Colne Valley Railway News

This year saw the 30th Victorian Fantasy event for KS2 children.  Numbers have been affected by changes in the curriculum but we still had a good number attend, making it a worthwhile event. Children met Queen Victoria, Sir Rowland Hill and other characters, enjoyed a traditional Punch & Judy show and danced to the fairground organ.  They also enjoyed a Victorian lesson - surprisingly most of the children when asked what their favourite part of the day was will say the classroom, they like the strictness!!

Late September saw two more weekends of fun with Thomas and his friends including Daisy, Trevor, Percy and a miniature Toby. Sir Topham Hatt was on hand to make they all behaved - which they did.

Cambridge blues band Smoken Joe's had a photo shoot at the Railway this evening.  They were extremely lucky with the weather as after heavy rain all day the sun came out so they could get the shots they wanted. More information on the band can be found on www.smokenjoesband.com

BBC Essex visited us this morning as art of the Essex Quest quiz

A lovely start to a hot summers day - being lucky enough to see 3 otters on the river.  Beautiful sight

11th July saw the diesel crane operate for the first time in several years.  This has gradually been got back to working condition by a couple of our volunteers. It successfully lifted the cab roof and tank off WD200. Work is continuing on this loco, and the wheels from Jupiter have gone away to be turned

Early August saw the railway hosting a birthday/retirement party.  The gentleman in question had a steam driving experience in the morning then whilst he was lunching in a local pub about 150 guests arrived to surprise him on his return.  A lot of undercover work to keep it a secret from him but all went without a hitch.

Good news - we have our first lottery winner. Please support us by joining the Unity Lottery - 50% of your money comes directly to us, follow the link from the website or visit www.unitylottery.co.uk

Fireman Sam made his first visit to the Colne Valley Railway on 26th July.  This coincided with the Emergency services day so he felt quite at home with the fire engines from Blackwater Preservation. The weather was horrible, it rained nearly all day but that didn't stop lots of young fans coming along and enjoying the fun

June is always a busy month for us - two weekends of Thomas take a lot of work, and the actual days are extremely busy - I didn't get chance to get any photos! Every week we've had two or three school groups in as well plus a private Pullman hire on Saturday evening - where I did manage to grab a few photos.

We have just joined the Unity Lottery to help raise funds. The Unity Lottery, is already helping more than 250 charities raise money across the country and pays out thousands of pounds in prizes every week. People who play the lottery, which is run by Sterling Lotteries, based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, pay £1 every week to receive a unique six digit number, with 50p of that going towards Colne Valley Railway Preservation Ltd A lottery draw takes place every week with prizes from £5 to £25,000 up for grabs

Early May Bank Holiday and Peppa Pig visited us again, spending two days at the Railway meeting young fans.  Peppa got very excited when our regular fire engine arrived, so much so that she insisted on getting in - that was very amusing to watch!

The weekend of 18th, 19th April saw our first Special Event of the year, the Vintage Vehicle Rally. Always a popular event, the sun shone brightly and vehicles of all shapes, sizes and ages attended.

New for 2015 - the Railway Bears.  Made by Keel Soft Toys and exclusive to Severnside Wholesale we can announce the arrival of George the Guard, Sidney the Signalman and William the Stationmaster. They are just over 11" tall and cost £11.95.  They are already proving popular with 5 selling within a week. We also stock local honey, with jam and coffee expected soon. Also a good range of souvenir confectionery As well as railway books and collectors items for the enthusiast we have a wide range of Thomas items including all the Take n Play range. The shop can  be opened at any by calling first

We started the 2015 season with a private hire of the Pullman train at the end of March. This was to celebrate a retirement.  Everything worked well and the weather was good, We've had a change of layout in the bar coach and this was the first time of use - it proved to be a popular change. Easter was good.  We have a new caterer this year and are already getting positive feedback.

The latest addition to the miniature railway fleet is 'Erin' This live steam loco is privately owned though will be based at the CVR. After some minor work and driver training it is hoped she will be steaming by July.