As there is no Enthusiast's Weekend this year I thought it would be interesting to recall the first one which took place on 24, 25 September 1977. The Open Days sub-committee had asked the members to think of interesting events to put on for the public, it being Jubilee Year. S&T suggested a Signalling Exhibition for the August Bank Holiday and Loco suggested an Enthusiast's Weekend.

The pessimists, who had been predicting that it would be chaos with six engines trying to sort themselves out in the yard; that no one would come; that there wouldn't be any engines to steam, (that was after Coventry sprang small leaks in two more tubes) and that everyone would go to Didcot, were proved wrong! It was a very successful weekend. The engines in steam were the Pannier, Beattie, Coventry, Swanscombe (the Play School Engine), Del Etheridge's Peckett and John Hutchings' Sentinel. Swanscombe attracted a great deal of attention, particularly when John Carter did a dash up the Long siding with a good plume of white smoke streaming behind (where did we get the coal from in those days?) Peckett was sending up clouds of thick black smoke, as was her wont since Del had fitted her for working vacuum brakes on the train. She needed a huge fire to be able to generate enough steam to keep her going and to work the ejector. She plastered us with soot whenever she passed, but no one minded. John Hutchings' Sentinel had everyone guessing, steam or diesel?- her chain drive had them foxed!

The Pannier, Coventry and Beattie all had their admirers, except for the Yard Supervisor, Chris Hanscomb, who wasn't quick enough to dodge out of the way when Beattie slipped in the Yard and showered him with a mass of sooty water!

The running order on the passenger train was Peckett, Pannier, Coventry and Beattie, each doing about one and a half hours. The cavalcade took place twice in the day at 12.30 and 4.00 on the Sunday. An added attraction on the Sunday was the double heading of the train with Beattie and Peckett running chimney to chimney.

The public address was manned by Steve Growcott who gave an excellent running commentary as the engines passed by in the cavalcade, which the visitors found particularly useful. Not all of them by any means were the well-versed enthusiasts that haunt special steamings, so they found the information useful and commented very favourably.

All the engine changes and shunting movements went smoothly. Chris had Pete Stanbridge helping him on Saturday but was on his own on Sunday and when it was all over felt as though he had tried to climb Everest! The shunting at the end of the day was hectic as there were two lots taking place simultaneously, one in the yard where the Manning Wardle Brill was being shunted onto the spur, ready to leave the site and the other down at the Wembley building which had to be emptied of stock ready for Dick Scott and the "Job Creation" lads. We weren't finished until long after dark ... but that's another story!

Photo:
Alison Lobley - Proof that Anthea's clipboard isn't a permanent fixture!

Notes:
The text in this Quainton Railway Society publication was written in 1993 and so does not reflect events in the 20+ years since publication. The text and photographs are repeated verbatim from the original publication, with only a few minor grammar changes but some clarifying notes are added if deemed necessary. The photos from the original publication are provided as scans in this internet version of this long out of print publication.

Reference:
The First Enthusiasts' Weekend - Anthea Hanscomb - Quainton News No. 73 - September 1993