Slumdog Millionaire comes to the North Pennines!

Published: 17th September 2014

Cumbria’s South Tynedale Railway becomes the Himalayas on September 26-28.

One-time Darjeeling Himalayan Railway locomotive B Class 0-4-0ST No. 19 will visit the South Tynedale Railway for an Indian Summer Hill Railways weekend at the end of September. Adding atmosphere to the Indian-themed weekend of food, music and film, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society will be present while Alston Moor Film will provide a touch of Bolywood.

125 year old locomotive

The locomotive was built by Sharp Stewart & Co in 1889 and worked on the astonishing Darjeeling Himalayan Railway until 1960. Initially taken to the United States following sale by the Indian line, it was repatriated to Britain in 2003 and overhauled by Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham. It normally runs at its owner’s private Beeches Light Railway, but has visited other 2ft gauge lines including the Ffestiniog Railway and Leighton Buzzard Railway.

Sights and sounds in the hills

It should present quite a sight, not to mention the distinctive B Class exhaust sound, as it blasts up the climb from Lintley on the return trip to Alston! No. 19 is scheduled to run from 11.15 on each of the three days of its visit, interspersed with the STR’s regular service (worked by resident Henschel 0-4-0T Thomas Edmondson) which begins at 10.30.

Additional attractions include a DHR-inspired steam model railway, sales stalls, Indian food served in the cafe and, naturally, lashings of chai!

Alston Moor Film will be screening two films at the town hall: Slumdog Millionaire on the Friday evening and a new film, The Lunchbox, on the Saturday.

Tyndale’s Himalayas are located at…..

The South Tynedale Railway is a 2ft gauge line built on part of the standard gauge trackbed of the former Newcastle and Carlisle’s Haltwhistle to Alston branch. It presently runs from its HQ in Alston to Lintley Halt and is working on extending further.

For further information and bookings see www.south-tynedale-railway.org.uk or call 01434 381696.

External Links

• South Tynedale Railway
• DHRS