RAILWAY GALA WEEKEND - 2002

Here are some views of the 2002 Gala event - mostly of the real thing but a couple of models thrown in.

The week before the event saw our visiting locomotive, Cloister, from the Hampshire NGRS arrive on a low-loader.

Come the weekend she was soon in service on passenger and industrial duties. Here she is with the Museum's locomotive Peter (an NGRS locomotive) in Brockham Station.

Industrial trains were interspersed into the passenger service - Redland (OK6193) leads a line of skip wagons having just arrived off the main line from Amberley. The Ransomes & Rapier brings up the rear.

Another view of Redland in the afternoon cavalcade with one of our better looking volunteers!

Barbouilleur, our Decauville locomotive (1126/1947) takes the single line token from the pointsman at Amberley points at the start of its uphill journey. Its train is made up of former MOD ammunition wagons.

This is Motor Rail MR5863/1934 which came from the large fleet of similar locomotives operated by Joseph Arnold & Sons of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Peter Smith's Ruston, 187081/1937, was, as related elsewhere on these pages, the first locomotive to run under its own power at Amberley back in the early days, and is still going strong. Here it crosses where in future the new passenger line extension will run.

Visitors were able to take a short ride over the new main line to view its route and also the building works going on - the site for the new engine shed having just been cleared and the footings installed. The Major, OK7741/1937, was named after Major Taylorson of the Betchworth Quarries (The Dorking Greysone & Lime Co Ltd) where 7741 operated and who took a great interest in the early years of the Brockham Museum collection.

Hudson Hunslet 3653/1946 came from the Thakeham Tile works just up the road from the Museum (near Storrington) and was modified by Thakeham Tiles, along with another of its type, so that it could fit into the clay hopper shed.

A general view of the Brockham Station area with The Major and one of the MOD brakevans in the foreground. In the station are Peter and Cloister.

Our third steam locomotive is, of course, the famous Polar Bear from the Isle of Man. Here PB (WB1781/1905) leaves Amberley Station with a train of original style Groudle Glen coaches (they are virtually replicas although two do contain genuine parts - mostly metal work!).

Unfortunately the Decauville failed during operations on Saturday and spent the rest of the weekend as a static display. This atmospheric, and very industrial looking view, was taken late on Saturday afternoon.

Cloister attracts the attention of a number of photographers.

Cloister, again, leaves an attractive trail of steam as it runs around the triangle section of the industrial line.

The Volks Electric Railway Association (VERA) were here with their large scale model of the first public electric railway in the world.

Martin Lovell's whimsical 009 layout "Weltitt & Hope" shows just how much can be fitted into a small space and still retain interest and realism. As can be seen from the plaques on the front of the layout, it has been seen at Amberley on several previous occasions.


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© Gerry Cork & Amberley Working Museum - February 2003
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