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Britannia 70000 withdrawn from NNR Steam Gala


Pete 75C

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Just heard that 70000 Britannia has been withdrawn from the rest of the North Norfolk Railway's March Steam Gala 9/10 and 16/17 March. Watched it come over the crossing on Thursday and saw it in action on the first day of the steam gala yesterday, so wondering what the problem is. If no-one knows, I'll wander down to the station and ask. Pete.

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Oh dear, they are not having much luck with this gala.

2 of the standard locos had to drop out of the event a few weeks ago and now this, plus the weather is pretty foul.

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 From Heritage Railway Magazine's Facebook page:

 

Britannia and Standard 2 damaged in gala collision

BR Britannia Pacific No. 7000 Britannia and Br Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No. 78019 sustained damage after a minor collision on the North Norfolk Railway.
The accident happened at Weybourne station around 7.45am on Saturday, March 9, during the line’s steam gala.
As a positioning move, the pair were to double head a demonstration freight train to Sheringham tender first.
Loughborough-based No. 78019 was already on the train when Britannia – due to be the star guest at the Bluebell Railway’s official opening of its East Grinstead extension on March 23 – came out of the shed and backed on to it.
A very low speed collision occurred.
The impact left Britannia bent and a buffer of the standard 2 compressed.
The pair were immediately taken out of service and returned to the shed where a detailed examination was made.
It was unclear whether either or both would return to gala action, or how extensive the damage is.
North Norfolk managing director Hugh Harkett said that it may be that the damage looked worse than it was and could be rectified.
More details would not be known until the examination has been carried out.

Pictured is Britannia as its official naming at Wakefield Kirkgate station by Prince Charles a year ago. ROBIN JONES

 

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AND I  have manflu.heavy cold .i was going to take my grandson up there yesterday but he stayed darn sowf  to avoid a dose .He loves it all but would probably prefer more colourful locos and a face on the front .

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Agreed about the NNR's run of recent bad luck. Friday was relatively busy, bearing in mind it was a weekday with the kids still in school. It poured all day Saturday and 70000 and 78019 were absent - very few people at Sheringham station the few times I walked by. Today we have light snow and I've just been down with my son to see 37518 (he's 13 - not a steam fan) and very smart it looks too. Huge disappointment for many bearing in mind this is supposed to be a steam gala. Pesky diesels! Again, not a lot of people around. Here's hoping everything's a little better next weekend, not least the weather. Pete.

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what with it being mothers day this should have been held over the easter weekend and made a four day event and the kids are on holiday as are the parents

 

Agreed - I've had a look at the event calendar and apart from an extended "red" timetable, there doesn't appear to be anything special planned for Easter. I know they could never have predicted the weather or the unfortunate events surrounding Britannia, but it does seem like a missed opportunity. I didn't know about the double weekend gala until they hung a banner from the newly moved signalbox a week or two ago but it struck me as odd to have a gala so early in the year. My mum certainly wouldn't have been too thrilled to shuttle back and forth between Sheringham and Holt covered in a thin veneer of soot yesterday. I think quite fairly a nice meal in a country pub would have been more acceptable to her! I wonder how many mini domestics that provoked - dad wants to go to Sheringham, mum expects to be taken for a meal. A clever dad would have combined the two - we have some nice pubs here! Pete.

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But where the locos available at Easter? Oliver Cromwell as well as Britannia was originaly supposed to attend the Gala and I belive that these two alone would have pulled in alot of enthusiasts on what would otherwise have been a very quiet weekend, as it happened it did not work out, seemingly but if you don't take the risks you get nowhere.

It's far easier to get familys to a preserved railway on bank holidays without going to much extra effort than it is for enthusiasts who generaly demand something a bit more out of the ordinary for a day out.

I don't know if it's possible but I'm rather hoping that next weekend the NNR may run one of the green diesels now Britannia has gone. 

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I'd be very nervous if I owned Britannia. They say bad luck comes in 3's, and after dropping of the rails at the Nene Valley a couple of weeks ago, and now this at the North Norfolk........

 

Owen

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But where the locos available at Easter? Oliver Cromwell as well as Britannia was originaly supposed to attend the Gala and I belive that these two alone would have pulled in alot of enthusiasts on what would otherwise have been a very quiet weekend, as it happened it did not work out, seemingly but if you don't take the risks you get nowhere.

It's far easier to get familys to a preserved railway on bank holidays without going to much extra effort than it is for enthusiasts who generaly demand something a bit more out of the ordinary for a day out.

I don't know if it's possible but I'm rather hoping that next weekend the NNR may run one of the green diesels now Britannia has gone. 

 

Good point - maybe not those locos, but I know they plan well in advance (because of the road haulage or level crossing Network Rail issues) so something spectacular could have been organised for Easter. They'd originally billed the March gala as a Standards gala, and that fell by the wayside some time ago.

I've seen the NNR's green Class 31 and 37 and they do look good, but as yet the website is showing next weekends diesel roster as "tba".

 

Edit: Come to think of it, as next weekend is the second week of their steam gala, I'm sure the NNR is hoping the diesel roster will read "none required".

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Well, no green diesels but the NNR have got hold of GWR 4-6-0 Pitchford Hall from the Epping & Ongar Railway (They're yard must be looking a bit empty) so what with 5 steam engines, the Quad-art set, Mk1s and the goods train it has to be worth going at the weekend. Never mind the weather, last weekend was nothing to write home but I've seen some very atmospheric pictures.

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Yep. I watched Pitchford Hall come thundering past me on a low loader down Holway Road yesterday morning as I walked my daughter to school. Closely followed by the tender on a second low loader. 8.40am, right in the middle of the school run. You should have seen the queue of traffic as engine and tender struggled to negotiate the roundabout at the bottom of the hill! A magnificent sight chained to the back of a trailer. No doubt a more magnificent sight in steam tomorrow. I'll certainly be going for a closer look, but I can't honestly say I'd make a special trip to the west country to see it. Give us Norfolk residents a break - we don't get much excitement! Pete.

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'Give us Norfolk residents a break - we don't get much excitement! - Pete

Living (sometimes) in North Walsham - I agree!

I may be from Cambs but the wife is from Norfolk!

 

Round our part of the world we live a proper lifestyle, not like these townies! We don't need excitement, this is the real world.

 

Stewart

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While I have no problem with ex. GWR locos. why travel to North Norfolk to see them? I would much rather see them ion their home settings of the SVR, GWR, Didcot etc.

 

A moments stupidity and the NNR have ruined their event!

I thought the idea of galas was to have guest locos from other parts that you wouldn't usually see.  Its going to be a bit boring having a gala twice a year, every year with just the NNRs fleet of steam engines.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Hall last year as I always enjoy seeing guest engines aswell as the homefleet.

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