South Devon Railway Winter Steam Gala: Friday 30th December 2022 - Sunday 1st January 2023

There you go folks!
Last event of 2022 (or 1st event of 2023).

Visitors:
7820 "Dinmore Manor" From GWSR.
41312 From MHR.

Home Fleet:
6430.

https://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk/visit-us/whats-on/winter-steam-gala/

 

The itinerary for the event follows.
3 coach sets are running:
5x Mark 1's.
4x Plum & Custard Mark 1's.
2x Great Westerns.

Double-header with 6430 and 41312.

Mince pies to be served in buffet coach.
[Check public timetable for more info].

It also seems to be a Shropshire themed event.

 

Standard fares as well for two visiting engines. Hopefully its well attended as should be a good event.

 

Congratulations to SDR management for putting on this gala. It deserves to be supported so may become a fixture for future years.

 

Certainly a gap in the market now the WSR no longer does their post xmas gala, which in the past has proved a post festive outing for many in the South West. Hopefully this year is a success and built upon, maybe with the inclusion of a fourth loco and possibly a goods or two to give it a more gala like feel rather than a slightly enhanced two train timetable. Hopefully the previously popular branchline events held in February will return at some point too as these were great events that connected the SDR to its past with lots of shorter branch style formations running to an enhanced timetable.

 

It is a fixture, they did the same thing with 7820, 1369 and 6430 this time last year.

 

Ganger, would I be right in guessing/remembering/deducing that you were responsible for some SDR galas in the past? Really enjoyed some of the creative and ambitious timetables they had in the early to mid 2010s.

I remember doing a spreadsheet ahead of one of the February ones to work out how I'd make sure I got to see each one of the many, many different loco/stock combinations that would be out across the week. Also remember being at Staverton early one morning to photograph Lydham Manor on a goods (maybe milk train) at the gala it visited for and hearing volunteers at the station moaning a lot about how complex the timetable was and how early the start was! I appreciated it, though!

Considering the post-covid situation and only being open as far as Staverton at the time, I thought last February's half term week event with the two Panniers and the Prairie on the auto coach was a very decent stab at doing something extra at that time of year in the circumstances. I'll definitely attend this new year event, very much looking forward to it.

 

Any idea what the various carriage sets are? Assuming G is some GWR coaches, BR is some Mk1s, but not sure about the ‘M’ set.

Looking forward to attending on New Years Day.


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According to the timetable on the website…

Carriages - G (2) - 2 x ex-GWR carriages.
M(5) - 5x ex-BR Mark 1s.
BR(4) - 4x ex-BR Mark 1s in Carmine and Cream livery.

 

Many thanks, missed that at the bottom of the WTT.


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Ivatt 41312 in use as a bonus from Boxing Day leading up to the gala.

 

Seems the Bodmin and Wenford are having a similar clandestine (See gala thread entry!) steam event on the 29th as well, if people are in the South West this week.

 

Yes, that was the decider for me. I’d thought about going to the SDR gala, but it was a long way to go just for that. The Bodmin event has made it worthwhile (especially as I require the Austerity).