BODMIN & WENFORD RAILWAY - Spring Steam Spectacular - 8-11 April

Full details of this event are now on the BWR website, www.bodminandwenfordrailway.co.uk. The undoubted highlight will be the public debut of the line's Great Western Railway auto train, formed of 64xx 0-6-0PT No 6435 (BR unlined green) and trailer 232 (BR lined maroon). Five ex-BR engines will be in use - 4612, 5552, 6435, 30587 & 30120. It will be the last gala appearance of 4612 (BR unlined black) for a while, as its current 10-year boiler ticket expires in mid-May. There will be an intensive timetable on all four days, with evening trains on the Friday and Saturday. As the installation will not have received its final testing, commissioning and certification in time, the 'new' signalling at Bodmin General will, regrettably, not be in use as originally hoped. However, the event has much to offer and is still well worth attending.....a four day feast of Cornish steam!

A weekend rover ticket for the event costs just £27, which is valid for ALL FOUR DAYS.....that's under £7 per day!

 

Thanks for the info. Will there be morning photo freights at this gala and will the T9 be out? Thanks in advance

 

Fingers crossed I may be able to attend part of this event, I am on holiday near Launceston from next Sat so hopefully I can get to the Friday. Looking forward to seeing the autocoach and T9.

 

There will be no freights this time so that maximum use can be made of the auto train. Yes, T9 30120 is one of the five rostered locos.

 

some photos from today at the gala at http://keyhamtrain.weebly.com/bodmin-steam-gala-8-4-11.html

 

It was pretty good down there today. The operation at Bodmin General to swap the Mk 1 set over to the autocoach was remarkably slick, be interesting to see how they get on over the weekend with 5 locos in steam rather than three. The autocoach looks superb in maroon, almost as good as that self-propelled one at Llangollen a couple of weeks ago!

 

Just back from a great day out. Anyone in the area who hasn't been yet, go tomorrow or Monday. The auto coach was superb, and so was everything else, in particular the T9, but BWR don't seem to trust her on her own!

 

It is not a case of the BWR not trusting 30120 to run on her own.....the engine is still running-in following its extensive overhaul at The Flour Mill. However, you will get a chance to see the T9 working each day on her own (subject to the usual caveats) from 23-27 May......so don't miss it!