Epping Ongar Railway | Festival of Steam - Hall & Saint Weekend with 4953 & 2999 Sat 27th April 2024

#PitchfordHall #LadyofLegend #steam
Having made our first ever visit to the Epping Ongar Railway last Summer for the annual Steam Gala we were very much looking forward to making a return visit in 2024, hopefully on a day which wasn't some 35 degrees which was the only thing we didn't enjoy last year! Early in 2024 Gala dates were announced as moving from June to the last weekend in April, however this was later changed to a three weekend 'Festival of Steam' occupiying the weekends of 27th/28th April, 4th/5th/6th May Bank Holiday weekend and 11th/12th May.
Two visitors were announced, Saint no.2999 'Lady of Legend' from Didcot and Jubilee no.45690 'Leander', who would be making her final runs on her current boiler certificate. They would be running alongside home fleet Hall no.4953 'Pitchford Hall', Small Priarie no.L150 and Hawthorn Leslie no.3437 'Isabel'. The first weekend was to be a 'Hall and Saint' weekend with 2999 'Lady of Legend' and 4953 'Pitchford Hall' running. The middle weekend would be a full Steam Gala with all five locos running, and the final weekend a 'Leander farewell' weekend with 'Leander' making her final runs on her current boiler certificate alongside a member of the home fleet.
This was all great news, except for us as we had already booked accomadation for the West Somerset Railway's Spring Steam Gala Bank Holiday Weekend 4th-6th May and the Bluebell Railway's Branch Line Gala the weekend of 11th-12th May! So the Hall & Saint Weekend it would be!
I visited on Saturday 27th April, Hall no.4953 'Pitchford Hall' and Saint no.2999 'Lady of Legend' shared the coaching set throughout the day making three trips from Ongar to Epping Forest and return and three North Weald to Ongar and return only trips in a variety of combinations, either alone, double headed or top and tailed. Class 20 no.20227 'Sherlock Holmes' ran push/pull with a DMU trailer in the other train, making three round trips of the full line across the day. I took a round trip on the steam set over the course of the day, and a Class 20 run from North Weald to Epping Forest and return, filming in between, and finished the day by filming the last three trips at Blake Hall, Marconi Bridge North Weald and finally Coopersale. It was a very nice day, many thanks as always to everyone involved, the railway and trains seemed busy so hopefully these three weekends are a big succsess for the line!
Photos...
www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...
Locations and Locos...
4953 at Ongar.
20227 at North Weald.
4953 at North Weald.
2999 at North Weald.
2999 at North Weald.
2999 at Blake Hall.
4953 at Blake Hall.
4953 & 2999 at Marconi Bridge, North Weald.
4953 at Marconi Bridge, North Weald.
2999 at Coopersale.
4953 at Coopersale.

[@donniblanco5239]

I ❤️ LOL 2999 😉

[@alts1985]

Its a lovely enigne! Thank you for the comment Ashley