Autumn spectaculars at the Leighton Buzzard Railway

This autumn has seen three spectacular events for the enthusiast at the Leighton Buzzard Railway, now celebrating 50 years of preservation and almost 100 years of continuous operations.

The ’50 Not Out’ gala over the weekend of September 30^th – October 1^st saw a total of eleven steam locomotives in use, plus fifteen petrol and diesel locomotives from the railway’s large collection. Highlights of the weekend included the reuniting of former Pen-tr-Orsedd quarry locomotives ‘Chaloner’ and ‘Diana’ working together for the first time since 1960. Looking to the future, demonstration freight trains were operated over the projected extension north of Stonehenge Station, with its 1 in 27 gradient to the summit at Mundays Hill.

On the Saturday evening all eleven locomotives paraded in steam through Pages Park station, along with under overhaul Avonside 0-4-0T ‘Sezela’. Commentary was provided by veteran LBR member and Vice President Alf Fisher.

The full loco list was as follows:

1924 Bagnall 0-4-0 “Woto”

1909 Kerr Stuart 0-4-0 “Diana”

1925 Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 “Jack”

2006 Kerr Stuart ‘Wren’ replica “Jennie”

Leighton Buzzard resident locos in action included:

De Winton 0-4-0 vertical boiler loco “Chaloner” built in 1877

Baguley 0-4-0 loco “Rishra” built in 1921

O&K 0-4-0 loco “P C Allen” of 1913

O&K 0-6-0 loco “Elf” of 1936

O&K 0-6-0 loco “Pedemoura” of 1924

Baldwin 4-6-0T WDLR No. 778 of 1917

Andrew Barclay 0-6-0 “Doll” of 1919

Also visiting from the Froissy-Dompierre Railway in France was the US Army Great War ‘Speeder’

In the evening of October 28^th ‘Steam Glow’ saw the railway’s smaller engines take centre stage for the first of two events. Joined by gala visitors ‘Diana’ and ‘Jennie’, LBR residents ‘Chaloner’, ‘Rishra’ and ‘PC Allen’ were presented at Stonehenge for a night-time photo shoot alongside equipment from the sand industry. Visitors and photographers joined a special train hauled by recently restored Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T ‘Doll’. The following morning the small engines were all in action again, double heading services on ‘Small Engines Day’.

Good loadings have been reported for all events, rounding off a successful summer season for the Railway.

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