37667 'Flopsie' returns 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley to Crewe + 37s at Blaenavon & 31130 at Dean Forest!

A varied day of railway activity today beginning at the Blaenavon Heritage railway where both of the lines operational Class 37s were out to play!

McLaren Rail's D6916 was out and about working driver experience runs, while the lines own resident split headbox D6729 was shunting the stock out of the Eric Edwards Carriage Shed ahead of timetabled services today.

It was interesting to chat with members of staff from McLaren Rail and hear about their business ideas, and partnership with Blaenavon. Following their success in the aviation industry with Northumbria Helicopters, they are branching into railway themed gift experiences and are aquiring locomotives and growing an operational fleet of engines available for driving and gift experiences and perhaps more work in the future, so one to watch!

After a good morning of the Class 37s at Blaenavon, another Class 37 was out and about today at Bristol Temple Meads, as locomotive Services 37767 ‘Flopsie’ was returning LNER A4 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ back to Crewe Holding Sidings, following a mixed Summer for steam.

Gresley spent most of the year stabled at Westridge on the West Somerset Railway, with an appearance at the WSR Spring Steam Gala, and worked a series of English Riviera Express turns, before it headed to Doncaster Works for the recent open day. However once it returned, after a WSR Gresley themed weekend, temperatures soared and the prospect of lineside fire risk saw a black level steam ban imposed across the national network, so most English Riviera Express excursions were covered by diesels this year. She did get out yesterday for one last run to Paignton, but diesel was the preferred traction to return the A4 to Crewe today, so a nice lash up was caught around lunch time, making a short stop under the newly refurbished Bristol Temple Meads train shed roof before heading North.

Our final stop on todays railway runabout was Lydney Town station on the the Dean Forest railway, where following yesterdays trip to the Bluebell Railway youtube.com/watch?v=vGuEMb1M2BU&feature=youtu.be a third Railfreight Grey Class 31 was up for grabs as 31130 was working passenger trains ahead of next weekends Dean Forest Diesel Gala!

The 31 is visiting from the Avon Valley Railway and was on some pre gala shakedown runs this weekend, working the first few diesel passenger services today while resident BR Pannier 9681 was on the steam diagram. We catch both services arriving before the 31 hands over to 08888 ‘Postman’s Pride’ which took over for the last trains of the day while the 31 was parked up in the sidings at Lydney ready for some more work ahead of next weekends DFR Diesel Gala. | 06.09.2026

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