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Blog 160. The Greatest Gathering  – Railway 200.

I have always been one to at least try to be at historical events throughout my adult life.  My parents generosly treated me to the 15 Guinea Special,  British Rail’s last steam train.  August 11th, 1968, is inexorably etched into my brain, as (for a similar reason) is August 4th.  I just made it on to U.S.A. passenger trains (summer of 1969) before the advent of Amtrak (May 1971). In fact, I was in America in the first month of Amtrak ( May 1971), which exists to this day.  I would see the Beach Boys in 1967 (?) the Rolling Stones in 1964, Bob Dylan in 1966, and Dire Straits numerous times 20 years later. I was cheeky enough to ask for Benjamin Britten’s autograph after a concert he conducted in Manchester, along with several other well-known similar luminaries of the time on different occasions.  I was there for Rail 150 at Shildon (1975) Rainhill 150 at (you’ve guessed it) Rainhill (1980), the maiden voyages of Queen Mary 2 (2004), Queen Victoria (2007) and Queen Anne (2024)

Today, I am on my way to Rail 200 (the Greatest Gathering) at Derby, the tickets for which sold out in just days.  Yep, it’s 200 years since the first passenger train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825.  The Greatest Gathering is the flagship of Rail 200  events.  For some reason, the excitement isn’t quite the same as in 1975.  Perhaps it is because I am 76 rather than 26 and maybe suffering from special event fatigue!  Nevertheless, I did try to be first in the queue for this event at Derby.  Apparently, over 40,000 will attend over the next three days, August 1st – 3rd.  Today, July 31st, I am joining a Branch Line Society special loco-hauled Pendolino from Crewe to Derby, where I understand the Pendolino becomes one of the exhibits.  A rare historic event indeed.  I had already booked overnight accommodation in Derby, my original plan being merely to arrive the day before and enjoy a full day at The Greatest Gathering.  My device then advertised this special train from Crewe.  I phoned up immediately; being told that only a handful of Standard Class tickets remained.  Seventy quid seemed good value for this rare trip, which will take a full two hours from Crewe to stabling at Derby Litchurch Lane Works, venue for the Greatest Gathering.  From what I gather, there should be two and a half hours to explore with relatively few other people, rather than perhaps 13,300 tomorrow. 

Souvenir window decal, now a sought-after collectors item.

The revised plan then was to drive to Derby the day before and leave my car at the hotel, then take a train to Crewe, and enjoy a couple of hours there to look around and remind myself of train spotting days of my early youth, returning on the special train, to Derby, The Creighton- Ward Explorer. After the end of tomorrow’s activities, my car would be waiting in the hotel’s car park, enabling me to drive home whenever I wanted.  Two days ago, a fault occurred on the clutch pedal, making the car undrivable. I was thus driven to Derby by church friend and colleague Clive and will be brought home by my neighbour over the road, the long suffering Roger!   I feel fortunate to know such kind people; Derby is a 67-mile round trip from home. 

Crewe Station, 12.42 hrs.  Ammended 4/8/25, 09.06 hrs.

Even late in the morning, the queues were immense
But entrance to the Greatest Gathering was fairly rapid.
On Friday morning, I walked from my hotel following the throngs to Litchurch Lane.
Several vintage buses ferried ticket holders between Derby Station and Derby Works, Litchurch Lane.

The next day.  looking back to yesterday.

I’m not going to write much now.  Breakfast at my hotel is welcome.  But I can see vintage buses ferrying Greatest Gathering ticket holders (I presume) between Derby Station and the Works at Litchurch Lane.  I didn’t quite “do it to death” last night, but I did enjoy a substantial look-around, despite numerous delays and failures – more on that later.  Here are some pictures I captured over what would be three days.

Not quite so new-build Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 (2008)  “Tornado.”
Of ice cream and steam!  Superbly restored M.N.Pacific 35028 “Clan Line”  of no interest whatsoever to the mother treating her young child to ice cream.
!
One of several Class 50 locomotives on show in numerous different liveries.
Royal Train liveried class 67, no. 67005 renamed King’s Messenger.
  FLYING SCOTSMAN  This does not look like the world’s most famous steam locomotive, in its final British Railways lined green livery with double chimney and German style (ugly but effective) smoke deflectors, as retro fitted to all of this class (A-3) from the late 1950s.
A very unusual and early single car Derby Lightweight unit in olive green with original British Railways “cycling lion” logo.  I remember this style of unit from my childhood c 1956, but only as two or three car units. At the time, these were a major step forard from the steam trains they replaced.
Here’s one I drove in a previous life.  Class 40, 40106, formerly D306, named in preservation, “Atlantic Conveyor” after a Cunard cargo ship.  As far as I know, this locomotive never carried the British Rail corporate blue livery introduced from 1965.
A study in British Railways “diesel green.” I tried to be artistic here!
B.R. Western Region Hymec diesel hydrolic locomotive, Class 35.
My train from Crewe, The Creighton-Ward Explorer, now stabled as an exhibit at the Greatest Gathering, where we alighted on Thursday evening, July 31st. Class 57, 57307 “LADY PENELOPE”  hence the train’s title, The Creighton-Ward Explorer.
Class 55 Deltic, 3,300hp. locomotive. I saw all 22 of these in original green livery during the 1960s.
Restored to the orange livery of Greater Manchester Transport, a much despised  Class 142.  Nevertheless, they are part of railway history and continue in use on some preserved railways.  I was trained to drive these.
Greater Manchester and British Rail logo.
These class 150/2 Sprinter units (1987) still run on the Buxton line.  Until this weekend, I was unaware that any of this class had been withdrawn, but not from Northern Trains.  I was qualified to drive these until retirement in 2017.  During my 43-year career at Buxton, I was qualified to drive Classes 08, 25, 31, 37, 40, 45, 46, my basic training loco Class 47, 60, First Generation D.M.Us, mainly 104, 108, the single parcels car, and finally classes 142, 150, and 156.
Ex L.M.S. First Class passenger coach
I saw the first one of these, brand new at Crewe Station, in the mid 1960s
These have had a good life, class 86 electric locomotives restored to B.R. “executive livery,” introduced in 1965

Monday, August 4th. Looking back.

Some people whom I met on the Creighton-Ward Explorer were not going to the Greatest Gathering, more than likely because the event had sold out in days.

“Scots Guardsman,” ” Flying Scotsman” et al.
It’s not what it seems.  Masquerading as Jubilee Class 45627 Sierra Leone, 45699 Galatea coupled to three B.R. Mk 1s
New-build (2008) Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163, ‘Tornado”

Tuesday 5th July. While enjoying a curry at Buxton’s Taj Mahal Restaurant.

Continuing to look back.

By now, Alstom Works, Derby Litchurch Lane, is probably almost back to normal, and the business of building trains.  Even if I had a ticket for Sunday, the last of three days of The Greatest Gathering, I would have been far too exhausted to make my way to Derby on a fourth consecutive day, and it never occurred to me to sit on Derby Station yesterday to witness some of the rail-bourne exhibits pass by on their way to their next destination.  That would have been well worth witnessing, even if Storm Floris rained on the parade.  Fortunately, the YouTube video people were there to continue their fabulous work of documenting this unique event.

The Greatest Gathering  was, I feel, as significant as the Last Steam Train (15 Guinea Special) August 11th, 1968.  I doubt that I shall live a further 57 years, the time between The Fifteen Guinea Special and the Greatest Gathering.  

Friday 1st August was the day for which my entrance ticket was valid.  I booked a room at a very near-by hotel to enable me to make the most of my day.  I took numerous photographs and walked well over 13,000 steps, and still failing to see much of what was on show.  Really, I needed to come the next day. And  I was given a wristband of authority to come back the next day.  A stall holder made me a substantial offer for one item of my collection, a badly chipped station sign, which I accepted, possibly against my better judgement.  On entry to the show for a second time, I was determined to photograph and see what I didn’t have time to see on the first full day.  I reached for my phone, which incorporates a superb camera.  It was not in any pocket or bag.  For the first time in many years, panic set in.  Clive had brought me to Derby in his immaculate  Mazds MX 5, and I would contact him again when ready to come home.  One of the volunteer stewards lent me her phone, which I used to ring my phone in the hopes that it had fallen out of my pocket into Clive’s car.  It had, and thanks to some tenacious effort from another volunteer steward, Linda, I was reunited with my phone. I took a few pictures but missed much opportunity to see more of the show.  All of a sudden, at just before 4 pm, it was announced that the show would be closing very shortly.  Clive was on hand to drive me back to Buxton.

All too soon, the largest event of its kind in the world would be over.  On Monday, the day of Storm Floris, Derby Station must have been an amazing place to watch locomotives and rolling stock exhibited at The Greatest Gathering trundling through towards their next destination.

Sorry about the repeat!  Class A4 Pacific No. 60007, “Sir Nigel Gresley”  in its popular British Railways Express Blue livery, which it probably carried in the minths after Nationalisation in 1948
Appropriately in early B.R. blue livery, this locomotive,  60532 “Blue,Peter ” never carried these colours during  its time with British Railways.
35028 and further back, 35018, rebuilt Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class express locomotives.
Class 37 named Teeside Steel Master.  By the time I took this photograph, we were being summoned to vacate the premises. I’m sure I drove this locomotive during its time at Buxton.

It might sound corny, but the Greatest Gathering was the Greatest Experience.

Many thanks for reading.  If still interested, there is much on YouTube.  Just type in Greatest Gathering!

David, Midnight 5 and 6th August 2025, at home.

Ammended and corrected lunchtime in Morrison’s car park, 6/8/25

davidscruise

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