Looking fabulous she led the 3.30pm parade around the extensive car park accompanied by 11 full-size engines and at least 20 miniatures owned by friends of the Collection, writes the editor.
It was a great pleasure to be invited to attend this historic occasion by the Friends of Thursford Steam Museum where we saw in steam Victory, one of the four ex-Charles Thurston of Norwich showman’s engines that live here; Edward II, Alexandra, Unity and Victory, the very first Super Scenic to leave the Burrell works. In fact all four engines were seen outside together, a first for so many years and all looking splendid by the entrance as a record crowd attended the Gala to see Victory back in steam. Seeing engines ‘live’ in steam certainly brings things together and that was the way it was on 2 July in warm but somewhat overcast conditions which got brighter after the crowds had left for the day.
At the Gala there was a superb veteran and classic car display including some lovely early 30s ‘class’ sporting Talbots to a rare ex-Australian post-war Ford Prefect Ute, 491 YUC (not an original registration). Another that looked the part was the pre-war Ford C 10hp registered ASU 166, possibly
