SteamingNorth.com ... (Click on a picture to open that album and then on a picture to enlarge it...........Pictures copyright of Author

I found this 2 foot gauge railway quite by accident driving back north through the countryside from Stafford University on the A518 Stafford - Uttoxeter road and it is situated at the very popular Amerton Craft shop and Working Farm.
The railway has about one mile of track running in a circle and is operated by the Staffordshire Narrow Gauge Railway Ltd
The steam engine running on the day was 0-4-0 "Isabel"
Unfortunately I hadn`t time for a ride but I will be doing the journey quite often over the next year or so - so as Arny said "I`ll be back"

17 files, last one added on Apr 11, 2011
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15/09-2007 - Saturday - With seven engines in steam and a busy timetable, it had alot to live up to this year after being my favorite gala of 2006.
I went for the Auto coach train instead of the freight train this time and didnt regret it.
Engines running were
newly restored LMS Stanier 4-6-0 Black 5 - 44806
GWR 2-6-0 78XX Manor Class -7822 "Foxcote Manor"
GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2-T - 5643
GWR Collett '5101' Class 'Large Prairie' 2-6-2T 5199
GWR: Class 2800 2-8-0 - 3802
BR STD 2-6-4 Tank 80136
GWR 64xx Class -0-6-0 Pannier Tank – 6430 on the Auto train.
Well - I rate this Gala in 2nd place so far this year after "Steel Steam and Stars" - A Double for Llangollen- Excellent

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09/09/2007 - Sunday and its turned cloudy by the time I arrived at Burrs country park to what turned out to be a very low key event. This was due to locomotives on mainline runnings and mechanical breakdowns in the previous weeks .
The only LMS engines running were
LMS Stanier 4-6-0 Jubilee 5690 Class "Leander"
LMS 3F 0-6-0 "Jinty" - 47279
BR STD class 4 2-6-0 - 76079 which did run on LMS metals.

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Sunday 26/08/07 and another pleasent day. Arriving at Butterley about lunchtime, I caught the first train on the round trip arriving finally at Swanwick Junction were all the Engine sheds and locos are stored. Three Engines in steam -
S & D 7F 2-8-0 - 53809,
BR Std 4-6-0 class 5 - 73129 &
BR 3F 0-6-0 "Jinty" 47327 in part Thomas the Tank disguise.
Enough diesals and shunters on display also to fill a notebook!
Pictures also of the Golden Valley Light Railway including cavalcade- Excellent day out !!

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Saturday 11th August 2007 and its a pleasent day and 4 engines in steam plus industrial diesals and a couple of traction engines in steam as well.
An extenive timetable meant lots of trips running up and down the short line with intermitant freight pulled by the Industrial Diesals and a relaxed , informal attitude and friendly staff made for a interesting gala - Well Done WLLR!

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Wednesday 25/ 07/ 07 and its 20 years since the first train on the reopened ELR ... and its raining!!
MSC 70 & NCB No 140 have been chosen to re-enact the first train that ran twenty years earlier leaving Bury station at 11.05 for Ramsbottom.

Sunday 29/07/07 - was a sunny day and Engines running were -
LMS Jubilee class 4-6-0 - 5690 - "Leander"
GWR - 4-4-0 3440 -"City of Truro"
NCB No.140 Hudswell clarke 0-6-0 (No.1821)
with diesels
EE Class 40 - 40145 "East Lancashire Railway"
Class 24 diesel D5054 "Phil Southern" (both recently named for the event.)

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Saturday 7/07/07 and I`m off to stop for a weeks holiday in the lakes so only a few pictures.
GWR 0-6-2T 5643 had returned from the ELR,
Furness Railway 0-4-0 No20
LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T 42073
& Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T No. 1245 Tank was running ( in Thomas the Tank colours).
A cancelled early freight train and a normal timetable for the boats from Bowness kept it to a low key gala in my opinion. It would have been nice to see both Fairburns running but all engines were turned out nicely. Nice day but could do a lot better !

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23/06/2007 - A cloudy Saturday and its the ELR Summer steam gala, and as is not uncommon, there are the usual setbacks to this gala. The failure of 30587 which was in light steam only at Bury meant cancelled freight trains as other locos took its place. Some nice engines where put together but with half the locomotives facing in the opposite direction to normal running, this made good photographic opportunities fairly hard to come by.
Trains running -
GWR - 4-4-0 3440 -"City of Truro"
LSWR 0298 Class/Beattie 2-4-0 Well Tank (No 30587)
GWR 0-6-2T 5643
LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45407 "Lancashire Fusilier"
LMS Jubilee class 4-6-0 - 5690 - "Leander"
BR Std 4 - 2-6-0 76079
LMS 3F goods -0-6-0 "Jinty" 47324
Still well worth the visit!

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Saturday 2nd June 2007 at the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway - Cotswold Festival of Steam.
Another lovely summer day with the sun shining all the time and giving me a suntan. Engines running included
BR 9F 2-10-0 - 92202 "Black Prince"
LNER V2" class 2-6-2 - 4771 "Green Arrow"
SR Merchant Navy Class Pacific 4-6-2 -34007 "Wadebridge"
S & D 7F 2-8-0 No 88
GWR 4-6-0 "Hall Class," - 7903 "Foremarke Hall"
GWR/BR 4500 Class 2-6-2T tank Pannier tank 5542 with Autotrailer
and Saddle Tank 813

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27/05/2007 - The first time I`ve been to a wartime themed event on a railway and a really enjoyable experiance it was with lots of action going on at all the stations and lots of little cameo performances from everyone who dressed up to play their part.
Engines running include
newly arrived GWR - 4-4-0 3440 -"City of Truro",
LMS 4-6-2 Princess class - 6201- Princess Elizabeth,
LMS Jubilee class 4-6-0 - 5690 - "Leander"
& LMS goods -0-6-0 Jinty 47324
Not really a day for photographing Steam engines but soaking up the atmosphere and joining in

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05/05/2007 - Pictures from a dull start to a Saturday at the LNER festival .
Trains running include
LNER 4-6-2-Pacifis - 60007 "Sir Nigel Gresley"
LNER K1 62005 "Lord of the Isles"
LMS Stanier Black 5 4-6-0 - 45212,
BR Std 4 Tank 2-6-4 80135
LNER N7 0-6-2Tank 69621
Lampton Tank No29
and Deltic D9009 and D6700.
The sun finally broke through late afternoon and a very enjoyable festival it was! Being my 2nd visit here I decided this time to explore the line for photograph opertunities

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01/04/07 - It was supposed to be double heading weekend but with the failure of the jinty, only one of the two train sets running was Double Headed, but what a cracker. See 45231 & Leander double headed and also 4f -44422 all in glorious sunshine
LMS Stanier 4-6-0 Jubilee Class - 5690 "Leander"
LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45231 "Sherwood Forester"
LMS Fowler 4F 0-6-0 - 44422

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21/04/2007 - Pictures from Saturday - A Mega steam festival which surpassed even last years event at Llangollen with 11 engines in steam (and a beer festival.) What more could you ask for - we even had sunshine as well
GWR 14XX Pannier Tank Class 0-6-0 - No 1450
GWR 64xx Class - 0-6-0 Pannier Tank – 6430
GWR 5205 Class 2-8-0 T - 5224
GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2-T - 5643
GWR 94XX Class - 0-6-0 Pannier Tank - 9466
GWR 5101 class "Large Prairie" 2-6-2T - 4160
GWR Collett '5101' Class 'Large Prairie' 2-6-2T 5199
GWR: Class 2800 2-8-0 - 3802
GWR 7800 Class 7822 Foxcote Manor
SR Pacific 4-6-2 - 34081"92 Squardron"
BR Std 2-6-0 Class 2 - 78019
Brilliant !!

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03/03/2007 - Pictures from the ELR Spring Gala on Saturday .
This time trying a couple of new locations on the line.
The Gala featured -
BR 2-10-0 -9f - 92214
LMS Stanier Black 5 - 45231 "Sherwood Forester"
LMS 3F 0-6-0 "Jinty" 47324
LMS Stanier Jubilee 5690 - "Leander"
LMS Stanier Pacific 4-6-2 -6201 "Princess Elizabeth"
& SR King Arthur Class 4-6-0 - 850 -"Lord Nelson"
, but no sign of BR Pacific 71000 "Duke of Glouceter" whilst I was there.

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Sunday 28/01/07 - G.C.R. Winter Gala 2007 featuring guest locos 42968 & 49395 plus some resident locos and diesals. All these engines running extensive heavy freight trains as well as the passenger timetable.
LMS Stanier Mogel 2-6-0 - 42968
LMS Stanier 4-6-0 Black 5 - 45305
GWR Large Prairie 2-6-2T - 4141
LMS Stanier 2-8-0 8F - 48305 as 48188
Robinson O4 Class 2-8-0 Locomotive 63601
LNWR 0-8-0 Super D 49395

Diesel Class 47 D1705 - (static)
Diesel class 40 D123 - (static)
Diesel Class 25 - D5185
Diesel Class 20 D8098 (static)

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17/02/2007 - Two Lovely sunny days in February! Very unusual
4953 Pitchford Hall was this years guest engine and I spent most of Saturday afternoon chasing this engine around. On Sunday I arrived reasonable early and just caught Pitchford Hall on the freight train and then photographed the usual suspects in various locations
Locomotives running - GWR 4-6-0 - 4900 Class 4953 "Pitchford Hall"
LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 Tank - 41241
LMS 0-6-0 "Jinty" - 47279
L & Y CLASS 25 ‘IRONCLAD’ 0-6-0 NO.957
Taff Vale Railway Class 02 0-6-2T No. 85
BR Std 4 2-6-4T - 80002

47 files, last one added on Apr 13, 2011
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Saturday 27/01/07 - A Dull cloudy day with with lots of action and engines in steam which include
2 x LMS Stanier black 5`s - 45231 & 45407
LMS Stanier Jubilee 5690 "Leander"
LMS Pacific - 6201 "Princess Elizabeth"
BR 9F 2-10-0 -92214,
LMS 0-6-0 Jinty-47324
LMS 0-6-0 - 4F-44422
SR 4-6-0 - 850 Lord Nelson
.... and even more steam and smoke.

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Saturday 13/01/07 - An assortment of pictures from the Churnet Valley Railway`s - Great Marquess Weekend, featuring
LNER K4 - 2-6-0 - 61994 -"The Great Marquess"
and GWR 7800 Class 2-6-0 -7821 "Ditcheat Manor"

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06/01/2007 - Photographs from the Ribble Steam Railway winter steaming and also combining a trip around their museum with the Preston Model Railway Exhibition
Engines running - 0-4-0 Saddle Tank "Agecroft No.2
0-6-0 Class 05 shunter D2595
A lovely stretch of line well over a mile long which crosses Preston Marina via a swing road/rail bridge and runs along the banks of the River Ribble towards Preston centre.

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04/03/2006 - Black 5 - 45407 pilots BR Std 4 - 76079 across a frozen Rishton reservoir with a special running of "The Liverpool Manchester 175th" around Manchester, Huddersfield, Copy Pit, Blackburn and return to Liverpool.
11/03/2006 - An excursion advertised as "The Big Day Out" hauled by LMS 8F - 48151 from Carnforth to Chester via Hellifield and sporting a "The Green Express" headboard is captured approaching the footcrossing at Billington on the start of the climb up Whalley Banks.
08/04/2006 - 6233 Duchess of Sutherland" races north along the WCML approaching Flag lane, Farington with a running of "The Flyde Coast Express" steam hauled from Derby to Blackpool
04/06/2006 - 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" takes water at Hellifield good loop with a running of the Cumbrian Coast Express from Doncaster to Carlisle
03/06/2006 - 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" drags its load out of Barton goods loop on "The Citadel Express" from Crewe to Carlisle on the outward leg.
04/06/2006 - 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" waits in Hellifield goods loop for coaching stock for a "Dalesman Excursion" up the Settle & Carlisle Railway to Carlisle.
16/06/2006 - 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" powering north along the WCML at Brock with a running of "The Citadel Express" from London to Carlisle - steam hauled from Crewe
05/08/2006 - 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" arriving at Hellifield with "The Cumbrian Mountain Fellsman" steam hauled from Carnforth, around Carlisle to Appleby and onto Hellifield.
12/08/2006 - 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" heads south down the S & C on its return seen here crossing Denthead Viaduct with a running of the "Dalesman" from Hellifield to Carlisle and back.
17/09/2006 - 30777 "Sir Lamiel" takes "The Dales Discoverer" on a misty day over Ribblehead viaduct on a trip from York to Carlisle

23 files, last one added on May 26, 2011
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