City of Wells confirmed for Keighley 50th anniversary gala

Air-smoothed ‘West Country’ No. 34092 City of Wells will be joining the line-up at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s 50th anniversary gala on June 24-July 1.


‘West Country’ No. 34092 City of Wells climbs towards Harmans Cross at the Swanage Railway’s ‘Strictly Bulleid’ gala on April 2 2017. THOMAS BRIGHT/SR

The ‘Spam Can’ will be returning to its long-time preservation home for the first time since it took up residence at the East Lancashire Railway in 2015, having been a KWVR engine since it left Barry scrapyard in October 1971.

City of Wells lines up alongside visiting rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ No. 46100 Royal Scot and Severn Valley Railway-based ‘57XX’ No. 7714. The trio will be in action alongside the KWVR’s resident fleet, including the recently overhauled Ivatt ‘2MT’ No. 41241, which hauled the line’s reopening train on June 29 1968, double-heading with ‘USA’ 0-6-0T No. 72.

Both locomotives are currently being painted in their original KWVR ‘in-house’ liveries that they carried on that historic day. No. 72 is currently undergoing overhaul at the Ribble Steam Railway and it is hoped that the locomotive will be ready to attend the gala, although its participation has yet to be confirmed.

For more information about the events taking place across the eight-day gala, visit www.kwvr.co.uk/50th

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