A special gala weekend of activities, based around Peterborough and the Nene Valley Railway, is being organised by Modern Railways with support from sister publication Hornby Magazine. It will take place on September 7/8 2024 and advance tickets are on sale now exclusively through Key Publishing.
The gala follows on from Modern Railways’ involvement in charity railtours with CrossCountry over the last two years. GB Railfreight will be supporting the event and will be providing a range of visiting locomotives to haul trains at the Nene Valley Railway on both days of the gala, giving the opportunity to sample a range of traction types from its fleet. Details of the locomotives to be supplied will be confirmed in due course.
The freight operator will also be offering the opportunity to look behind the scenes at its Peterborough headquarters in a series of pre-booked tours (numbers will be limited). On Friday 6 September, GBRf is also looking to make a locomotive available to offer driver experience opportunities on the NVR. Numbers will be limited to just ten places and these can be pre-booked online through Key Publishing).
Other activities planned over the weekend include rail ale trains, live music and a selection of modern image model railway layouts at Wansford station (supported by our sister title Hornby Magazine). Plans are in development for a passenger shuttle service to operate between Peterborough main line station and the NVR on Saturday 7 September, with details to be confirmed.
Funds raised from the gala will support the work of the MS Society, which provides support to those suffering with Multiple Sclerosis. GB Railfreight will donate funds raised from its site tours to its charity partner Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
Modern Railways is grateful for the support of our event partners at GB Railfreight and the Nene Valley Railway for making this one-off event possible.
Book advance tickets for the GB Railfreight Gala Weekend today!
Over the past two years we have worked with our friends and colleagues at CrossCountry, GBRF and the Branchline Society to raise over £100,000 for charitable causes. I can’t thank them enough for all the hard work this entails and their continued support. This new event is quite complex to organise, with some parts of the weekend being finalised. Keep up to date with the latest information here as well as through Modern Railways, Hornby Magazine and Key Model World.
Peterborough gala weekend activities
Friday 6 September
- Daytime Driver experience trips on the NVR with a GBRf loco
- Evening Ale on the Rails trains operated by the NVR diesel pool plus beer festival at Wansford
Saturday 7 September
- Diesel gala at the NVR, with all trains hauled by GBRf locos
- Shuttle service from the NVR to Peterborough main line stations (provisional)
- Tours of GBRf headquarters and motive power depot
- Model rail layouts and stands at Wansford station
- Ale on the Rails and beer festival
Sunday 8 September
- Diesel gala at the NVR, with trains hauled by GBRf locos
- Shuttle service on the NVR Fletton branch
- Tours of GBRf headquarters and motive power depot
- Model rail layouts and stands at Wansford station
- Ale on the Rails and beer festival
GB RAILFREIGHT EVENT NEWS
Modern Railways plans GBRF gala at the Nene Valley Railway
Join us for a a special gala weekend based around Peterborough and the Nene Valley Railway on September 7/8 2024. This brand-new one-off event for 2024 is being organised by Modern Railways with support from sister publication Hornby Magazine. Find our more and book your advance tickets here.
Visitor Information
Venue
Nene Valley Railway, Wansford Station, PE8 6LR
When
September 7/8 2024, First train and timetable details to be confirmed
Tickets
Pre-book tickets are available exclusively through Key Publishing. Follow the links below to book your tickets. Please note that depot tour tickets are limited and must be pre-booked. On the door tickets are available for the main gala on the Nene Valley Railway.
| GBRf GALA TICKETS | ADVANCE PRICE | ON THE DOOR PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Adult VIP (advance only) - limited to 50 tickets | £75.00 | - |
| Adult | £25.00 | £30 |
| Adult Subscriber | £23.00 | - |
| Child (under 17) | £15.00 | £17.50 |
| Concessions (over 60) | £15.00 |
£17.50 |
- Ticket prices include unlimited travel on the Nene Valley Railway, access to the model railway exhibition, free shuttle ticket to/from Peterborough station/Ferry Meadows NVR.
- The VIP ticket includes TWO DAYS unlimited travel on the Nene Valley Railway access to the model railway exhibition, free shuttle ticket to/from Peterborough station/Ferry Meadows NVR, £25 of Key Publishing railway specials, 15% off any purchase from the Key Publishing/Key Model World stand at the event, a GBRf open day pin badge and access to the GBRf Peterborough Depot facility (timed slots available on the VIP advance ticket booking).
- Rail Ale tickets for the evening of Friday September 6 2024 are separate and will be released nearer the time of the event.
| GBRf DEPOT TOUR TICKETS | ADVANCE PRICE | ON THE DOOR PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Single ticket price (limited availability and timed slots) | £5.00 per person | - |
- GBRf Depot Tour tickets offer access to the new depot facility at Peterborough. A shuttle bus will be operating from Peterborough railway station on both days of the event to/from the depot facility for access.
| GBRf DRIVING EXPERIENCE (FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6 2024 | ADVANCE PRICE | ON THE DOOR PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Limited to 10 participants | £275.00 | - |
- Take the controls of a GBRf diesel locomotive on Friday September 6 2024 for £275. Ten slots are available during the day and each driving experience will include driving a GBRf locomotive from Wansford to Peterborough Nene Valley or Peterborough Nene Valley to Wansford. Two people will be in the cab with one driving each direction along the Nene Valley Railway.
Buy discount advance tickets today and SAVE!
Getting to the Event
Parking for the 2024 GB Railfreight Gala Weekend will be at Wansford station, PE8 6LR.
Venue Directions and Parking Map
A FREE shuttle bus service will be running throughout both event days from Peterborough railway station to the Nene Valley Railway as well as GBRf's Peterborough Depot. The full timetable will be available below in the run up to th event.
Shuttle Bus Timetable - coming soon