Visiting locomotives, bands and brews for railway’s 2026 Rails and Ales celebration

 

There’s a fantastic event brewing at the North Norfolk Railway on June 12, 13 and 14 as the line prepares to host Rails & Ales 2026! The popular event will feature at least 8 historic steam and diesel locomotives, including 2 that are visiting the line for the long weekend. In addition, there will be over 40 local ales to sample across the three stations and at bars on board some trains plus 10 Norfolk ciders as well as live music performances from local bands. Tickets include unlimited travel on all the trains running throughout the day, allowing passengers hop on and off to experience travel aboard a wide variety of trains and discover a different range of Norfolk tipples at each of the stations.

 

The first of the line’s visiting locomotives is Class 50 50050 (D400) “Fearless”, appearing courtesy of Locomotive Services Limited (LSL). The engine was introduced into service under British Rail in 1967 and spent over 26 years working mainline services. Since withdrawal in 1994 “Fearless” has had a number of private owners (now LSL) and usually operates commercial rail tours, making this appearance at the heritage line particularly special.

 

The second visitor to the event has been confirmed to be Class 52 D1015 “Western Champion”, an engine usually in residence at the Severn Valley Railway in Worcestershire. ‘Western Champion’ was built at Swindon Works and completed in January 1963, and famously worked the return journey of Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train from Handborough Station near Oxford to Paddington, before being retired in 1976. During its working life D1015 worked a staggering total of 1,296,000 miles and is now one of only 7 Class 52 diesel locomotives in preservation.

 

The Poppy Line’s home-based fleet will also play a major role in the three-day celebration which feature an intensive timetable from around 9.30am to 9.30pm on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 and between 9.30am and 6.30pm on Sunday 14. 97 year-old “Newstead”, which returned to service last year, is scheduled to be one of the two steam locomotives in action. “Newstead” will haul a variety of carriages throughout the weekend, including the line’s train of magnificently restored Victorian carriages. Resident heritage diesels Class 37 D6732 and Class 31 D5631 will be hauling trains of 1950s and 60s carriages with Class 08 shunters D3935 and D3940 making rare appearances working passenger trains. The line-up is completed by one of the line’s heritage railcars which will include a 5-car formation, a rarity seen on heritage lines!

 

Further details, including timetables and brief details of each of the locomotives can be found at https://nnrailway.co.uk/rails-ales-2026/

 

Away from the tracks, ales will feature at each of the line’s three stations and on certain trains with Sheringham and Holt Stations both having a selection of bottled beers and ciders on offer, while further brews and other on-board refreshments will be available from the buffet cars on selected trains. New for 2026, the line will also be hosting Wolf Brewery at Holt Station who will be serving a selection of on tap ales. Weybourne Station will host a real ale bar, giving visitors the opportunity to hop on and off the many trains and discover around 50 beers & ciders across the three stations on each day. The local focus extends to live music at Weybourne with live bands from the area including Silver Morgan Duo, Hillbilly Goats Gruff, Jukebox James, Barny Holmes and Lissie Allsopp performing throughout the weekend; https://nnrailway.co.uk/rails-ales-2026/ has further details and timetables for all three days.

 

Those looking to add to their own miniature rail collections are also invited to hop off at Weybourne Station where the M&GN Society will be selling a wide variety of 00-gauge model railway locomotives. A selection of prints and pictures will also be on sale. The M&GN Society works to preserve, display and operate a wide range of historical artefacts. It is also the supporting charity of, and major shareholder in, the North Norfolk Railway and is East Anglia’s biggest railway charity.

 

Events Manager, Sarah Carpenter said “We’re excited to be showcasing many of Norfolk’s fantastic breweries and some of the brilliant local musicians, in contrast to our visiting engines which all hail from the West! Our team are busily preparing all the last-minute details and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the railway for more steam and diesel celebrations.”

 

For full details of this year’s Rails and Ales event, and the line’s other events throughout the year, please see www.nnrailway.co.uk/special-events/