Barnards Miniature Railway, near Brentwood in Essex, has announced its three major events for the coming year, two of which are firsts for the Railway.

The events planned for the year are:

• Exmoor Steam Gala – July 20-21 (new event for 2024)
• Visiting Engines Gala – 28-29 September
• Winter Gala – 27 October (new event for 2024)

Each event will feature several locomotives, and the Railway expects that it will include shuttle services on the Lake End branch, demonstration freight trains, passenger services, as well as what it describes as “some other quirks and curiosities”.

Barnards Miniature Railway opened in September 2010. Initially, it was a 260-metre single line from Burtonshaw station to the engine shed. The following year, the line was extended to Belevdere.

In 2015, it was extended again, to Sitooterie, and once more in 2016, to Angel Green. At  1.5 kilometres, it is the longest end-to-end 7¼” gauge line in the country. In 2021, it added a branch line running from Belvedere station to Lake End.

Last year, Barnards carried out extensive work on its rolling stock and signalling.

Exmoor Steam Gala

Barnard’s plans for this event to feature all four of its Exmoor steam locomotives. It is the only UK railway in which has four seven-and-a-quarter-inch 0-4-2T Exmoors. The Railway hopes to supplement this line-up with one or two visiting Exmoors.

Visiting Engines Gala

This gala will feature a mix of home fleet and visiting locos, both steam and diesel.

Barnard’s hopes to also include some miniature traction engines.

Winter Gala

Details of Barnard’s Winter Gala will be made available in due course, when it has confirmed its plans for what it hopes with be “a nice running day to round the standard running season off”.