The Churnet Valley Railway is gearing up for the return of its annual Forties event, rebranded in 2019 and extended to now cover four days of activities!
The event show piece has arrived, with a genuine WW2 M18 Hellcat arriving on site ahead of loading onto the railways tank carrier wagon – an added attraction for the event as a military vehicles will be transported behind one of the day’s service locomotives throughout the event. This will also be the first time that a full Tank has been displayed in this manner and will hopefully provide plenty of interest for visitors to the line. The Churnet Valley Railway is grateful to Paul Sykes for his assistance in loaning the visitor and organising all transport.
There will be several other military vehicles on display for people to look at and discover during the weekend, as well as a variety of new and old attractions for the line’s new format. Froghall will once again be the Allied base, with troops preparing for deployment. There will be an entertainment tent with a variety of singers performing throughout the weekend, and dance lessons with Charleston Dance Group. Taking pride of place in Froghall will be two airborne replicas – both a Messerschmitt ME109 and Spitfire with opportunities to pose in replica uniforms alongside these iconic machines. Each evening, entertainment will be provided from 5pm, with Dads Army and Vera Lynn providing a warm up before the main shows kick off at 7pm. An evening service will be in operation to ensure visitors can make it to Froghall each evening and get home once the performance has finished. The Spiv’s Bar, with Black Market BBQ, will be running every day from midday until late, so let the train take the strain and enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend in the idyllic Churnet Valley.