Following 2014’s groundbreaking visit of a former North Staffordshire Railway Coach to the Churnet Valley Railway last summer, we are delighted to announce that this is to be followed up with a visit of the recently restored Knotty Train!
As part of last year’s Anything Goes Event, coach no. 61 visited (courtesy of its owners The Knotty Coach Trust) to publicly launch the “Project 28 Appeal” and provide a before and after contrast of the task ahead with the North Staffordshire Railway Company 1978 own vehicle no. 28. This has since become the “228 Appeal” following the discovery of this number in several locations, and the first restored set of doors is nearing completion at the KCT Partners from Stanegate Restorations based in Northumberland.
Last year visit though was for static display only, and so this year will see the two restored vehicles nos. 61 and 127 operate services through the Churnet Valley. This will provide the first opportunity to ride onboard a NSR 4-wheeler since what is believed to be 1910 (though if anyone can prove otherwise we will be more than happy to be corrected).
This event will be one weekend only, and is to be included as part of our Anything Goes 2015 event over the weekend of June 27th and 28th, and on the Friday evening there will be an evening photo-shoot providing the evocative scene of a Victorian NSR train sat in front of Cheddleton’s surviving 1849 NSR Jacobean station.
We are truly grateful to the Knotty Coach Trust for facilitating this visit from their base at the Foxfield Railway, and look forward to those of you who come to travel in what is one of the oldest operating trains in the world. It’s not often that a train of such vintage is able to operate along one of the original lines it was built for, and we are very much looking forward to offer such an experience to our visitors.