September Grand Opening for Apedale Valley Light Railway
Following a successful recent visit by a representative of the Rail Regulator, the Moseley Railway Trust confirms that its 2’0” gauge Apedale Valley Light Railway will be opened to the public with a Grand Opening Gala on September 18 and 19. A wide variety of attractions will include no fewer than three industrial steam locomotives at work:
- Kerr Stuart locomotive “Stanhope”: to be a permanent resident of Apedale and the main steam locomotive for the Light Railway.
- Hunslet locomotive “Edward Sholto”: repatriated from the USA in 2006, immaculately restored and a recent visitor to a number of UK heritage railways already.
- Vertical boiler locomotive “Paddy”: recent performer at the Ffestiniog Railway festival.
The Moseley Railway Trust has built up a huge collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and artefacts, and plans to run a service of demonstration freight trains at the Gala to allow some of the collection a chance to stretch its legs.
The MRT’s neighbours on the site at Newcastle under Lyme, the Apedale Heritage Centre, will be conducting tours of their coal mine attraction. Keep watching the press or the news pages of www.mrt.org.uk for further updates.