Absolutely — clean copy/paste version, no reference links:
Northern Rock set for first-ever visit to Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway will welcome Northern Rock from the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway for the first time during its Autumn Gala Weekend on October 17-18, 2026.
The locomotive will be the star visitor at the two-day event, marking its first appearance on the RH&DR since it was built 50 years ago.
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Northern Rock was constructed at Ravenglass in 1976 and has been celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2026. The locomotive became the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway’s flagship engine and a mainstay of its services.
Its design was directly influenced by a visit from the RH&DR’s Northern Chief to Ravenglass in 1971. The design later proved successful enough for two sister locomotives to be built for a railway in Japan. During the gala, Northern Rock is due to haul trains between Hythe and New Romney.
Soony joins the line-up
Northern Rock will be joined by Soony from Perrygrove Railway Adventure.
The locomotive is of a different scale to those normally operated on the RH&DR and will offer shorter rides starting from New Romney station during the weekend.
An intensive timetable is planned, featuring all available RH&DR locomotives alongside the visiting engines. The popular Full Clark real ale and cider bar will also be open at New Romney station.
General Manager Stuart Ross said: “We are pleased to be welcoming Northern Rock to the RH&DR for the first time. It has taken 50 years to get it here so it is definitely overdue.
“We are looking forward to see how it performs particularly as our locomotive had some influence on its design. We are thankful to the teams at Ravenglass and Perrygrove for assisting us in putting on this exciting event.”
The Autumn Gala Weekend takes place on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2026. The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway runs for 14 miles from Hythe to Dungeness in Kent and operates on a 15-inch gauge.
Northern Rock was built by the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in 1976 to a design by Ian Smith and has carried its distinctive Highland Railway Muscat Green livery since new. It also inspired the character Jock in Christopher Awdry’s Thomas the Tank Engine stories.
