Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Class 14@60 Gala 25-28 July

A one-off Class 14 Spectacular!

Following on from the iconic event held in 2014 at the East Lancashire Railway to celebrate 50 years since the class were introduced, the EVR is planning to celebrate the class reaching their diamond jubilee. It is planned for the weekend to feature several members of the class operating together to especially include locomotives which were not operational at the time of the 2014 event. It is also planned to be a ‘swan-song’ for D9537 which is due to be withdrawn at the end of the event for overhaul works to commence.

Expected to feature:
Class 14 D9537 "Eric"
Class 14 D9523 based at the Wensleydale Railway
Class 14 D9551 based at the Severn Valley Railway
Class 14 D9504 based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway
Class 14 D9553 based at the Calendonian Railway
Class 14 D9529 based at the Nene Valley Railway
Static display: D9525

More details to follow but you can find full details here: https://www.e-v-r.com/14s-at-60/

 

Very much a Teddy Bear's Picnic!

 

Our mascot 'Eccles Bear' will be there too!

 

This month's Railways Illustrated has an excellent four-page article on Class 14s in their 60th year. This includes an interview with our very own Chris Bailey, the guiding mind behind our July Gala.

 

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Class 14@60 Gala 25-28 July

A one-off Class 14 Spectacular which will make full use of the re-opened Duffield station now that the ladndslide deviation is complete.

Following on from the iconic event held in 2014 at the East Lancashire Railway to celebrate 50 years since the class were introduced, the EVR is planning to celebrate the class reaching their diamond jubilee. It is planned for the weekend to feature several members of the class operating together to especially include locomotives which were not operational at the time of the 2014 event. It is also planned to be a ‘swan-song’ for D9537 which is due to be withdrawn at the end of the event for overhaul works to commence.

Expected to feature:
Class 14 D9537 "Eric"
Class 14 D9523 based at the Wensleydale Railway
Class 14 D9551 based at the Severn Valley Railway
Class 14 D9504 based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway
Class 14 D9553 based at the Calendonian Railway
Class 14 D9529 based at the Nene Valley Railway
Static display: D9525

More details to follow but you can find full details here: https://www.e-v-r.com/14s-at-60/

 

The railway has teamed up with local brewery Drone Valley to produce some special label ales for the event including Steelworks Stout, Branch Line Bitter, Paxman Porter, Preservation Gold and Coal Board Blonde. There should be enough selection there to suit most tastes! They will be available in The Apollo Bar at Wirksworth Station or at the event bar at Duffield Station too!

 

So you are aware, Railways Illustrated comes out on 4th July.

 

D9537 will work its last train on Saturday evening and then be turned off for overhaul .

It will not feature on Sunday .

 

We're delighted to announce the timetables are available for this exciting event coming up in a few weeks time. We have posted them here but you can download a PDF of them from the website at www.e-v-r.com/14s-at-60
Don't forget our special Pay Day Offer with an extra £2 off the online ticket price when purchased through the website before midnight tomorrow (Friday).

Thursday 25th

Friday 26th

Saturday 26th

Sunday 27th

 

Please note a few special features of this gala: the early trains with the catering vehicles - check the symbols - will provide a full english breakfast, price £10-00, with proper tea in a proper cup. No plastic beakers. I do get asked how you book a breakfast. The procedure is old fashioned but simple. You turn up, find an attendant and say, "Please may I have a breakfast", and then hand over £10-00.

The model railway coach at Wirksworth will be open on all 4 days.

There will be guided tours of the yard at Wirksworth when operations and availability of guides permits.

 

The timetable is now available online and can be found here:

https://www.e-v-r.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/14s_timetable_v41.pdf

 

Here is a picture of the latest progress on the new ashpit; contractors were on site today drilling the concrete for bolts to hold down the rail chairs. With a bit of luck, by the time the Class 14 Gala kicks off, it should be possible to pose a locomotive on it for photographs.

The gala details and timetable are on out website www.e-v-r.com/14s-at-60

Some points to note:

There will be a beer tent on the platform at Wirksworth for thirsty arriving guests as well as the Apollo Bar at Wirksworth.

The model railway coach will be open on all 4 days.

There will be guided tours of the yard at Wirksworth when operations permit and guides are available.

I do recommend the Full English Breakfast when available on early trains marked with catering on the timetable, no prior booking required and excellent value at £10-00.

 

I hear that our friends and neighbours up the hill at Steeple Grange will be operating the 18" gauge Horwich Works loc0, ZM32 on the Sunday.

 

First loco arrives on Monday. More to follow....

 

A very, very stressful week for the EVR. We were expecting the first visiting locomotive on Monday when we learned that the haulage contractor was unable to make delivery of any locomotives owing to a mechanical failure, putting the entire event in doubt. So you can imagine, this week has been a bit of a rollercoaster for EVR management, full marks to Reid Freight for stepping in on such a complicated set of moves at such short notice. All the booked guest locomotives will be coming though there will be some changes to their positions in the timetable, please see our websire for details.

Meanwhile the other preparations continue; apart from the bar tent at Duffield there will be two bars on the platform at Wirksworth in addition to the static bar coach. One of the extra bars will be operated by Peak Ales, I'm not sure about the other. There is a crash programme under way to get an RMB into traffic which will also be selling beer; perhaps we should have also marketed the event as a beer festival. My own job this weekend will probably be to fix the chair bolts with resin on the new pit so that locomotives can pose on it for photographers.

 

Considering having breakfast on the train and wonder what are the arrangements (i.e. booking, payment etc) and which trains are offering the service.
Many thanks in advance for response.

 

About a week ago we learned that the transport contractor would not be able to undertake the work. The rest of the week was a bit of a roller coaster, and we are extremely grateful to Reid Freight who were able to step in at very short notice to undertake all the planned deliveries, but not quite in the same order! This has resulted in some changes to the locomotive roster, please see the latest published timetable on the website. The critical point is that Reid's have a trailer which is strong enough to take a class 14 and short enough to come up the valley road without a police escort.

The planned delivery schedule is now as follows, though the exact timing may vary a bit:

D9551 Wednesday morning
9529 Wednesday afternoon/ evening
D9523 Thursday morning
D9504 Thursday evening
D9553 Friday morning

Meanwhile there is a crash programme to make an RMB ready to sell beer in traffic, and Peak Brewery will be providing a bar on the platform at Wirksworth in addition to the Apollo buffet. Perhaps we should have marketed the event as a beer festival as well as a gala! Come and have a dring with us!

 

Hi Fred,

I really recommend the breakfast and will make sure to have at least one myself. The breakfast is served on the morning runs of Set 1 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, indicated with a knife and fork on the working timetable, which is shown a few postings back on this thread. Price £10, booking procedure: turn up, ask the attendant, and sit in one of the catering coaches, preferably the ex-LMS third open diner. I know the LMS never had one of those, but that is how it was restored. Easier than making partions from scratch.

The planned road delivery schedule is now as follows, though the exact timing may vary a bit:

D9551 Wednesday morning
9529 Wednesday afternoon/ evening
D9523 Thursday morning
D9504 Thursday evening
D9553 Friday morning

 

Thank you for the details; I hope to indulge !

 

Much shunting at Wirksworth today, the buffet coach has been marshalled into one of the rakes. Th first guest loco to arrive is 9523 which arrived ahead of schedule during the afternoon.