A wonderful day was had by members and over 400 enthusiastic visitors on Sunday 16th October at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.
The crowds turned out to enjoy ‘Locomotives in Steam’.
Locomotives GWR Pannier 9466, Beattie Well Tank 30585 and Hudswell Clark Millom alternated rides in the regular passenger carriages and Peckett 2105 Rokeby, Sentinel 6515 Isebrook and Peckett 2087 Gibraltar (just returned to steam after a long overhaul) were running on the freight and passenger lines.
Four miniature locomotives were in steam giving passenger rides on the Vale of Aylesbury Model Engineering Society’s lines – and there was a full scale Traction Engine in Steam as well for vistors to enjoy.
The ‘down’ locomotives, at different times and in various combination, hauled freight and gave rides in the Vintage Carriages and the Open Tube Wagon and took turns to Double Head and shunt the stock, while in the ‘Up’ yard there was the spectacle of a triple-header.
The Vintage coaches were very popular with visitors, and everyone was very intrigued to see and ride the ‘Shark’ Ballast Plough brake van running with the open wagon.
In the Tender Coach visitors could see short films, text and photographic displays on the history and methods of moving and sorting mail by rail, then read about the 1963 Great Train Robbery, which took place locally.
