This annual and always enjoyable event at the Ryedale SME took place over the weekend of the 14th-15th May and as usual the preparations for the rally started on Friday, with many of the locomotives arriving along with the rolling stock and being unloaded and put into storage for the next day's operations. There is a very good hydraulic locomotive lift adjacent to the Gilling track's shed so that engines and large stock can be unloaded directly onto the system without any problems (Photo 01). It is also a good time to catch up with lots of people who have travelled to be present - one visitor had travelled all the way from Australia to be there and enjoy the atmosphere which is 'Gilling'. The railway is located in the village of Gilling East which is about 20 miles north of York and the rally is organised by the Ryedale Society in conjunction with the Ground Level 5-inch Gauge Mainline Association (GL5). For readers who are not familiar with this event, it is a rally where apart from the loco drivers, no passengers of any kind are carried on trains. All the operations are based on British Railways practice from the steam age and all locos and stock are standard gauge - no narrow gauge is permitted during this weekend. There are two large shunting yards where trains of all descriptions are made up by the yardmaster and his team. Locomotive drivers are given their allotted time on the track with the type of train they are to haul and it is then the shedmaster's task to ensure the engines are sent out in time to pick up their trains, be it on the up or down lines. This can lead to some interesting movements as locomotives are shunted across the two busy main lines to the respective shunting yards or station and then in reverse when they have finished their duty turn. The two main running lines are about a quarter of a mile in length and feature some testing gradients for trains especially with the longer express passenger workings.
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