30th March, 2024
This year’s Steam Gala felt a little bit more special as the East Somerset Railway celebrates its 50th anniversary open to the public as a heritage railway. The arrival of Lady of Legend made it feel even more special!
The Saint was kindly on loan from Didcot Railway Centre and was the headline star of Steam Gala 2024! It was joined by No4110 Large Prairie and Ivatt no.46447 who also ran throughout the day with Lady Nan taking visitors on our ever popular Driver for a Tenner experience.
Despite early showers the afternoons were bathed in sunshine and many keen photographers were able to capture some truly wonderful shots of the locomotives and the site on an incredibly busy day.
As a charity, the East Somerset Railway relies heavily on events such as this for the vital income they provide to keep us going in our mission to preserve Britain’s railway heritage and promote the love of it to future generations.
We are also indebted to our volunteers whose dedication and expertise was vital in the planning and smooth running of the day.
A special thanks also goes to CES Mayflower and Jim Bell who organised a free shuttle bus service from Frome Railway Station and Shepton Mallet which allowed those who were unable to drive to us to access the event.
Lady of Legend’s final running on a public day will be Easter Monday after which it will be leaving the East Somerset Railway.