The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway have announced another guest for their Winter Diesel Gala which takes place on the 28th & 29th of December 2024.

Class 47, No. 47 712 ‘Lady Diana Spencer,’ will appear at the gala with a push-pull set, thanks to the Locomotive Services Group & Crewe Diesel Preservation Group, which owns the 47.

No. 47 712 is one of six operational mainline-certified class 47 diesel locomotives that can run on the national rail network at the time of writing.

She has seen use on a couple of charters over the summer and is currently painted in the Chris-Green-inspired ScotRail Livery. She also has a history of working in Scotland, as she was a regular on the Edinburgh – Glasgow push-pull services, making her an ideal locomotive to visit the Scottish Railway Preservation Society home base at Bo’ness for the winter diesel gala.

Once totalling 512 members the class 47s were the most numerous diesel locomotive class to run in the UK, they were constructed at Brush’s Falcon Works in Loughborough and British Railways’ Crewe Works from 1962 to 1968.

Equipped with the Sulzer 12LDA28C twin-bank twelve-cylinder engine, initially generating 2,750 bhp (2,050 kW) – later reduced to 2,580 bhp (1,920 kW) for enhanced reliability – these engines have powered passenger and freight trains on Britain’s railways for over half a century. Even with the advent of newer traction models, many remain operational, serving on the mainline and or preserved at heritage railways.

The Bo’ness railway previously announced that class 26 No. 26038 “Tom Clift” will debut at an SRPS Gala following its overhaul, accumulating hours since it has recently returned to service.

You can find out more over on their website here https://www.bkrailway.co.uk/