The Mid-Norfolk Railway and 125 Group are proud to announce the first away heritage railway visit of restored Prototype High Speed Train power car 41001 will be to the Dereham to Wymondham line for the Spring Diesel Gala in early April 2016.
With its distinctive original type Paxman Valenta engine, 41001 will visit the MNR with 125 Group’s three matching Mk3 coaches, representative of the type that it would have operated with in the 1970s, First Class 11074, Standard Class 12092, and Restaurant-Buffet car 10206. The coaches are currently being re-liveried in the original prototype blue and light grey colours and the visit to the Mid-Norfolk Railway will be the first opportunity to ride on the Prototype High Speed Train away from its home base at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). 125 Group are the custodians of 41001 which is part of the National Collection.
The diesel gala itself will run from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd April with an intensive service operating on the 12 mile line between Dereham and Wymondham. There will be other visiting locomotives which will be announced nearer to the event including representatives from other heritage railways and mainline operators.
For event information and how to book tickets, see the MNR website: www.mnr.org.uk/category/events
The story of how 125 Group restored 41001 under ‘Project Miller’ can be found on our website: www.125group.org.uk