Throughout the weekend, resident class 08 D4095 and Steam Sentinel 7109 ‘Joyce’ ran alongside visiting class 03 03901 (D2128).

The class 03, which is now fitted with a Cummins NT855 engine, certainly went down well with all the enthusiasts and volunteers at the gala. Assistant Operations manager, Mike Abbott, who recently added qualified Sentinel Steam driver to his Diesel driver qualification, was enthused about the event.

Mike said: “In total, we ran about 42 passenger trains during the whole weekend, some double-headed and top-and-tailed, on both the down and up lines, which enabled us to make use of our three Mark One coaches and some other rolling stock. We also had our newly-restored Wickham Trolley providing rides in the yard which added further interest to the event.

“We had loads of visitors come to the railway from many different parts of the country, and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, with many saying how they look forward to visiting us again soon.

“Overall, the event ran very well, even though we had one or two hiccups, and luckily we were blessed with fairly pleasant weather throughout!”

We now look forward to our Diesel Gala on the 7th and 8th of March 2020, featuring another guest loco, this time a bit bigger than the 03, which will be announced very soon.

Following this event, the Trust at the Heritage Railway will be offering driver experience days in October using the resident and visiting locomotives. Full details can be found online at: www.sdjr.co.uk, but suggested driver experience days are 4th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 24th and 25th October.

Gail Coleshill