What started out as a single fundraising charter train in memory of 11-year old Luca Pezzulo has turned into a long-running industry partnership that has raised more than £250,000 for a Yorkshire-based children’s hospice. Andy Coward met Jerry Dickinson, who came up with the idea, to find out more.
The current economic climate has made the rail charter industry a very challenging and difficult sector of the market to be in for those who promote charter trains, with the costs of organising tours getting more expensive for promoters and far less lucrative than they were in the past. However, a series of increasingly ambitious charters organised by a small team of volunteers connected with Network Rail and the Branch Line Society has proven to be a winning formula in recent times, raising more than £250,000 for a York-shire-based children's hospice in the process.
The man behind the original idea for the first train – in memory of a colleague’s son who had died – was Network Rail senior incident controller Jerry Dickinson. Well-known in enthusiast circles, Jerry had previous experience of organising charter trains, having become involved in the organisation charters as far back as 1988, and two years later he was responsible for organising the first Class 37 Group charter to Teesside.
Jerry later got involved in helping to organise other events, including the ACORP (Association of Community Rail Partnership) shuttles at Norwich in 2005, and he then worked as a key part of the Mid-Norfolk Railway diesel gala team, delivering many popular enthusiasts events, including the Class 37 and Class 47 Golden Jubilee galas.
He went on to become the volunteer diesel event co-ordinator for the Wensleydale Railway, organising its diesel events each year, where Mark Bridel was also instrumental in facilitating some locomotives for the diesel galas. He also worked with Kev Adlam, from the Branch Line Society, for the first time in 2014, when a pair of Class 08s were brought in from Wilton to the Wensleydale Railway.
For Luca
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