Events

All about our events, visits and places to see The 125 Group & 41001

Valenta comes to Wansford!

Prototype High Speed Train Power Car 41001 and our matching Mk3 coaches have arrived safely at the Nene Valley Railway, ready to star in this weekend’s Diesel Gala where they will be working passenger trains on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th April. During Friday 8th the HST will be on display at Wansford, hopefully in the sunshine!

Start Valenta! 41001 at Wansford NVR 7th Apr 2016 ©125 Group

The gala promises great variety with visiting locomotives 31452, 47192, 47712, 50008, 56006, 56098 and 60066 all now arrived at Wansford, operating base of the NVR. However, the best looking train around 41001 with its screaming Paxman Valenta engine and sleek matching Mk3 coaches are ready to steal the show! Whatever your taste in traction we hope to see you on board the iconic HST, our Buffet 125 will be serving hot sausage and bacon baps and burgers, plus cider and real ale as long as supplies last. The 125 Group sales stand will also be on-board, join up as a member and help our mission to preserve a production Inter-City 125 and put a Valenta back inside that too!

For full information on how to get to the Nene Valley Railway, up-to-date special timetables and traction rosters, also to buy tickets on-line, see the NVR website.

Marvellous Mid-Norfolk!

The Prototype HST Power Car and 125 Group’s matching Mk3 coaches have completed a marvellous weekend of passenger running at the Mid-Norfolk Spring Diesel Gala. There were many highlights, including photo-shoot run pasts at the picturesque private station of Hardingham, working with the MNR’s resident Mk3 and Mk2 coaches with electric train supply from 41001, a trip to the current northern end of the route at Hoe and the unforgettable Saturday evening run on which 41001 hauled a combined load of six Mk2 coaches and three class 50 locomotives, working the classic Valenta power car harder than ever!

41001 Dereham MNR (c)125 Group

Thankyou to all who came along and bought tickets to travel over this wonderful weekend, we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did. The 125 Group team would like to offer special thanks to everyone at the Mid-Norfolk Railway for their excellent organisation and very warm welcome, it has been an absolute pleasure operating the Prototype HST with you on your splendid railway.

41001 and the Mk3s are today (Monday 4th April) leaving the MNR on the next leg of their Spring tour, bound for Leicester then onto the Nene Valley Railway. The HST departed from Dereham at 0615 as part of a convoy hauled by top’n’tail class 50 locomotives, running as 5Z50 via Wymondham (0722-0726), Ely North Curve, March (08/44), Peterborough (09/04), Oakham (09/36), Leicester (1028). The full schedule for the movement can be found courtesy of Realtime Trains here: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K96040/2016/04/04/advanced  These are the planned timings, routing and traction, all of which can change at short notice on the day subject to operational constraints, and the train may run early or late.