Great Central Railway completes Spring Diesel Gala line-up with Class 26 added

With Class 26 No. 26043 now added to Class 35 D7018 Hymek and Class 14 D9525, the Great Central Railway’s Spring Diesel Gala looks less like a routine heritage weekend and more like a must-visit date for diesel fans. The line-up gives visitors three very different eras and sizes of motive power in one place, and it does so on the UK’s only preserved double-track main line.

The gala runs from 24 to 26 April 2026, with tickets from £12.00, and the railway is planning an intensive timetable across the three days. On Friday and Saturday, three different trains will work the full line to Leicester, alongside local services to Rothley via Rothley Brook. That kind of density matters: it gives photographers more passing movements, more crossing scenes and more realistic station shots than a typical single-track heritage event can usually offer.

The final addition, 26043, sharpens the appeal even further. The Class 26 diesel-electric is owned by the Cotswold Mainline Diesel Group and is a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. Built in the late 1950s, it entered service in October 1959 as D5343, making it a useful reference point for anyone studying late-1950s British diesel design, plating, roof detail and the characterful look of the class in preserved service.

That sits neatly beside the other two guests. D7018 brings the Hymek shape and reputation that always draws a crowd, while D9525 adds extra interest as a first-time visitor to the Great Central Railway in 2026. The mix is what makes the event stand out: not just another roster of preserved diesels, but a compact survey of different power classes working a railway built to resemble the main line, not a branch.

The setting widens the value for modelers too. The event will operate between the Great Central Railway’s four historic stations, with pre-bookable cab rides adding another layer for anyone studying crew eye-level detail. Friday visitors will also be able to ride the Mountsorrel Branch aboard Derby Lightweight Iris, with entry to the Heritage Centre at Nunckley Hill included. RailBusinessDaily has also reported that Class 55 D9015 will be on static display with cab access at Loughborough Engine Shed, adding one more piece of traction interest to a packed weekend.

For diesel fans, the final guest changes the tone of the whole gala. Instead of a simple roster of visiting locomotives, the Great Central Railway now has an event shaped around variety, movement and prototype study, with enough operational depth to keep both photographers and layout builders busy from one end of the line to the other.