Rail Gala Weekend
20-21 July 2024
Our annual summer showcase of all things rail!
It has been eight years since Amberley Museum had a visiting steam locomotive and we are pleased to announce the confirmed visit of a remarkable piece of railway history. Decauville 0-4-0T works No.648, affectionately known as “Lily,” will be making a triumphant visit to the Rail Gala event.
Originally named ‘Dimitrias’, this iconic locomotive of the ‘Type 3’ variety was delivered brand new to the Thessaly Railway in Volos, Greece, in the year 1912. Following an illustrious career, spanning decades, ‘Lily’ stands today as one of the last surviving examples of her type, with only four others known to exist worldwide.
“Lily” spent her early years in service at the Volos streetcar alongside her sister, ‘Argo’, before transferring to the operations of a chrome mine in Lamia following the streetcar’s retirement in 1939. Following the mine’s closure in the 1960s, “Lily” faced over two decades of neglect outdoors before being rescued from obscurity.
In 1980, the locomotive was discovered and acquired by the German Steam Locomotive Museum in Neuenmarkt Wirsberg. Over the years, “Lily” changed hands several times, making her way to a private collector in Berlin and eventually to the Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz. Finally, in 1993, she was purchased for restoration from a collection of parts by the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum.
Since 2023, “Lily” has found a new home at the private Richmond Light Railway in Kent, where she continues to captivate enthusiasts with her historic charm and remarkable engineering.
Amberley Museum is honoured to welcome “Lily” and invites visitors to witness this extraordinary piece of railway heritage first-hand at the upcoming Rail Gala event. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of history as we celebrate the enduring legacy of locomotion.
Visitors at the Rail Gala will also be able to ride on passenger trains, both steam and diesel, that will be running all day and ‘Peter’ the 1918 Bagnall Steam Locomotive will also be running for the weekend. There will also be several model rail exhibitors on site for visitors to enjoy.
What can visitors see and do at this event?
- See visiting locomotive ‘Lily’
- Ride on passenger trains, both steam and diesel, that will be running all day
- Watch and photograph a variety of trains throughout the day!
‘Peter’ our 1918 Bagnall Steam Locomotive will be running for the weekend.
Please pre-book tickets to avoid disappointment.
Date & Times
20-21 July 2024
Usual opening times: 10am – 4:30pm
Prices
Train and bus rides are included for no extra cost.
Why Pre-book Tickets?
Our car park can reach full capacity on event days, so we ask everyone to pre-book their admission ticket to help us manage numbers in the car park.
Members and volunteers can pre-book complimentary tickets at no charge through the same booking system.
If there are no tickets available for your chosen day, the event is fully booked so we recommend not making a special journey as we cannot guarantee that you will be able to visit.
Extra Information
The Limeburners Cafe will be open for lunches and snacks, ice creams and hot drinks are also available. There are also outdoor picnic areas.
Well behaved dogs on short leads are welcome.
All activities are subject to change.
