Great Central Railway 'WINTER STEAM GALA' - 2017

First major railway outing of the year was once again the Great Central Railway’s ‘WINTER STEAM GALA’. This year’s event was held from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th January 2017. There was a strong Southern Region theme as the visiting locomotive was SR Q-class 0-6-0 No.30541 which was visiting from the Bluebell Railway as a return favour for the GCR sending LMSR 8F-class 2-8-0 No.48624 for the ‘Giants of Steam’ event in 2016. The full line-up for the gala was as follows… - SR Q-class 0-6-0 No.30541 (visiting from the Bluebell Railway) - SR N15-class ‘King Arthur’ 4-6-0 No.777 “Sir Lamiel” (making its final Winter Gala appearance before withdrawal in the Autumn) - BR ‘Britannia’-class 4-6-2 No.70013 “Oliver Cromwell” (making its first Winter Gala appearance since 2015) - BR ‘Standard 2’-class 2-6-0 No.78018 (making its first Winter Gala appearance since restoration) - BR 9F-class 2-10-0 No.92214 (making its first Winter Gala appearance facing Leicester North) - BR(W) 6959-class ‘Modified Hall’ 4-6-0 No.6990 “Witherslack Hall” - BR(M) 2MT-class ‘Mickey Mouse’ 2-6-0 No.46521 (making its first Winter Gala appearance in BR Green) - LMSR ‘Black 5’-class 4-6-0 No.45305 - LMSR 8F-class 2-8-0 No.48624 - LMSR 3F-class ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T No.47406 Shots included in this video are as follows… - 30541: Woodthorpe (with 777), Kinchley Lane (with 777), Manor House Field, Rothley, Cedars Hotel, One Ash Bridge, Buddon Lane (with 777), Leicester Road Bridge, Woodthorpe and Quorn & Woodhouse. - 777: Quorn & Woodhouse, Rothley, Woodthorpe, One Ash Bridge, Leicester Road Bridge and Quorn & Woodhouse. - 6990: Cedars Hotel, Main Street Bridge and Quorn & Woodhouse (x2). - 45305: Quorn & Woodhouse, Rothley & Quorn & Woodhouse. - 46521: Quorn & Woodhouse (with 6990), Kinchley Lane (with 6990), Cedars Hotel, Manor House Field (with 78018), Woodthorpe, One Ash Bridge, Buddon Lane and Loughborough. - 47406: Buddon Lane (x2). - 48624: Cedars Hotel (with 92214) and Quorn & Woodhouse. - 70013: Quorn & Woodhouse (x2), Main Street Bridge, One Ash Bridge, Buddon Lane, Woodthorpe, Loughborough and Quorn & Woodhouse. - 78018: Buddon Lane (with 45305), Loughborough and Quorn & Woodhouse. - 92214: Woodthorpe, Kinchley Lane, Manor House Field, Buddon Lane, Loughborough and Quorn & Woodhouse. Filmed over all three days. The gala was a successful one despite a few niggles. These included mixed weather (majority of the time was good, but at times was atrocious), late-running with some freight trains going ahead of the passenger services and an issue with 6990 “Witherslack Hall” which dropped a firebar on the Friday resulting in the cancellation of one of the Local runs. Fortunately the ‘Hall’ was repaired and was able to participate in the rest of the gala.