Two Visiting Locos Confirmed for Steam Railway 40th Anniversary Gala

More news from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. Ed

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway has announced that locomotives from the Bluebell Railway in Sussex and The Bodmin & Wenford Railway in Cornwall will be crossing the Solent in late May to appear at the IW Steam Railway’s 40th Anniversary Spring Gala (more details to follow).

Visiting locomotives
Ex-London & South Western Railway (LSWR) Beattie Well Tank Locomotive No. 30587 will be travelling up from Bodmin in Cornwall and making her first-ever appearance on the Island.

Travelling over from mid-Sussex to make her third appearance at the Havenstreet-based steam line will be ex-London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSCR) E4 Class locomotive No. 473 ‘Birch Grove’.

“We’re really pleased to be bringing these locomotives to Havenstreet for our Spring Gala”, said IW Steam Railway General Manager, Peter Vail. “And to have two such unique locomotives, both of which date from the Victorian era and both of which have a pedigree matching our own engines, makes it even more special. We’re planning a packed weekend of passenger and goods trains featuring both of our guest engines and as many of our own locomotives as we can muster.”

It is also intended to host a 40th Anniversary Year lecture with a renowned guest speaker from the world of railways and/or preservation.

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