North Norfolk Railway Autumn Steam Gala | 24th, 25th October 2026

A windy, rainy and sunny Saturday and Sunday in Norfolk East Anglia as we visit the North Norfolk Railway the Poppy Line for their Autumn Steam Gala. The North Norfolk Railway is a heritage railway in East Anglia, affectionally known as the Poppy Line which runs from Sheringham to Weybourne, Kelling Heath Park Halt and Holt which is part of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway, it connects to the Bittern Line at Sheringham for West Runton, Cromer, Hoverton and Wroxham and Norwich on the Great Eastern Mainline, and it also serves buses to Wells-Next-The-Sea. This gala was during Storm Boleo with rain one day and strong winds the other day, hence to Sheringham Beach being quiet, but apart from that a really cracking weekend. The only guest steam locomotive was Victorian engine Furness No.20 making it's first ever visit to the North Norfolk Railway alongside the home fleet locomotives from the small 0-6-0 'Wissington' to the big 2-10-0 War Department Austerity 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment'. The railway also welcomed back Gresley's 0-6-2 N2 Tank 1744 which returned to steam in the Summer of 2026 after overhaul, in 2016 the engine was dragged along the East Coast Mainline at London Kings Cross Station for the 140th Anniversary of Sir Nigel Gresley, a decade later, the locomotive returned to steam on the North Norfolk Railway for Gresley's 150th Anniversary, and is now owned by the Gresley Locomotive Society. We begin on the coast of Sheringham Town on the Saturday of the steam gala where we see some trains at Sheringham Station before we take a ride along the Norfolk Coast to Holt behind N2 Tank 1744, we then see some more trains at Holt Station before we take the train from Holt to Weybourne. At Weybourne Station, we see a variety of passenger and freight trains, and we will also see a non-stop express train hauled by N2 Tank 1744, as well as a goods train hauled by 90775 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment'. We then take the suburban train hauled by 'Newstead' from Weybourne to Sheringham during Storm Boleo and to see a rainy and windy departure of the War Department Austerity 90775 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment' out of Sheringham Station. The next day on the Sunday of the steam gala, we begin again at Sheringham Station by taking a train hauled by 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment' to Weybourne. We then see some fast non-stop trains at Kelling Heath Park Halt Station with the steam locomotives powering up the gradient between Weybourne and Holt including the powerful War Department Austerity 90775 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment'. Then at Weybourne Station, we see some steam trains during golden hour as the UK clocks changed back an hour for the colder seasons, we then take the last train from Weybourne to Sheringham hauled by 'Newstead'. Lastly we see some more trains at Sheringham Station and conclude the gala with a night view of the sea. LOCOMOTIVES AND TRAINS INCLUDED: British Railways War Department Austerity 90775 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment' Hunslet Engine Company Saddle Tank 1589 'Newstead' Hunslet Works Austerity No. 22 Hudswell Clarke 1700 'Wissington' Great Northern Railway Gresley N2 Tank 1744 Furnes Railway No. 20 (visitor from the Ribble Steam Railway) Great Western Railway 42xx Class 4277 'Hercules' (on loan from the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway) British Railways Standard 4 Tank 80080 (on loan from the Midland Railway Centre Butterley) British Railways Class 37 D6732 Greater Anglia Class 755 Enjoy.