Tom Fletcher Memorial Outing 23rd June 2007
The society’s
annual outing destination for 2007 was the Nene Valley railway at Peterborough.
A heavy downpour on a way there on the A14 looked like we were in for a
wet day, but with our usual Tom Fletcher outing good luck, the skies soon cleared
and gave
some 20 members with family and
friends a pleasant day on the railway.
We were fortunate
in our choice of date as this co-incided with the Mail Rail event, featuring the
TPO taken out of service in January 2004. The formation was pulled by Class 47
No 47270, as currently this is the only air braked loco available, although
there are plans to convert a steam loco to dual braking.
47270 and Class 14 at Wansford
Demonstration mail
drops took place at Sutton Cross, with 1st day covers being available
for the sum of £1.50. Those holding day rover tickets were eligible for a trip
in the PTO and were able to enjoy a mail drop demonstration by the lineside at
Sutton Cross.
Steam power was
represented by B1 loco “Mayflower” with the days service trains in tow, ably
assisted by a Class 14 diesel loco
“Mayflower” @ Wansford
For those with an
interest in philately, there were
stalls selling stamps, books and other essentials for the hobby, and for fans of
real ale a beer tent with some 20 odd different ales were available to cater for
most tastes.
The day was rounded
off by a guided tour of the loco shed by an NVR member. The existing shed is now
becoming life expired and work is underway building its successor.
GRES
members inspecting SNCF Compound Pacific at Wansford
Thanks to Ray Puddy
and Bill More for organizing the event, and Dave Clarke of the NVR for our
guided tour.