A resounding success as the Railway plays host to hundreds of school children from across Tyneside and Durham
So why the helipcopter? And where are the trains?
Bowes Railway's Children's Day 2004 was the venue for the largest meeting of military helicopters in the UK - and all in aid of our young visitors. This year, our guests included crews from: Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and the USA, as well as from the UK. Machines flew into Springwell (fast becoming the 'heliport' of the North!) over the weekend before the event and were stabled in the car park and on the grass area which was once the site of the Springwell Colliery pit shaft. The pictures below show our young visitors exploring what was on offer.
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The day's event was also supported by other organisations:
Army, Navy, Police, Fire service
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Now here's a suspicious character!
He's been spotted and makes a run for it
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But there's no escape
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Go straight to gaol!
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(Thanks to the police dog display team)
A big attraction was the funfair
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And so was the train
Services were provided by our two Barcly locos, No 22 and 'WST', hauling a train made up of the three passenger guards vans and the 'Queen Mother's open wagon', B24
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(All photos copyright John Tulip, July 2004)
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This page last updated 16th August 2004 |