At the end of this month, the Mid Norfolk Railway is to a run Diesel Gala that will also feature some guest main line and heritage locomotives.

The railway, which operates between Dereham and Wymondham Abbey, will be holding the gala weekend from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September. Among the visitors will be a Class 57/3 or a Class 66 locomotive from mainline operating company Direct Rail Services. The actual locomotive will depend on the company’s own operational requirements elsewhere.

A visitor from Epping and Ongar Railway will be Class 20 locomotive, D8001 (20001). This will be its first visit away from the Epping and Ongar Railway following three years out of traffic while it underwent a refurbishment and repaint.

Among the railway’s resident diesels, Class 47 No. 47580 County of Essex, Class 47 No. D1933 Aldeburgh Festival, and Class 14 0-6-0 diesel shunter No. D9520. These will be operating a two-train service using British Railways maroon liveried Mk.1 and Mk.2 vacuum braked carriages and an ex-Greater Anglia Mk.3 set.

The weekend will also include an evening ‘Beer Ex’ train, with beer from the Tindall Brewery of Seething in Norfolk available on board.

Tickets for the event are £20 for an adult Rover ticket, £15 for senior Rover tickets, and £10 for children and Mid Norfolk Railway members at £10. Two-day Rover tickets are also available at £30, £25 and £20.

Rover tickets are also valid for the evening Beer Train, but separate tickets for this service are also available at £10 for Adults and £5 for accompanying children.

The railway’s ‘Kids go Free’ promotion has been suspended for this event.

Further details about the event including the timetable are available from the Mid Norfolk Railway’s website at https://www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/dieselgala

Visitors should note that Yaxham is a request stop, and passengers wishing to board a train should put out their hand horizontally to indicate to the train driver their intention to board. Passengers wishing to alight at Yaxham should inform the Train Guard in good time of their need to stop.