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Spring Steam Gala

18 bytes added, 16:31, 16 September 2019
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add 'steam' where necessary
The '''Spring Steam Gala ''' is the smaller of the two annual enthusiasts' galas with visiting locomotives and a more intensive timetable, but without the all night running of the [[Autumn Steam Gala]]. This event is typically in late March and is now billed by the SVR as "opening the season", even though trains commence for the February half-term week. The event incorporates three days of Gala from Friday to Sunday. Other common features include demonstration freight trains and shorter local, part-line services.
Visiting locomotives are also often utilised in the days after the gala for private photographic charters and passenger work.
The first Spring Steam Gala was a one day event held on 10 April 1976 and attended by more than 2,500 travellers.<ref>SVR News 39</ref> It became a two day event the following year although still staged in April, a format maintained during the 1980s and 1990s. Early galas used home engines only, with [[Steam Locomotives visiting the SVR for galas#1990-1999|guest locomotives]] appearing regularly from 1992.
In 2000 the Spring Steam Gala moved to March, the first being a 3-day event on 8-10 March 2000 advertised as a 'Branch Line Gala Weekend'.<ref>SVR News 131</ref> A number of subsequent galas were also branded as Branch Line Galas, some taking local themes such as 'Somerset and Dorset' or 'Welsh'.<ref>SVR News 138,141</ref>
==Notable events==
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