Once a year the Threlkeld Quarry Railway near Keswick in the Lake District holds a narrow gauge themed gala – as has appeared in these pages previously.  It is usually a great source of stress-free tranquillity for me, and this year was no exception, with Martyn Ashworth and his team pulling off the best show yet – with six Penrhyn Quarry Railway locomotives reunited (well, one was an interloper masquerading as a sister locomotive of identical appearance).  The three day event includes a photographic charter and once again featured Graham Lee’s Erie Steam Navvy.  Also in steam was the newly restored Ruston steam excavator, resident at Threlkeld and recently returned to working condition after many years dormancy.

The locomotive list was as follows:

• Sir Tom (Bagnall) – resident on the TQR
• Marchlyn (Avonside) – visiting from the Statfold Barn Railway
• Sybil Mary (Hunslet) – visiting from the Statfold Barn Railway
• Stanhope (Kerr Stuart) – visiting from the Apedale Valley Railway
• 1238 (Hudswell Clarke) – visiting from the Apedale Valley Railway and masquerading as Bronllwyd (also preserved but not in Penrhyn black livery)
• Lilla (Hunslet) – visiting from the Ffestiniog Railway
• Hugh Napier (Hunslet) – visiting from the Ffestiniog Railway

Throughout the event the locomotives worked both passenger and goods trains over the steeply graded (up to 1:20) half mile running line up into the quarry, where visitors were generally transfixed by the Erie shovel working into a large pile of material there.

Here are some photos grabbed between trips and which hopefully give some flavour of what was a very enjoyable event.

For some rather more professional images of the event, see Martin Creese’s flickr set here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/martincreese/sets/72157656268293746