Class 20’s 20205 + 20189 at Sheffield Park Station during the Diesel Gala on The Bluebell Railway 31st March 2017.

The Bluebell Railway Diesel Gala March 2017

The Bluebell Railway Diesel Gala held on the weekend of the 31^st March to 2nd April 2017 featured the following locomotives;

Class 20’s 20189 + 20205
Class 50 50049 ‘Defiance’
Class 73’s 73107 + 73119 ‘Borough of Eastleigh’

The third Diesel Gala was expected to provide two English Electric Class 50’s - Sadly 50035 was withdrawn due to a brake problem, notwithstanding sterling efforts to get it working overnight, but 50049 'Defiance' and the Class 20s arrived via East Grinstead as planned.

Stepping in to the breach once again were GBRf who supplied two Class 73s in the shape of 73107 and 73119, which joined resident 09018 (on a brake-van turn) and Sentinel shunter 'Skippy' for "Driver for a Fiver" experiences at Horsted Keynes.

The weather was good all weekend but I remember thinking trains were fairly quiet.

Class 50 50049 ‘Defiance’ at East Grinstead station during the 2017 Diesel Gala on The Bluebell Railway 31st March 2017.

Diesel Class 20 20189 at Sheffield Park Station during the Bluebell Railway 2017 Diesel Gala