Stainmore ‘2MT’ for North Norfolk gala

Stainmore Route stalwart BR ‘2MT’ No. 78018 has been announced as the second guest engine for the North Norfolk Railway’s ‘Spring Steam Gala’ on April 20-22.


Destined for the North Norfolk Railway’s ‘Spring Steam Gala’ next month, ‘2MT’ No. 78018 rests in the yard at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway on January 11 2017. THOMAS BRIGHT/SR

The Riddles-designed 2-6-0 will be joined by a visiting BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T at the three-day event, but not No. 80136 as previously announced.

The ‘Poppy Line’ revealed in February that the North Yorkshire Moors Railway-based ‘Standard Four’ tank would be joining the line-up at its April gala, but has subsequently been advised that the locomotive will be unavailable.

It is to be replaced by classmate No. 80104, courtesy of the Swanage Railway and owning group Southern Locomotives Ltd.

The addition of Nos. 78018 and 80104 brings the number of Standard locomotives running at the gala up to four, as the NNR will be fielding its resident ‘4MT’ No. 76084 and ‘9F’ No. 92203 ‘Black Prince’. These are expected to run alongside ‘N2’ No. 1744, ‘B12’ No. 8572 and WD 2-10-0 No. 90775 ‘The Royal Norfolk Regiment’.

For the first time, the NNR will be running a parcels train at the event alongside its usual freight services, with the parcels set comprising the line’s recently overhauled BR CCTs, PMV, Pas-fruit and pigeon van.

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