22/04/2023 - Great Central Gala
Another Saturday, another Diesel Gala. This one was at the Great Central Railway at Loughborough (pronounced Loogabarooga if any US Speakers are reading). Like at Strathspey two weeks ago, it was basically there-and-back, sample all the engines and hopefully pick up the odd winner enroute.
The day started with dud tram 3137 up the hill to Rochdale station, and a pleasant surprise in that the TVM had been reprogrammed, and now sells rover and ranger tickets (proving that Northern, for all their faults, are by far the best TOC to be found in the North of England). So I acquired my day return to New Mills, Derbyshire Wayfarer and day return from Long Eaton to Loughborough painlessly (and saving £20 on a straightforward day return), then ambled upstairs to join 158755 for a pleasant run to Manchester, passing 09009 enroute as usual. Tram 3136 took me to Piccadilly, then a competent run with 195125 on the stopper to Sheffield, picking up the gratuitous sight score of 66797 at Hope Sidings enroute.
At Sheffield I had time to have a look at the rather nice salmon sculpture outside the station, and pick up a sausage bap and coffee from Upper Crust (reasonable, but not as good as Costa) before leaving slightly before I had to as winner 43285 was leading dud 43207 on the Cross Country train to Plymouth running 10 minutes before my London train, therefore it would have been rude not to scoop it in to Chesterfield. Here I stepped back to the London train, and another winner/dud combination with 222104 leading 222005 for an uneventful run to Loughborough Midland, passing my last required-for-sight Adelante, 180111, at Derby.
Next came the familiar walk to the GCR station, past the Bell Foundry Museum which I keep meaning to visit but still haven't, then getting a Day Rover and starting the usual shuttling up and down routine.
First up was nice winner M79900 aka Iris The Railcar down to Quorn, then the entertainingly driven 50017 "Royal Oak" back to Loughborough. Here, 45125 should have appeared to back onto the train, but a walk up to the shed indicated it was sat silently on the "naughty step" siding, so Royal Oak ran round and took me back to Quorn.
A further trip to Loughborough and back followed with D8568 starting it's grand tour of 2023 galas in fine style outwards, then another good run with 33116 put me in position for the second winner of the gala, 37714 appearing as booked for the run to Loughborough.
Time now to see the full line, so D8568 was taken all the way to Belgrave and Birstall (to give it its proper name), then back up to Rothley. Finally, Royal Oak took me back south to Leicester North (to give it its made up name) and then all the way through to Loughborough. I'd now had a ride behind all working locos except the recalcitrant peak and 37119 (D6700) which had sounded very good on the three occasions it passed me going the other way, but was declined this time in favour of a gratuitous winner which Real Time Trains had indicated.
So I walked back to Loughborough Midland, scooped in required 222004 to East Midlands Parkway on the Nottingham service then waited 10 minutes for duds 222022+222017 to return me to Sheffield. Pleasingly, a shunt around had occurred at Derby since I had passed that morning, so 37608, 37800, 37884 and the absolute monster 37175 were all now visible in passing.
At Sheffield sustenance was required, so Smith's were visited for a meal deal, consumed aboard 195125 which was just as competent traversing the Hope Valley in a westward direction as it was going eastward earlier. From Piccadilly, trams 3013 (to Piccadilly Gardens) and 3147 took me cross town to Victoria and 150149+150225 up to Castleton, where I alighted for some beer (and, amazingly, got a round of applause for singing "Harper Valley PTA" on the karaoke - although this may have been less due to my musical talent than to the fact it interrupted the bloke operating the equipment who seemed to be intent on playing the complete works of Showaddywaddy!) Then some more beer, and a long wait for a taxi home, due to Eid being celebrated and most taxis locally being driven by Muslims (and good luck to them, they work hard and deserve to celebrate their festival - but I wish it hadn't been raining!)
A Good Day!