Last weekend's Diesel Gala at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) with a three-day celebration of diesel locomotives has been declared a huge success.
During the Gala from Friday, 14th to Sunday, 16th June, the heritage railway welcomed over 3,000 passengers to the event who travelled over 1,000 miles on diesel-hauled services.
For those who couldn't be there in person, the railway's webcams gave them a taste of what they were missing, with 5,000+ hours recorded of people taking advantage of the webcams.
Operating trains during the weekend's special extensive timetable were visiting locomotives:
- No. 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach, courtesy of Loram and Steven Beniston,
- No. 45108, courtesy of the East Lancashire Railway,
- No. D9537, courtesy of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway,
- Class 20s, No. 20189 and No. 20142, courtesy of Class 20189 Ltd
- Locomotives from the home fleet included D7628 Sybilla, No. 31128, No. 31466, No. 37264, and No. 47077.
For anyone who wishes to relive their childhood dreams, the railway offers steam and diesel locomotive driving experiences.
To find out more about the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and book tickets, visit www.nymr.co.uk/book-tickets
Awesome Diesel engines.
Great diesel locos.
Another great day out. Well organised Diesel Gala.
Friendly, professional, enjoyable.
Cannot think of anything that could have been improved, it was a special event weekend, visited on the Saturday and travelled on the train, Sunday visited the engine sheds, on the non-event days we have visited we have always had a lovely visit.
Comments from a visitor survey carried out during the event
From a Shed perspective, it went really well. We had lots of support from the owning groups, NYMR staff, and volunteers. Team Diesel did exceptionally well, with almost all services running on time and no major locomotive issues. The volunteer locomotive cleaners went above and beyond to present the locomotives so splendidly, despite the rain showers we had.
The planning team also did a fantastic job, starting to organise the event in late October. It was a great Diesel Gala re-introduction event, and we are looking forward to building on it for the future.
Nick Simpson, Head of Mechanical Engineering at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
I am very glad to hear that. I volunteer on P Way for two railways we are always bottom of the list for funds and mostly ignored so I do understand how difficult things can be. The next questions is for the amount of hours put in, is it really the best way of making money or would a number of smaller events have made as much or possibley more money.
Not really.
Of course, funds are needed to run an organisation, even if a great deal of the input is voluntary. Much of a volunteer’s free time and resources are vital to keep an organisation and the locomotives in safe running order. Preserving heritage for future generations requires effort and dedication – much of it unpaid!
The real question should be, have they made a good profit.