Rail Gala Weekend

Our annual summer showcase of all things rail!

It has been eight years since Amberley Museum had a visiting steam locomotive and we are pleased 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.

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.

What can visitors see and do at this event?

• See visiting locomotive ‘Lily’
• Ride on passenger trains, both steam and diesel, that will be running all day
• Visit the Billingshurst signal box and discover more about how these were used!
• Watch and photograph a variety of trains throughout the day!

‘Peter’ our 1918 Bagnall Steam Locomotive will be running for the weekend.

Please pre-book tickets to avoid disappointment.