The Mid-Norfolk pulled off a major coupe in securing LMS Princess Coronation class 46233 Duchess of Sutherland for this year's Steam Gala. The Duchess was once a long term Norfolk resident, having spent nearly 25 years at Bressingham Steam Museum (near Diss) before it was purchased in 1996 by the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust. The trust overhauled the loco to mainline standards, and is currently in its second spell of operation, following a second overhaul completed in 2012. While the Duchess was the obvious main attraction, their were three other locos in action, LNER B1 61306 Mayflower, GWR 94XX Pannier Tank 9466 and SR M7 30053. All four locos represented designs from the 'Big Four' railway companies.

To mark 75 years since Mallard attained the world steam speed record, the National Railway Museum announced that they'd bring together all six preserved Gresley A4 Pacifics. With two locos tucked away 'over the pond' this was certainly an ambitions plan, and left many enthusiasts checking the publications they were reading to ensure they weren't printed on the 1st April! Both Dwight D. Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada arrived back in the UK in the autumn of 2012 and underwent cosmetic restoration. While 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower was given a fresh coat of BR green, the restoration of 4489 Dominion of Canada was more extensive, and returned the loco to 1930s Coronation livery. Both locos joined 4468 Mallard at York, which was also given a fresh coat of paint for the now titled 'Great Gathering'. Just a few days before the show was due to open, the three operational A4's joined their classmates, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, 60009 Union of South Africa and finally 4464 Bittern. The Great Gathering opened to the public on the 3rd July, exactly 75 years to the day since Mallard achieved 126mph. With 13,000 people visiting the museum just on the day of my visit (Saturday 6th July), 'The Great Gathering' looks to have been a massive success!