In my last post, I pledged that the completion of the Rutton station rebuild, and the MVR's 10th anniversary, would be celebrated in traditional MVR fashion with a gala.
The date was set for 4th June, with CP and JP from the Woodrow Light Railway invited to witness the first trains through the station they helped to build. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, I asked them to bring a number of carefully-selected locomotives, coaches and wagons from the WLR fleet: a combination of "old favourites" which had visited us many times since 2004, and recent acquisitions making their MVR début. Unfortunately, as with our last major gala in April 2012, the weather was to disrupt our plans!
I had carried out a few test runs through the rebuilt station on the previous day. Fortunately, only one problem was identified: a slightly misaligned tack joint at the Box End end of the station caused some vehicles to derail. CP managed to resolve the problem on the day of the gala by tightening up the rail joiners. As noted in my last post, the one outstanding task at Rutton is to electrically bond the relaid track. Sadly, there wasn't time to complete this task before the gala (and in any case, I doubt that the soldering equipment I currently have is up to the job). Unfortunately, this meant that Albatross, the first engine to run on the MVR, could not run during the 10th anniversary gala.
Because I had to travel back to Herefordshire in the evening, running began and finished rather earlier than usual. Blackbird was hauling a short freight as the guests arrived; Russell was then steamed up to haul a classic MVR mixed train.
Next out was WLR No. 3 Jonathan. It would have been unthinkable to hold our birthday party without inviting the WLR's workhorse: not only did she attend the 2004 Opening Gala, she is also the only live steam loco to have spent two long-term loan spells on the MVR. Furthermore, this would be her first appearance at the MVR since 2013, when she received a number of cosmetic enhancements to celebrate the WLR's own 10th anniversary. Her mixed train comprised the WLR's "Chicken House" coach, and the same collection of wooden-bodied wagons that visited us for the Opening Gala.
The date was set for 4th June, with CP and JP from the Woodrow Light Railway invited to witness the first trains through the station they helped to build. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, I asked them to bring a number of carefully-selected locomotives, coaches and wagons from the WLR fleet: a combination of "old favourites" which had visited us many times since 2004, and recent acquisitions making their MVR début. Unfortunately, as with our last major gala in April 2012, the weather was to disrupt our plans!
I had carried out a few test runs through the rebuilt station on the previous day. Fortunately, only one problem was identified: a slightly misaligned tack joint at the Box End end of the station caused some vehicles to derail. CP managed to resolve the problem on the day of the gala by tightening up the rail joiners. As noted in my last post, the one outstanding task at Rutton is to electrically bond the relaid track. Sadly, there wasn't time to complete this task before the gala (and in any case, I doubt that the soldering equipment I currently have is up to the job). Unfortunately, this meant that Albatross, the first engine to run on the MVR, could not run during the 10th anniversary gala.
Because I had to travel back to Herefordshire in the evening, running began and finished rather earlier than usual. Blackbird was hauling a short freight as the guests arrived; Russell was then steamed up to haul a classic MVR mixed train.
Next out was WLR No. 3 Jonathan. It would have been unthinkable to hold our birthday party without inviting the WLR's workhorse: not only did she attend the 2004 Opening Gala, she is also the only live steam loco to have spent two long-term loan spells on the MVR. Furthermore, this would be her first appearance at the MVR since 2013, when she received a number of cosmetic enhancements to celebrate the WLR's own 10th anniversary. Her mixed train comprised the WLR's "Chicken House" coach, and the same collection of wooden-bodied wagons that visited us for the Opening Gala.
Alas, as No. 3's running session came to an end, the heavens opened! A mad scramble to get every wooden-bodied vehicle and item of scenery undercover ensued. After a cup of tea, the rain appeared to have eased, so we decided to take a chance and steam up WLR No. 5 Judith. This Merlin Major visited us for the December 2004 Christmas Gala, but had never been back since; I had decided it was high time to bring her back to MVR metals. However, we had misjudged the weather: we had to endure another short shower during her running session.
Next out was WLR No. 15 The Earl, making its MVR début. The Welshpool & Llanfair Railway has always been a strong source of inspiration for the MVR, so it was pleasing to finally be able to bring a W&L-design loco to Rutton. I had originally intended to recreate the W&L's early preservation days by pairing the WLR's Chattenden & Upnor toastrack with our own Zillertalbahn-style four-wheelers. Unfortunately, the toastrack was not running reliably, so our saloon coach B2 was quickly substituted.
Next out was WLR No. 15 The Earl, making its MVR début. The Welshpool & Llanfair Railway has always been a strong source of inspiration for the MVR, so it was pleasing to finally be able to bring a W&L-design loco to Rutton. I had originally intended to recreate the W&L's early preservation days by pairing the WLR's Chattenden & Upnor toastrack with our own Zillertalbahn-style four-wheelers. Unfortunately, the toastrack was not running reliably, so our saloon coach B2 was quickly substituted.
After a break for lunch, the weather had considerably improved. For the grand finale, it was decided to give Judith another airing, double-headed with Russell.
Finally, WLR No. 8 Coity Castle made a brief appearance. She was another veteran of the Opening Gala but has not been seen on the MVR since 2006. I had intended to double-head her with her WLR-built half-sister Blackbird but alas, time did not permit. Nonetheless, her brief appearance gave an opportunity to give newly-rebuilt brake van K2 a test run.
Despite the problems, MVR 10 was a highly enjoyable event, and a fitting launch for our rebuilt station. As ever, many thanks to our guests from the WLR for attending.