The Churnet Valley is toasting the success of another busy weekend, as their impromptu "Tanks to the Summit" brought guests down to the valley once more.
Made possible by the extended visit of Austerity no. 3694 Whiston from neighbouring Foxfield, the long-term guest paired up with resident TKH no. 2944 Hotspur over both days to operate the line's full timetable of services that included a trip each day to Ipstones - taking in the notorious climb of the Cauldon branch. To add to the activities the pair also hauled a Wedding Special on Saturday evening, as the line was hired to mark the celebrations of Adam & Kate for their special day.
Event Manager Jack Ilczyszyn was pleased with the event unfolded; "Both locomotives performed faultlessly, despite their size when faced with our challenging section to Ipstones. Everyone - visitor and volunteer - has had a really good time, so we'll hopefully be able to run similar small scale events in the future."
Whiston is remaining on hire until July, with her final weekend of operation expected to be the ever popular Rail Ale Trail.