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Blaenavon Railway: Diesel Gala Event (2011)
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Because of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic causing some problems for the heritage railways across the UK, I've decided to make my own little flashback film of a favourite event based at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway that me and my dad went to back in October 2011, which is the Diesel Gala Weekend.
In this video, we travel back in time to nine years ago, where in 2011, the Blaenavon Railway held their Diesel Gala Weekend event, that featured 37216, D5627 (31203), 73128 & 37219. It was certainly a very memorable weekend for us to see Class 37s double headed and making a tremendous sound on the Forgeside Bank.
Three years later in January 2014, 37219, along with 37421,were both sold to Colas Rail, and have since returned to the mainline on test train workings, while later in that same year, 73128 was sold to GBRf, and it has since returned to the mainline working in the Kent area.
Meanwhile, 37216 has been out of service since November 2011, and has been undergoing a very long restoration process, while D5627 (31203), after being out of service for five years, returned to service at Blaenavon in May 2016, and has since been running on the railway.
37023, which was acquired by the railway in October 2019, is set to be fully restored to working order for future running services, which will take quite some time, of course.
The railway itself has undergone many changes since this event nine years ago, as stock like the green DEMU Thumper unit and the blue EMU carriage stock have since left the railway for new homes, while the goods yard has been taken up and the new Carriage Shed has since been built in its place.
The newly built 'Furnace Sidings' station building, which uses bricks from Pontypool Crane Street, looked quite different and unfinished at the time, having only recently been partly completed during the 'Industrial Steam Gala' in September 2011.
Quite amazing how the times have changed in the span of just nine years!
Filmed on the 15th & 16th October, 2011.
Filmed by Scott Coombes
Produced and Edited by Thomas Coombes
(C) 2020 GrimlockTrainz Productions
In this video, we travel back in time to nine years ago, where in 2011, the Blaenavon Railway held their Diesel Gala Weekend event, that featured 37216, D5627 (31203), 73128 & 37219. It was certainly a very memorable weekend for us to see Class 37s double headed and making a tremendous sound on the Forgeside Bank.
Three years later in January 2014, 37219, along with 37421,were both sold to Colas Rail, and have since returned to the mainline on test train workings, while later in that same year, 73128 was sold to GBRf, and it has since returned to the mainline working in the Kent area.
Meanwhile, 37216 has been out of service since November 2011, and has been undergoing a very long restoration process, while D5627 (31203), after being out of service for five years, returned to service at Blaenavon in May 2016, and has since been running on the railway.
37023, which was acquired by the railway in October 2019, is set to be fully restored to working order for future running services, which will take quite some time, of course.
The railway itself has undergone many changes since this event nine years ago, as stock like the green DEMU Thumper unit and the blue EMU carriage stock have since left the railway for new homes, while the goods yard has been taken up and the new Carriage Shed has since been built in its place.
The newly built 'Furnace Sidings' station building, which uses bricks from Pontypool Crane Street, looked quite different and unfinished at the time, having only recently been partly completed during the 'Industrial Steam Gala' in September 2011.
Quite amazing how the times have changed in the span of just nine years!
Filmed on the 15th & 16th October, 2011.
Filmed by Scott Coombes
Produced and Edited by Thomas Coombes
(C) 2020 GrimlockTrainz Productions
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- McHLXMWP4Dw
- 493
- 24 Jun 2020 21:37
- 15 Oct 2026 20:33
- 16 Oct 2011
- 7
- 1
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