'Tanks and Tankards' Steam Gala was a four day event over the August Bank Hoilday weekend with four steam Tank locomotves and a Beer Festival at Derham station.
GWR Autocoach and GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6430
GWR Autocoach and GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6430 on 27th August 2016 at the level crossing next to the Mid-Norfolk Railway station.
GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6430 with the Autocoach head for Hoe having just gone over level crossing next to the Mid-Norfolk Railway station.
GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6430 with the Autocoach on 27th August 2016 in Derham station
GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6430 without the Autocoach in the morning on 27th August 2016
GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6430 was designed by C B Collett and is fitted with with the Great Western Railways's "push and Puff" apparatus for working with one or more Auto Coaches'.
Autocoach W167 was built in Swindon between 1928/1929 part of a batch of 12 of these Auto coaches. The driver is in the coach with the coach leading like a DVT* today. There are rods and wires to tell the fireman in the locomotive what is going on. There is a large bell to warn any one on the track. As can be seen in the photo above the locomotive can be removed from the coach.
This Autocoach and 6430 was used on the trips to Hoe were there is no runround loop.
* DVT or Driving van Trailer
Driving van Trailer are used on the East Coast Main Line with class 91s at the south end of the train. The class 91 pushing the train all the way from Scotland to London. On the Norwich to London Line DVTs are placed at the North end of the train and are used with class 90's. Today the class 90 or 91 will have no driver in it, when the DVT is leading, the driver controls the locomotive from the DVT.
Mid-Norfolk Railway Tanks and Tankard steam gala 28th August 2016
It was only around 1995 that The Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust started to restore this line between Dereham and Wymondham. It now has 17.5 miles of track (11.5 miles is in use) which when its is all in use, will be one of longer preserved railways in the UK. A lot of the other preserved railways had already had a twenty year start when they started.
Trains run now between Dereham and Wymondham. The next section from Dereham to County School is next. There is a even longer term aim to reach The Mid-Norfolk Railway's own web site is at
