The event will take place on Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th of July and will see North Norfolk Railway take a nostalgic look back to the 1960s
The weekend will conjure up the atmosphere of the Sixties, bringing back memories of that transformative decade and will see steam and diesel trains working alongside each other, live music from the time and displays of road vehicles from that period.
North Norfolk Railway will be running half-hourly train services between Sheringham and Holt with rover tickets enabling passengers to get on and off throughout the day in order to travel behind different locomotives.
Passengers can also enjoy activities taking place at Weybourne Station which will see classic cars including Minis and a display of scooters built to the iconic designs of Sir Alexander Issigonis which were very much part of popular culture in the 1960s. Further exhibits will see a selection of caravans which were a luxury item at the time.
In order to provide a real feel for the sixties, local band ‘Airmail' will play live on Saturday and Sunday will see ‘The Austin Beats' perform covers of songs by the Beatles, Kinks, Rolling Stones and many other bands of that time. Traditional sideshows that featured at fetes and fairgrounds during the 1960s will also be available to add to the fun.
The North Norfolk Railways team of volunteers were recently awarded ‘The Queens Award for Voluntary Service, and in order to give the Sixties event an authentic atmosphere will be going the extra mile, with most of them wearing typical railway uniforms of the time. Visitors are also invited to get into the sixties spirit by dressing in the fashion of the time.
The heritage railways' two steam engines 4MT No. 76084 and 9F No. 92203 “Black Prince” were built by British Railways and are scheduled to be operating over the weekend. Both of these locomotives were new as the 60s arrived, having been built in 1957 and 1959 respectively. Sadly both locomotives were withdrawn from service in 1967 as British Rail moved forwards with its modernisation plans.
The railways Class 37 diesel D6732 also fits the bill celebrating its 60th birthday earlier this year and is also going to be hauling passenger services alongside visiting Class 25 D7659 with the event marking its last appearance on the East Anglian line ahead of making its way home to Peak Rail. All locomotives will be using carriages that were used through the 1960s.
Commercial Manager, Graham Hukins, commented
“We're looking forward to transporting visitors back six decades to the time of drainpipe trousers, mini-skirts, flower power and pop music, while the locomotives and carriages of the era will doubtless evoke memories for many.”
For further information about events, activities and train times please visit their website: http://www.nnrailway.co.uk
Passengers making bookings ahead for the event using the website can benefit from a generous discount on train fares.
After North Norfolk Railways Sixties event, the railway's summer service will continue to operate using two steam locomotives and one diesel train which are scheduled to run every day until the 11th of September when the lines autumn programme begins and will see steam and diesel services operating until the 30th of October.
