London 2012 not only marked the arrival of the Olympics, it was also the year that a disused railway on the edges of London reopened, and their 10th-anniversary party will take place this coming June.
(c) Epping Ongar Railway
Opened to the paying public on 26th May 2012, the Epping Ongar Railway reused a disused part of the Central line that closed in 1994, and is the nearest full-size heritage railway to London
To mark the anniversary, the Epping Ongar Railway will be holding a 4-day celebration to coincide with the long Bank Holiday of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The event takes place over 4 days from 2th to 5th June and will be both a celebration of their 10 years and also a steam gala – with a special visitor. The diesel fleet will also be featured during the event to reflect the wider range of the railway’s heritage traction and volunteers.
Thursday 2nd June will see a display by 4953 Pitchford Hall, the locomotive that was at the railway on its opening weekend in 2012. It will be running alongside their fleet of diesel locomotives
Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th June will be the steam gala and is expected to feature British Railways standard class 4 locomotive, 75069 on its first visit away from the Severn Valley since its overhaul. That will be joined by the British Rail shunter, 9466, and spent some time working special steam services on the London Underground Metropolitan line.
There will also be the small prairie 5521, carrying London Transport maroon livery and the number L150 from its own days working steam specials on the London Underground network.
There will also be an evening Real Ale train service on Saturday
Sunday 5th June, is expected to be a mixed traction day and feature a selection of steam and diesel locomotives in operation.
The event will also feature the launch of a new book detailing the last 10 years of the Epping Ongar Railway.
You can turn up on the day, but it’s better to buy an all-day ticket for the date you want in advance, from the bottom of this page.
Adults: £20 | Children: £12 | Family (2+3): £53
Tickets include heritage bus links from Epping tube station (Central line) and Shenfield station (Elizabeth line & Greater Anglia) to the Epping Ongar Railay.
(c) Epping Ongar Railway
Leave a Reply