Great Central Winter Steam Gala 22nd-25th January 2026

As others have just posted, the Spring Steam Weekend 28th/1st March will have all 3 out again.

Next weekend 31st/1st is down as Visiting Loco Weekend in HOPS - I can't confirm if all 3 will be out though or just 2 as with the gala taking focus, information upload is tbc. Suspect GCR socials will confirm this week.

A 257 Squadron owner's rep told me that he expected the loco to be in use most of the month before it left, and given the popularity of the 9F with the railway and volunteers I suspect (but don't know) that it'll get a few weekends of use also.

Thanks to all that came and supported the event, both on the trains or lineside photographers donating. I know one loco trust sales team did very well out of the weekend so hopefully a nice healthy start to the calendar year financially for the GCR and other groups who had their stalls out!

 

The printed timetable had 34072 for the last train on Sunday but the internet timetable showed the 9F.

 

Thanks - that makes a lot of sense

 

Excellent, will keep an eye on socials. Cheers all.

 

Some footage from the Friday and Sunday. Was gutted to not be able to make the Saturday after seeing everyone else's shots in the sun, but still a good weekend out meeting with friends nonetheless!

 

I went on the Saturday and took my two boys, aged 2 and 5 and it was a bit too crowded for comfort. Standing by a toilet unable to see anything for half an hour isn't a greatest experience.

6 coach rake, but half a coach is the brake and half a coach is a kitchen. 2 or 3 coaches are compartment coaches and suddenly the train is rammed.

Could any of the dining coaches or DMUs have been used to bulk out sets?

I know these weekends require a massive volunteer commitment, but if they are that popular would any railway ever consider doing the event over two weekends to maximise income and maybe spread out custom?

 

9F at 1700 on Saturday.

 

I think you then get into the problem of trains being far longer than platforms than they currently are.

A good idea in theory, but I suspect financially not so much. Your market is finite; say 3000 people maximum will visit as current. That might rise to, say, 3500 over two weekends, but your costs of running two weekends will essentially double. Will end up either making a small profit (if you are lucky) or more likely, a notable loss.

That said, by having the guests out on subsequent weekends (something which the GCR does fairly often) it at least means those who want the guests can enjoy them in slightly less crowded conditions - the payoff is you may not get the intense service as you would at a gala.

 

9F will be turned to face south. Definitely on Thursday before the Spring Steam Weekend as its on a charter

 

Depending on how you look at it, the major cost of the gala is moving two large tender engines across the country - £20,000 ish? Next weekend the two visitors are out anyway, so the added costs of repeating the weekend would be steaming the austerity and three standards. Whilst I appreciate this is still a significant amount, if steaming fees and coal and water are £1500 a day each, that's £6000 or at £40 a ticket, 150 people. Just an idea....

If platform lengths are the real limiting factor maybe two freight rakes are a luxury the railway can't afford. Whilst they are impressive, the priority maybe should be insuring people aren't stood up for an hour outside a toilet for the entire duration of their journey.

For reference - I have been a gala organiser and totally appreciate the effort and strain these events cause. I am only offering a personal opinion, not criticism.

 

The freight is part of what makes the gala - and I’m a traveller rather than photographer.

As much to the point, the passenger timetable is already intensive, with the single line section to Leicester near capacity and the “local” trains providing good use of the remaining capacity north of Rothley. Having attended galas when the timetable’s drifted, I’d be concerned at the impact of taking out any slack.

I don’t know where that leaves them.

 

Some interesting comments and thanks for the constructive feedback. We would definitely struggle to put out anymore stock but perhaps the Subs would have been useful if available to bump up capacity on the local set. The two main sets are now formed of six coaches all year round including one catering vehicle and one accessible carriage.

Having worked all four days of this gala Saturday was the only one where from what I observed capacity was a real issue. The gala over the years has gone from a two day to three day to four day event to the point where three out of the four days we are now running the full timetable in an effort to spread the visitor load and avoid these issues. However Saturday will always be the busiest and I do wonder if being the only day we had decent weather this time helped to push the numbers up even higher than would have been expected.

Unfortunately running the event over two weekends would be a non-starter for staffing reasons more than anything else. A large number of loco crews/guards/signalmen/station & other operating staff worked multiple turns over the one weekend to keep the trains running. I'm sure this is the case at many other railways too when putting on big events. We do already have a pretty full calendar of events too, something which the GC management have always been keen on, along with running every weekend of the year.

I completely get the points made about an uncomfortable experience when you're standing for a prolonged period of time as I've experienced it myself at other railways but the reality is we would struggle to run anymore trains than we already do.

I hope that those of you who attended had a good time overall and thanks for posting photos and videos so that those of us who were working can look back and reflect on what felt like a great weekend.

Finally thanks to those of you who expressed concern regarding the staff member who suffered an accident on Friday. I can confirm they are okay and on the mend.

 

I seem to recall that the diesel gala last year had 5 passenger sets running, including a local set and the 3-car DMU being hauled by diesel locos - possibly the most intensive passenger service I've known on the GCR. No goods trains running, which would not be to everybody's liking, but diesel fans tend to prefer to ride the trains, rather than see their required loco hauling a goods train. Time-keeping was very good on the day I attended (which, I'm afraid, is not always the case with GCR galas)

 

Saturday will always be the busiest at most galas, because even if you risk using advance tickets it is likely that will be the only day those without a car can get there from any distance away and have a reasonable length day. Sunday is likely blighted by engineering works and with of course less and later starting trains anyway, and in the working week fares can be eye watering. The post Covid rocket in hotel costs may have also stopped people from spreading visits over two days.
Although the concern about loads and my poor health meant I never planned to attend this year, I did a rough cost calculation and without GCR tickets it was in the region of £200 by car or £250 by rail which if I meant I was likely not even to have a seat, was just way too much.
Maybe others would think that is a good deal, but not for me, even with the GCR's USP of double track.

 

Screeching, rattling wagons and hissing, clanking locos - some evocative memories stirred of the former GC in its latter days.

 

Can I say that GCR galas have been excellent for many years and I've been a "regular" since the 70s when things started out really - given a gap 1995-2015 when I was mainly living overseas.
I say this as I too wouldn't want to cast any criticism in any way however I no longer find risk of standing room only to be an enjoyable day out, at any railway. I would like to get out at Quorn and/or Rothley on GCR but that then renders difficulties with re-boarding a packed train back to Loughborough. My wife also used to travel with me but quote, "doesn't want to be stood on a train unable to see beyond the next man's armpit". We will still visit with grandchildren and clutter that presents, but we'll leave the galas for the more adventurous and wish them a good day out.

 

I went Saturday and Sunday and had an excellent two days. One thing I did notice was that the first and last trains on Saturday were steam but Sunday a DMU. If I had gone on one day, it would therefore have been the Saturday.

My only suggestions would be for Sunday to be as good a timetable as Saturday and perhaps a small discount on the Sunday to help balance the days?