Castle Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Hi All, A recent accident that involved a friend of ours lead to him being air lifted to hospital in the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance and being delivered to the Intensive Care Unit of the John Radcliffe Hospital. The prompt reactions of the paramedics, the helicopter pilots and the subsequent superb care he received in the ITU have undoubtedly saved our friend's life and we at the Didcot Railway Centre would like to repay the compliment. As a result, we are holding an event whereby we are going to let you all out there come and play with our toys (for a small charitable donation of course!). There will be lots of great events and unusual activities going on all day that include: The chance to drive WW1 veteran and the sole surviving Churchward Mogul No.5322.* The chance to drive a pannier tank (either 3650 or 3738 - whatever is chosen to go on the day!).* We will be offering guided tours around both the locomotive and carriage and wagon works. There will be no passenger trains on all day - we are going all freight! This is a great photography opportunity! Finally, for a few days only, 5322 will be presented in early BR black livery. The lion and wheel will have to be removed in the evening so we can keep our appointment with our sign writer and he can get in and her new livery can be applied. So, if you want to see it during this current boiler ticket it's before 12th May or never! There will be other exciting experiences that we will announce when they have been confirmed so stay tuned to this thread and our website for further updates! The standard static day entrance charge will apply and the GWS council has agreed to fund the fuel for the locomotives as their contribution to the day. ALL donations and proceeds from the extra activities generated will be split between the two causes 50/50. Our website is at: www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk Please come along, support our cause and help us say thanks to these fantastic and dedicated people that have worked so hard and with such great professionalism and care so that our friend can still be with us. I hope to see you there! Castle *All locos are, of course, subject to availability on the day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Wow, that looks like a chance to have a fantastic day out and help a very good cause at the same time. I have always had a hankering to drive a steam engine but I have not been able to stump up the cash to go on one of the day-long courses. This sounds like a fun alternative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Hi Karhedron, Having driven both our panniers and the mogul I can assure you that it is a really unique experience. The sense of power as you open the regulator and the thing lumbers off down the track is second to none! We have done what we call 'driver for a fiver' before on our branch demonstration line before but have never turned the whole place over to it for the day. We hope it is a popular move. The intention is to have a string of a couple of wagons and a TOAD behind each loco to make things even more unusual. I will no doubt be doing the tours of the locomotive works as advertised. I hope you can make it - if so, come by and make yourself known! All the best, Castle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 Hi All, The latest update for Steam Aid is that the Signalling Department have agreed to do some live and interactive demonstrations in the beautifully restored Radstock North Signalbox for a small charitable donation of course! Radstock North Signalbox has been restored to a 1930s condition and controls equipment of a similar vintage. Radstock box houses its original double twist lever frame, relocked to work the layout at Didcot. Everything from the instruments on the Block Shelf down to the GWR First Aid Outfit have been carefully selected and restored to give a authentic GWR look to the interior, which is believed to be uniquely accurate in preservation. The presentation of the box, and indeed the approach generally taken at Didcot, is not for restoration to glistening museum standard, but rather to gleaming workaday. With the lever tops and the brasses highly polished, the combined smells of Brasso, floor polish and paraffin and the warmth generated by a cast iron stove fed with best Welsh steam coal donated by the locomotive department, who can resist this brush with history? Planning a signalbox model? Want some really good detail photographs? Now's your chance! If the 12th May isn't in your diary, it should be... All the best, Castle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Do you think it will get so oversubscribed that the event could be extended to the 13th or repeated on a more convenient date? Sadly, notice arrives too late for a space in my diary on the 12th even for such a good cause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 Hi Kenton, This is the first time that we have held a dedicated 'interactive' day like this so we just don't know what the response will be like. We hope that it will be successful and if it is then, who knows? A repeat performance might be on the cards... Just not the day after - we will all need a rest! All the best, Castle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev_Lewis Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Train tickets arrived in the post last week. So providing FGW services are running on time, me and my Dad will be there when the gates open. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Hi All, The latest on Steam Aid is as follows: The superb recreation of the broad gauge locomotive Firefly will be in operation (usual subject to availability clause here of course) and available for rides. BOTH panniers will now be in operation after a kind offer by 3650's owner Brian Thompson and his maintenance crew (see above clause!). Tours of the locomotive works will now be supplemented by guided tours by volunteers of the foot plates of Castle No. 5051 Earl Bathurst and Hall No. 5900 Hinderton Hall. There has been rumblings in the grape vine about the appearance of a certain member of GWS council and a Whickham Trolley on occasion for rides in our centre sidings area too... If that and the opportunity to drive some seriously historic heavy metal in charge of freight trains and to give to two very worthy causes isn't enough to drag you out of bed on Saturday to visit that little corner of an Oxfordshire field that is forever GWR then I don't know what is! See you there! All the best, Castle PS: I'll be the one in the black hat doing the tours of the loco works - come by and say hello! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev_Lewis Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Me and Dad had a great day out today at the Didcot Steam Aid day. Met Castle and very much enjoyed the tour he gave of the Locomotive Works. It was fascinating to see all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Thanks to all the folks at Didcot. I hope you raised lots of money. I have added a few photo's to the RMWeb gallery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Very sad not to have been able to make it today. I have had tonsilitis for the last 2 weeks and I am just starting my 2nd course of anti-biotics to try and shake it off. I am glad the weather was so fine (especially after such a foul week). I hope everyone who got there had a great time and plenty of money was raised for a good cause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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