The annual gala event where our larger engines are put through their paces, on an intensive train service. This year the main feature was the visit of City of Truro, believed to have been the first locomotive to have achieved 100mph.
This famous Great Western locomotive was visiting the Bluebell Railway between the 30th September and 22nd October 2006, courtesy of the National Railway Museum, York. The visit enabled us to pair the two surviving GWR out-side frame 4-4-0s, and their first ever double-headed run together on a preserved line was over this weekend.
Photos taken at the 2006 Giants of Steam are available from
plus videos from
Two photos from the 2006 event from Eduardo de Felipe
We had another visiting loco in steam this weekend; Bulleid West Country Pacific, No.34028 "Eddystone", but repairs required to make it fit to run were only completed to the stage where it was on display in light steam at Sheffield Park.
Edystone is seen (right - photo from Tom Waghorn) at Sheffield Park in the rain on the Sunday.
More details of the locos visiting the Bluebell this Autumn are available here.
Two more photos from the 2006 event from Matt Allen - including 80151 running as 80154, the last steam loco to be built at Brighton, and one of the last locos to run over the Bluebell line in pre-preservation days.
Features of the weekend were:
Further details of the visit to the Bluebell of City of Truro are available.