The Evesham Vale Light Railway (EVLR) in Worcestershire is holding its Annual Railway Gala on the weekend of Saturday, 9th and Sunday, 10th July.
The railway is celebrating 20 years of operation and to mark the occasion, 20 complimentary adult tickets will be issued at random on both days.
Throughout the weekend, an intensive service will be in operation, with a variety of different locomotives including double-headers hauling the trains. During the afternoons, a six-coach express will run. Services on both days will operate from 10.30 am until 4.30 pm., and Rover tickets will be available.
The railway's fleet of steam locomotives includes:
- 0-4-0 Tender/Tank No 312 St. Egwin, which was built in 2003 by the Exmoor Steam Railway at Bratton Fleming in Devon.
- 0-6-2 No 3 Dougal was built by Severn Lamb of Stratford-on-Avon in 1970, to a design by David Curwen for Longleat Safari Park. It was purchased for the EVLR in November 2004 and rebuilt in 2009 with a larger boiler and tender.
- Former Exmoor Steam Railway Locomotive No.300, which was built in 1996 and supplied new to the Markeaton Park Railway in Derbyshire, where it was named Markeaton Lady. The locomotive has had a full rebuild, including a new boiler and wheels and axles.
As well as the railway's resident fleet of locomotives, there will be Powys from the Rhiw Valley Railway in Mid Wales and Bonnie Dundee from the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway.
Powys
Powys was built in 1972 and is a sister to the railway's own Dougal. It was designed by David Curwen and built by Severn Lamb. They have not been seen together for many years, whilst Powys has never left the Rhiw Valley Railway.
Bonnie Dundee
Bonnie Dundee was originally built to two-foot gauge and began life at Dundee Gas Commissioners in Scotland, In 1976 it was transferred to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway where restoration began. As part of this process, it was re-gauged to 15-inch gauge and side tanks added.
In 1996, the locomotive was rebuilt in its current tender form and is on long-term loan to Cleethorpes from the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. It has recently been overhauled by John Fowler Engineering at Old Hall Farm in Bouth, and this will be its first visit since overhaul.
A Hopefully Happy 20th Anniversary to this Charming (most Imposing) little 15-inch gauge Railway Attraction…. I bet this’ll be a Superbly Sensational Occasion for them, especially on having been their own little Train Rides since 2002.
The 20 Year Old ‘Evesham Vale Light Railway’ is also on my Transportation Destinations bucket list… i’d look forward to travelling to, and visiting the EVLR itself ‘in-person’ someday.