Having owned the Evesham Vale Light Railway for the last 12 years, Adrian & Sandra Corke decided to retire from ownership of this well engineered 15inch (381mm) gauge railway. The EVLR is mainly run by volunteers and a few paid staff. So at the end of February 25-2-2024 it was decided to celebrate their last day of ownership and operating with a gala. After this date David Nelson Brown and his team will take over operation and ownership of the Railway from March. At the gala all present steam engines (St Egwin, Dougal and Monty) were in action, with lots of double heading in various combinations and the occasional freight train. The timetable saw a train arrive and depart at Twyford Station every 30 minutes, this was a very sharp and controlled operation of individual loco turning and train run rounds. Listers Dursley - Diesel Loco named Sludge was also on display looking pristine. Some of the EVLR engine drivers and fireman present on the gala day also operate standard gauge steam locos at other heritage lines, this day was no exception as one of the drivers we chatted to also drives on the Bluebell Railway. The Railway is situated in the Evesham country park, that also has retail outlets cafes and a crazy golf adventure centre that has an aircraft, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser, in bits, and a Land Rover as added attractions. The railway operates over a total distance of just over 1 mile (1.6 km), from Twyford Station to Evesham Vale Station. Twyford Station is the only terminus on the line, with Evesham Vale Station situated on a balloon loop. Many families and enthusiasts enjoyed the mini spectacular steam gala. We met up with Glos and Warks Fireman and Driver Chris Smith, also a Wings Speaker, who has done a good 10 years driving for the EVLR along with his friends and ours the Boskett's. The friendly volunteers and staff really pulled out the stops on this cold but dry day, also the coaches are superb and are a snug but cosy fit for 4 adults in one compartment as you can see from the photos, but all part of the fun. Many thanks to the volunteers and staff for making a winter Sunday a great one. Enjoy our pictures and video.
Copyright of all pictures and video in this gallery belong to R Kelsey, Pictures, and R Stopford, video.