Dean Forest Railway 'Flour Mill' steam gala 2/7/16
Posted on: 11/7/16
Last updated: 11/7/16 For two weekends in July, the Dean Forest Railway celebrated 20 years of their local steam restorers- Bill Parker's Flour Mill workshops in the Forest - in fine style. Three guest locos, all restored at the Flour Mill, were the stars of the show. Unusually, the three visitors were all built before 1900, making it something of a 'golden oldies' event! The pairing of the National Railway Museum's LWSR 'T9' No.30120 (1899) and their Beattie 'Well Tank' No.30587 (1874) was delightful, although unlikely to have been seen in the Forest of Dean in the days of steam. Metropolitan 'E' class 0-4-4T (1898) added a splash of colour to the green and black line up. The timetable seemed well though out and it was good that the freight train ran several times during the day. I enjoyed a ride in the brake van, though it wasn't a smooth ride, but then that's part of the experience I suppose! Enjoy the photos and videos. |