North Norfolk Railway - 'GRAND STEAM GALA' 03/09/2011

The main purpose of our return visit to Norfolk in September 2011 was to visit the North Norfolk Railway's 'Grand Steam Gala' and see the entire fleet of locomotives in action plus visitors. The gala was held over the weekend of September 2nd-4th. Leading the line-up was BR(M) 4MT-class 'Flying Pig' 2-6-0 No.43106 visiting from the Severn Valley Railway. This locomotive was in a way returning to its old haunts. The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway (of which the NNR used to be part of) was where a number of these locos worked during the days of steam. This visit was also made special by the fact that this is the first time that No.43106 has ever visited another railway in preservation. It has been on the Severn Valley for over forty years - since it re-opened. The 'Flying Pig' was joined by another LMS visitor: 'Black 5'-class 4-6-0 No.45305 from the Great Central Railway. The 'Black 5', being main-line registered arrived at the NNR via the National Network and passed over the Level Crossing at Sheringham. It is now the third locomotive to cross this new crossing, the first two being BR 'Britannia'-class 4-6-2 No.70013 "Oliver Cromwell" and SR N15-class 'King Arthur' 4-6-0 No.30777 "Sir Lamiel". Three locomotives at the event are actually on-loan to the NNR. David Sheperd's BR 9F-class 2-10-0 No.92203 "Black Prince" (from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway). GWR 5600-class 0-6-2T No.5619 (from the Telford Steam Railway) and GWR 5700-class 0-6-0PT No.7715, in its London Transport guise of No.L99 (from the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre). "Black Prince" will spend the remainder of its current boiler-certificate at the NNR as the Gloucestershire Warwickshire is still re-building following the embankment collapses near Winchcombe. Completing the line-up was resident GER J15-class 0-6-0 No.65462, making its last gala appearance before withdrawal for overhaul. A last minute visitor was NCB 'Austerity' 0-6-0ST No.3777 (running as LNER J94-class No.68030) from the Churnet Valley Railway. This footage is from Saturday 3rd September. Locomotives in action were... - BR 9F-class 2-10-0 No.92203 "Black Prince" (on-loan from David Shepherd and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway) - BR(M) 4MT-class 2-6-0 No.43106 (visiting from the Severn Valley Railway) - LMSR 'Black 5'-class 4-6-0 No.45305 (visiting from the Great Central Railway) - GER J15-class 0-6-0 No.65462 (making its last gala appearance before overhaul) - GWR 5600-class 0-6-2T No.5619 (on-loan from the Telford Steam Railway) - Not featured in this video - GWR 5700-class 0-6-0PT No.7715 (running in its London Transport guise of No.L99 - on-loan from the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre) - Not featured in this video - NCB 'Austerity' 0-6-0ST No.3777 (running as J94 No.68030 - visiting from the Churnet Valley Railway) - Not featured in this video