KWVR DIESEL GALA. SUMMER 2022. KEIGHLEY & WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY 11th. JUNE 2022.

A mixed bag of diesel traction on the KWVR summer diesel gala.
locomotives included:
class 20 031, This engine was completed in late 1959 at the English Electric works in Darlington and entered British Railways service in January 1960, numbered D8031. The engine went to work in Scotland being based at Kittybrewster Depot. It was fitted at first with a tablet catcher, on the left hand side of the cab, for working over single-line sections. The engine subsequently spent time at three other sheds in Scotland - lnverness, Polmadie (Glasgow) and Haymarket (Edinburgh) - before being transferred, for the rest of its career, to England in June 1968.
The engine spent time at several sheds in England; Nottingham, Stratford (London), York, Gateshead, lmmingham, Tinsley (Sheffield), lmmingham and Toton. During this time, under the new TOPS classification system, no. D8031 was re-numbered 20 031 in January 1974, the class now known as Class 20 rather than Type 1. During the 1980s, Class 20’s started to be coupled into pairs (nose to nose) for reasons of safety, as it improved visibility by having a driving cab at each end.
20 031 first came out of service at Toton Depot in September 1989 only to be returned to traffic in November 1989 before being finally withdrawn in 1990.
class 37 075, This engine is another of the preferred types which came out of the 1955 B.R. Modernisation Plan and, as a Class of locomotive, has enjoyed longevity of use throughout the British Railways period and into the current era of privatisation. No. 37 075 was built by English Electric at their Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns plant and completed in 1962 as No. D6775. The locomotive was accepted by British Railways at Doncaster and then went on to be allocated to Thornaby Depot, Teeside. The locomotive gained its TOPS number of 37 075 in February 1974 and ran various freight and passenger trains including an Ipswich to Wembley Park Football Special train on 6th May 1978. The locomotive moved on a frequent basis around the country, being allocated to the following depots in this order: Hull (Diarycotes), Thornaby, March, Healey Mills, Tinsley (Sheffield), Thornaby, Stratford, Motherwell, Stratford, Thornaby, Tinsley and finally Thornaby.
Whilst allocated to Tinsley for the first time, the steam heating boiler, used to heat passenger coaches, was removed (November 1984). It is also worth noting that the noses, at each end of the locomotive, no longer match. One end has the original split head-code boxes but the other is of a later type, being completely flat and with no head-code boxes at all. This change is believed to have occurred due to accident damage, although we have not been able to ascertain the date of this incident.
Class 50 026, D426 entered service in July 1968 and was later renumbered 50026 under TOPS renumbering. In March 1978, 50026 was named Indomitable after the Royal Navy's modified Illustrious-class aircraft carrier which was scrapped in 1955.
50026 worked its last train in November 1990 and was withdrawn on 11 December 1990 due to power unit damage, being the 25th Class 50 locomotive to be withdrawn. Its engine hours stood at 8,039.
50026 Indomitable in preservation
50026’s survival is somewhat remarkable as the locomotive is the only one of the Class 50s surviving today that managed to escape from the scrapyard. It languished in the yard of C F Booth in Rotherham, one of several locomotives sent there in 1992. These locomotives were part of an ultimately unsuccessful project by 'Operation Collingwood'. The current owner, Paul Spracklen, purchased the locomotive together with missing parts salvaged from other project locomotives that went for scrap.
​Initially, 50026 was moved by rail from Rotherham to the Mid Hants Railway (1993), before the owner sought a new home where much of the restoration was carried out undercover at the MoD base at Bicester in Oxfordshire (1993). A thorough restoration project spanning two decades transformed the loco into ex-works, large logo condition. After Bicester, further work was carried out at Old Oak common (2007), the workshops of RVEL in Derby and Eastleigh Works. A return to traffic came at the Swanage Railway on May 11, 2012. The loco wears the revised Network South East dark blue livery and sports navy-blue nameplates in a nod to long-departed classmate 50032 Courageous, the only 50 to be so treated.
Class 33 D6515, It was added as D6515 to BR stock on 08/07/1960 at it's first depot, 73C Hither Green. It was at various times allocated to Hither Green, Eastleigh, and Stewarts Lane depots. It was re-numbered 33012 in January 1974.
33012 was withdrawn on 13/02/97 as surplus to requirements and saw a few months use as Eastleigh Depot pilot until finally switched off with a number of electrical faults.

[@tonyg1071]

I enjoyed that, thanks

[@seany84uk]

Excellent stuff! It would be good if they could get permission to run through to skipton during off peak times to experience high speed rides on these classic trains. I also hope the bolton abbey railway gets the extension to skipton soon too as that would definetly increase visitor numbers

[@philsmodelrailway232]

It would be nice to run to skipton I think it took along time to get network rail to agree to the NYM a being allowed to Whitby and you must run mainline approved locomotives

[@philsmodelrailway232]

D6515 was outstanding at the Severn valley gala in May