Following on from the successful event held in 2014, the South Devon Railway (SDR) returns to the diesel gala circuit with a special three day event in early November.

The diesel gala weekend will feature an intensive train service featuring a mix of resident diesel locomotives normally based on the line along with visiting locomotives including special star guest – Class 26 No. D5343.

Class 26 No. D5343 which is owned by the Cotswold Mainline Diesel Group is normally based on the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway, but will be making the journey south in time to appear at the gala, and in doing so will make what is believed to be the first ever working appearance of a member of its class in Devon.

Built in 1959 by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company at Smethwick in the Midlands, D5343 was one of fleet of just 47 such locomotives. Although early members of the class had seen use in and around London, by mid 1960 the decision was made to concentrate the entire fleet in Scotland with D5343 being allocated to Haymarket depot and spending its career working a variety of services north of the border. Having been renumbered as 26 043 in 1974, the locomotive was finally withdrawn in January 1993 and later entered preservation. It returned to service in 2013 and is restored in the original British Rail blue colour scheme complete with early number.

As the gala presents the very rare chance to see a Class 26 working so far south, an additional day has been added to the event which will see D5343 along with Class 25 No. D7612 hauling all trains on Friday 06th November. During the day there will be six round trips between Buckfastleigh and Totnes. In addition there will be additional freight trains between Buckfastleigh and Staverton. These will operate using a mixture of period goods vehicles which will help reflect the typical work these versatile mixed traffic locomotives used to undertake. In addition to solo workings, some services will also be operated double-headed.

On the Saturday and Sunday D5343 and D7612 will be joined by Class 04 No. D2246, Class 09 No. D3721 and Class 37 No. 6975 along with the SDR’s Class 122 “bubblecar” W55000.

There will be an intensive passenger service on both days, and on Saturday morning there will be a special early morning service from Totnes. This will allow those arriving by mainline train to travel to Buckfastleigh enabling them to have a longer stay and enjoy more of the locomotive hauled services. This service will depart from the SDR station at Totnes at 08.33.

In addition to the regular services operated over the full line between Buckfastleigh and Totnes, on the Saturday visitors will also get the rare chance to enjoy riding behind two of the SDR's small diesel shunting locomotives, Class 04 D2246 and Class 09 D3721, both of which will be used to work a number of shuttle services between Staverton and Totnes. There will also be a number of demonstration freight trains running between Buckfastleigh and Staverton,

“The appearance of a Class 26 working in Devon is something that is likely to appeal to many railway enthusiasts.” said event co-ordinator Andy Matthews.

“With an intensive passenger service with no fewer than six different classes of diesel plus our railcar in operation, the gala weekend should be a great event and allows us to showcase several different designs of diesel locomotive, some of which are now over 60 years old”

There will be a frequent passenger service operating throughout the weekend with the first loco hauled services being at 09.15 on both days from Buckfastleigh and 10.17 on Saturday and 10.02 on Sunday from Totnes. Several services will feature an on train real ale bar run by the Devon Diesel Society, and on the Saturday trains will run into the evening.

It is also hoped to have some of the non-operational diesel locomotives on display at Buckfastleigh. South Devon Diesel Traction are making good progress with the extensive rebuild of Class 25 D7541 and this loco, along with Class 33 No. D6501 which is due to return to service in 2016 following repairs to the main generator will be on display. The Devon Diesel Society are at present part way through an intermediate overhaul of their Class 37 D6737 and this should be viewable, and this popular locomotive is due to return to service in 2016 after extensive rewiring work and a complete external make over. Also on display will be Class 50 D402, the largest diesel loco based on the SDR. Although a return to service is still some way off, the DDS continue to make steady progress on its extensive overhaul and rebuild which next year should see external repairs completed and the power unit lifted out for full overhaul.

In addition to the diesel gala, several of the usual SDR attractions will be open, including the museum at Buckfastleigh where the last original broad gauge locomotive, Tiny, is displayed. The workshop viewing gallery will be open, and the miniature railway is expected to be running on Saturday and Sunday. Gifts and souvenirs can be obtained from Expressway Models, and an extensive range of food and soft drinks can be obtained from the adjacent Refreshment Rooms.

One, two and three day rover tickets will be available allowing visitors to make the best of what is on offer. Details of these, along with working timetables and locomotive roster will be released shortly. Keep an eye on the website for further details as these will updated as data are released.