Bookings are now being taken for the Churnet Valley's Annual 1940s weekend on September 10th & 11th, as Staffordshire's Little Switzerland is taken on a trip down memory lane with a nostalgia filled tribute to the armed Forces of World War 2 and those who were left behind on the home front.
Rebranded for 2016 as “War in the Valley”, already booked for this hugely popular event are singers Paul Harper and Brandyn Shaw, supported by the Victory Girls for the full weekend. The ET044 German Police Display are also planned to appear, along with Monty’s Double who will be trying to deceive the Axis Commanders up and down the railway. Also making their debut at the CVR will be the North West Military Collectors, who will be running the CVR’s first ever live-action battle scene at Froghall each day.
If you would like to join in with this event, we encourage you to dress up in your best 40s fashion and join us for one of our biggest events of the year.
There will also be plenty of vintage vehicles on display around the railway, if you wish to display your own then please download a booking form >here< and return it completed to the railway via e-mail or post (details on form) before 31st August 2016.
In keeping with the 40s theme, the CVR supporting charity the "North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) Ltd" has just made public one of their latest fundraising schemes. The plan is to restore a unique railway vehicle that is on the railway, that being former LNER Flat-bed no. 3014. Referred to as Parrot wagons, 3014 was one of twenty-five built to carry US aircraft parts from ports along the UK to Military bases for construction to assist with the war effort. With the ending of the war the vehicles found themselves in departmental use, before 3014 was transferred to the MoD. It was from here 3014 was to be preserved and the vehicle arrived at the CVR from Long Marston in 2005. Now the CVR are looking to restore the vehicle to its former glory to assist with its own works trains, and be available for use in photo charters and demonstration goods trains.
If you are interested in supporting the “Parrot Appeal”, then please click on the dedicated webpage that has been set up >here<.