GWR Hall No. 4953 Pitchford Hall is to make its first visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as part of the line’s Annual Steam Gala.

Taking place between the 26th and 29th of September, the gala will feature 4953 alongside other visitors and home fleet locomotives.

4953 replaces 4079 Pendennis Castle at the gala, which is been withdrawn from service due to possible boiler water carry over into its cylinders.

4953, which features in the popular yearly calendar by RailAdvent, visits thanks to the Epping Ongar Railway.

“We’re delighted to welcome No. 4953 Pitchford Hall to this year’s Annual Steam Gala. While it’s always disappointing when a planned locomotive becomes unavailable, we are confident that Pitchford Hall will be a fantastic replacement that will provide an equally exciting experience for all our visitors. It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase another magnificent example of GWR engineering, and we are grateful to everyone involved for making this possible at such short notice. We’re looking forward to seeing our guests enjoy this historic locomotive as it takes to our tracks.”

Laura Strangeway, CEO at the NYMR