78018 was withdrawn in 1966. The loco has been owned by the Darlington Railway Preservation Society since 1981 and is currently in the custody of the Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group Limited; we are indebted to both parties for allowing us to use the locomotive for our charter event.  

The day will start from and finish at Loughborough station, where we will also return for a short period at lunchtime to allow a crew change and for the locomotive to be serviced. Start time will be 08.00 from Loughborough to ensure we make the most of any available light during the shorter Winter days. Depending on booking numbers, we will either follow by car or, if sufficient funds are forthcoming, we will hire the ‘chasing’ Diesel Multiple Unit.

Event cost £70.00 per person.

Images courtesy of the GCR

Event requirements