The Swanage Railway has announced not one, but two visitors to its diesel gala in 2020.

Deltic 55019 “Royal Highland Fusilier” and Class 44 – D4 “Great Gable” (44004) have been announced as visitors to the diesel gala, which will take place from Friday the 24th to Sunday, April 26th, with a “mixed traction” day on Thursday the 23rd.

The two resident Class 33s, D6515 (33012) & 33111, will also be in action at the event, with more guest locomotives to be announced very soon!

The Deltic will also be available for “Driver Experience” sessions on the 18th & 19th of April. If you would like more information on this experience, please click here.

55019 visits thanks to The Deltic Preservation Society, and 44004 visits thanks to The Peak Locomotive Company.

History of 55019 “Royal Highland Fusilier”

55019 was based at Edinburgh’s Haymarket depot, where it spent most of its working life. The withdrawal came on December 31st, 1981, after 20 years of BR service.

Shortly after withdrawal, 55019 was brought by The Deltic Preservation Society (DPS) and moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

After undergoing some major work at Barrow Hill in 1999, 55019 returned to the mainline, where it has been a popular choice of traction, running all over the country. 55019 is just as popular on Heritage Lines as well, where it has visited many lines.

History of 44004 “Great Gable’

Class 44 No. 44004 was built in September 1959 are part of the Peak class of locomotives, these are Class 44s, Class 45s and Class 46s. It was built at British Railway’s Derby Works. In total, 10 Class 44s were built and were partly inspired by the LMS 10000 and 10001 prototypes. 44004 was in service right up until November 1980, when it was withdrawn. 44004 is now preserved with The Peak Locomotive Company and resides at the Midland Railway – Butterley.

Where Next?

RailAdvent Plus
   Free Pictures, prints and streaming video!
News Homepage
   For the Latest Railway News
RailAdvent Online Shop
   Framed Prints, DVD’s / Blu-Ray’s and more
LocoStop Community
   Come and share your railway pictures
Mainline Steam Info
   Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
Swanage Railway
   Visit their website