Lappa Valley, near St Newlyn East, has announced a major heritage gala scheduled for 13 to 14 June, marking a significant milestone for the attraction’s operations.

For the first time, visiting steam locomotives in traffic will operate over the 15-inch gauge Main Railway, with five steam engines rostered, the highest number in the line’s history.

A key visiting locomotive is ‘Mr. Hallworth’ from Perrygrove Railway Adventure, which is named in memory of Tony Hallworth for his longstanding contribution to the heritage sector, including work with Bodmin Railway.

Also rostered is ‘Spirit of Adventure’, an Exmoor-built tank engine and the largest of its type constructed to this gauge. This locomotive is also notably bigger than the resident locomotive ‘Ellie’, as it features a full-height cab, despite being built for narrow-gauge use.

The timetable will feature double-headed workings, non-stop services, and parallel running, with home fleet locomotives ‘Zebedee’,’ Muffin’, ‘Ellie’, ‘City of Truro’, and ‘Arthur’ running throughout the day.

Additional services will also be operating on the Newlyn Downs Branch, while visiting steam appears on the Lakeside Railway, with a display of miniature traction engines.

“This is a real milestone for us. It’s the first time we’ve welcomed visiting steam locomotives onto our 15-inch gauge railway, and seeing five in steam at once will make for an incredibly exciting weekend.

“Having Mr. Hallworth here is especially meaningful. Tony was a huge part of the Cornish railway community and a personal friend and mentor to me. Bringing the locomotive named in his memory to Cornwall feels like a very special homecoming.”

Ben Harding, Operations Director at Lappa Valley