'Northern Rock's Golden Jubilee Gala!' Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway - 'Steam Gala' 2026

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in the Lake District was originally constructed to carry iron ore down from the mines at Boot to the Cumbrian coast. However, local residents requested a passenger service, which commenced in November 1876. Therefore, the line became the first public narrow-gauge railway in England. Originally built to three-foot gauge, pioneering model maker Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke rescued the route from bankruptcy in 1915, before converting it to the fifteen-inch gauge layout we see today. A hundred-and-fifty years on, people still flock to this tiny village to take a leisurely trip along ‘La’al Ratty’. When a preservation society took over operations in 1961, many of the line’s original locomotives were starting to show their age. ‘River Mite’, outshopped from Clarksons of York in 1966, had provided some cover, but by the mid-1970s, more motive power was still required. It was decided to build this latest engine in-house to a design by chief engineer Ian Smith. Echoing ‘River Irt’s outline, the locomotive was originally planned to be named ‘Sir Arthur Heywood’, until the Northern Rock building society offered to sponsor construction. Ultimately, the new engines proudly steamed out of Ravenglass works in 1976, carrying Highland Railway muscat green livery and bearing the name ‘Northern Rock’. Since then, the engine has been invaluable to the line, becoming its roving ambassador on visits to Gateshead, Norfolk and even Germany! So successful was her design that two similar locomotives were built for the Shuzenji Romney Railway in Japan! It only seemed right that the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway should honour their muscat mascot with ‘Northern Rock’s Golden Jubilee Gala’. Held over the early May bank holiday weekend, the event saw up to eleven locomotives in service across the seven-mile line, including three special guests. Headlining the event were sisters ‘Katie’ and ‘Sian’ from the Kirklees Light Railway. Interestingly, the name ‘Sir Arthur Heywood’ was carried over to a 7.25-inch gauge engine based on ‘Northern Rock’s design, visiting from the Eastleigh Lakeside Miniature Railway. The locomotive sat on a flat wagon and was attached to many of ‘Northern Rock’s trains throughout the gala. I visited on the Saturday and Sunday of the event. No fewer than sixteen round trips operated each day with a wide variety of double-headers and consists. An anniversary cavalcade featuring all nine steam engines ran across Barrow Marsh on Saturday evening, culminating in a spectacular whistle war! Driver-for-a-donation sessions were also run in Ravenglass yard featuring several different locos (I even had a go myself on ‘River Irt’!) The weather forecast didn’t look too promising, so imagine my surprise when the rain held off all weekend. The sun even came out on Saturday afternoon! The line was bustling with activity although some services ran up to forty-five minutes late. The full lineup consisted of: Visiting: Twining 2-4-2 ‘Katie’ (from the Kirklees Light Railway) Twining 2-4-2 ‘Sian’ (from the Sian Project Group and the Kirklees Light Railway) Smith/Williamson 2-6-2 ‘Sir Arthur Heywood’ (from the Eastleigh Lakeside Miniature Railway. Sat on a flat wagon) Home Fleet: Smith 2-6-2 ‘Northern Rock’ Poultney 2-8-2 ‘River Mite’ Greenly 2-8-2 ‘River Esk’ Heywood 0-8-2 ‘River Irt’ Heywood 0-4-0T ‘Katie’ Krauss 4-6-2 ‘Whillan Beck’ Bassett-Lowke Class 30 4-4-2 ‘Synolda’ Lister 0-4-0DM ‘Cyril’* Smith Bo-Bo ‘Lady Wakefield’* *does not feature I hope you all enjoy the video. Thanks to all locomotive owners as well as the staff and volunteers of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway for a great event. That Saturday finale was something very special! Lineside access was obtained with permission from the Responsible Officer. Please do not trespass on the railway. If you like what you see, check us out on social media at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... and   / secondvalvesteam   for photos, stories and more. Thank you all for watching and don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe!