Steaming Through the West Country

The 7th to 9th June 2024, saw the Swanage Railway hold their second ‘STRICTLY BULLEID’ gala event following the success of the first event in 2017 which hosted 5 of the locomotives to celebrate 50 years since the End of Steam on the Southern Region in 1967.

Eight of Oliver Bulleid’s 4-6-2 machines were gathered from across the country for the Dorset gala. The line-up featured the –

• Biggest gathering of Bulleid Pacifics in preservation

• Biggest gathering of locomotives from one designer

• First time two ‘Merchant Navy’ locomotives have run simultaneously in preservation

Locomotives featured during the event included

• 34028 “Eddystone”

• 34053 “Sir Keith Park” fresh from a 10 year overhaul

• 34070 “Manston”

• 34072 “257 Squadron” visiting from the Spa Valley Railway

• 34081 “92 Squadron” visiting from the Nene Valley Railway

• 34092 “City of Wells” visiting from the East Lancashire Railway

• 35006 “Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co.” visiting from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

• 35018 “British India Line” visiting from West Coast Railways

Before the big three-day event, the railway held a ‘STRICTLY D-Day’ preview day on June 6th to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy landings during the Second World War in 1944, used during the day were the recently restored LSWR ‘T3’ No. 563 and Bulleids 34070, 34072 and 34081.

This programme covers all four days of the gala and some of the guest locomotives arriving and departing via road and rail from various locations around the country.

65 minutes duration £12.95