Three of Britain's mainline steam locomotives will star in a unique gala on the Mid Norfolk Railway this weekend.
Three locomotives from the West Coast Railways stable – two of which have never run on a heritage line before – will make their debuts on the Dereham to Wymondham line for what is being described as a 'truly one-off event'.
The locos are LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galatea and LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48151.
Mid Norfolk Railway director James Steward said: 'This will be a unique opportunity. If people miss this, they really will miss out as these engines simply don't do this type of event.
'It will be the only time one gets a chance to ride behind Galatea and Scots Guardsman on a preserved line.
'This isn't just some other event with the well-travelled fleet of steam locomotives that process around preserved railways. This truly is a one-off event that will allow you to get much closer than normal.'
There will be a vintage bus running between Wymondham's main line station and the heritage railway's Wymondham Abbey southern terminus.
In December, the Mid-Norfolk was awarded the accolade of Heritage Railway of the Year, and it has just received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award for consistently achieving outstanding traveller reviews on the TripAdvisor website.
Derek Orr, commercial manager for the MNR said it was a 'true source of pride for the entire team' while Barry Woodgett, chairman of the trust said: 'This is a great recognition for all our volunteers who give up their free time to make sure all our visitors have a great time with us day in day out.'
The West Coast Gala runs from today until Sunday and more information, timetable and ticket details are available at www.westcoast.mnr.org.uk.
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