Which heritage line have you visited today?

I spent all day Saturday volunteering on the South Devon Railway and was quite a productive and interesting day!!

 

Just spent the morning at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Not been for about 5 years, and as there aren't too many lines within an hour or so of Preston, I thought I'd pop over. I forgot how 'complete' it all feels, I guess that's the advantage of having them taken over an entire branch line, and the fact they've been doing it for so long! Most enjoyable, despite getting drenched in the morning at the shed viewing area!

A few snaps: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theviewfromthenorth/sets/72157623657475952/

 

I've not been up to the KWVR in a while. I need to pop up and see 90733 in action. It's always felt a bit cold and clinical to me of late though, perhaps because there's so much emphasis on making it a BR branch line with everything always in BR black.

Anyway yesterday I called in at the GWSR again, probably for the last time until September since I'm now back home, and this time I did manage a shot of 5542 despite the rather grim weather! It's on my new flickr.

 

A fine buzz at Wirksworth today as the EVR got inot its stride for the 2010 season. They have appointed a new catering manager and there are great reports of his tuna pasta bake and chilli dishes. The sun was shining and the atmosphere good with a selction of dmu combinations and D8001 with a brake van for visitors. Certainly the Railway to watch and travel on this year.

 

With a note to the Kwvr not everything is going to be black certainly The L&y locos will be in L& y livery city of wells in green and one of the standards will come out in green soon

 

Today - visit to Beamish Museum for the last day (from four) of their "Power from the Past" event. Very interesting, quite a bit of non-railway steam, trams and other old transport items to be seen.

This blog gives an idea of the event.

http://beamishtransport.blogspot.com/

I watched Mary Margaret do that climb out of the colliery today, and she was just as loud!

To mis-quote "its all jolly good fun" (even if the weather today was not as nice)

 

Visited the Great Central Railway for the first time on Saturday for their diesel gala to see if Britain's only double track, main line heritage railway was as good as they said it was.

Was incredibly impressed with the whole line. Within 30 minutes of arrival we were completely confused as trains that were meant to have X on appeared with Y and a Rothley train was extended to Leicester! The train we were on was a few minutes late and the set we wanted to get back on departed as we were coming in! Some would say these were negative points but we were having great fun trying fruitlessly to work out our own moves! (for the record within the hour the timetable was back as advertised)

A mixture of travelling and photographing the meaty resident diesel fleet plus visitor filled the day nicely. Wall to wall sun added to the summer atmosphere.

Friendly staff & lots to do - impossible to cover everything (locos and buildings) in a day (we never even got off to look at the carriage works at Rothley) so we'll definitely be back...