The Spa Valley Railway has announced the visit of British Railways Standard 4MT No. 75069 for their 25th Anniversary Gala.
The Anniversary Gala takes place from Friday 26th to Monday 29th August 2022.
The locomotive will star alongside other steam and heritage diesel locomotives during the 25th Anniversary celebrations of the Spa Valley Railway re-opening to Groombridge.
Tunbridge Wells West and Groombridge line was originally closed in July 1985 and after thousands of hours of restoration, the line reopened to the public in August 1997.
No. 75069 was built in 1955 at Swindon Works and during its life was allocated to several depots including Dover Marine and Bournemouth before it was withdrawn in 1966.
75069 also visited Tunbridge Wells West which is now home to the Spa Valley Railway so will be recreating history, returning for the first time since the 1960's. The locomotive will recreate an old image by facing chimney first towards Eridge.
The locomotive will only visit during the anniversary event before it returns to the Severn Valley Railway.
I will check some of my photos, but I also may have seen her – 75069 – at Bath Green Park, on an up local from Bournemouth West!