Visitors are in for a very special summer treat at the Rail Gala held on 20-21 July at Amberley Museum in West Sussex.
It has been eight years since Amberley Museum had a visiting steam locomotive and they are now thrilled to announce the confirmed visit of a remarkable piece of railway history. Decauville 0-4-0T works No.648, affectionately known as “Lily,” will be making a triumphant visit to the Rail Gala event.
Originally named ‘Dimitrias’, this iconic locomotive of the ‘Type 3’ variety was delivered brand new to the Thessaly Railway in Volos, Greece, in the year 1912. Following an illustrious career, spanning decades, ‘Lily’ stands today as one of the last surviving examples of her type, with only four others known to exist worldwide.
“Lily” spent her early years in service at the Volos streetcar alongside her sister, ‘Argo’, before transferring to the operations of a chrome mine in Lamia following the streetcar’s retirement in 1939. Following the mine’s closure in the 1960s, “Lily” faced over two decades of neglect outdoors before being rescued from obscurity.
In 1980, the locomotive was discovered and acquired by the German Steam Locomotive Museum in Neuenmarkt Wirsberg. Over the years, “Lily” changed hands several times, making her way to a private collector in Berlin and eventually to the Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz. Finally, in 1993, she was purchased for restoration from a collection of parts by the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum.
Since 2023, “Lily” has found a new home at the private Richmond Light Railway in Kent, where she continues to captivate enthusiasts with her historic charm and remarkable engineering.
To celebrate her visit to Amberley Museum, there will be a special photo charter organized by 30742 Charters on Monday, 22 July. This exclusive event offers enthusiasts a rare opportunity to capture “Lily” in all her glory. All bookings for the photo charter must be made through 30742 Charters.
Amberley Museum is honoured to welcome “Lily” and invites visitors to witness this extraordinary piece of railway heritage first-hand at the upcoming Rail Gala event. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of history as we celebrate the enduring legacy of locomotion.
Visitors at the Rail Gala will also be able to ride on passenger trains, both steam and diesel, that will be running all day and ‘Peter’ the 1918 Bagnall Steam Locomotive will also be running for the weekend. There will also be several model rail exhibitors on site for visitors to enjoy.
