A RAIL attraction at St Newlyn East is staging a landmark heritage celebration event.

Lappa Valley’s operational visiting steam locomotives will run on the attractions 15-inch gauge Main Railway on June 13 and 14.

The weekend will also see a record five steam locomotives in action at once, the most ever at Lappa Valley.

A major highlight is the visit of Mr Hallworth, a locomotive from Perrygrove Railway Adventure in Gloucestershire.

Named in memory of Tony Hallworth from Wadebridge, the engine honours a man who inspired and mentored generations of railway volunteers through his work at heritage railways, including Bodmin Railway. The visit marks a symbolic “homecoming” to Cornwall.

Spirit of Adventure, the largest 15-inch gauge Exmoor-built tank engine ever constructed, is also appearing courtesy of Perrygrove Railway Adventure and Michael Crofts.

The visiting engines will join Lappa Valley favourites Zebedee, Muffin, Ellie, City of Truro and Arthur across a packed weekend of services.

Highlights include double-headed trains, non-stop runs, and the return of the ever-popular parallel runs. The weekend will conclude with a grand finale, with a train featuring every available locomotive running simultaneously.

Elsewhere across the site, the Newlyn Downs Branch Line will run additional services, while the Lakeside Railway will host visiting steam locomotives. A selection of miniature traction engines will also be on display.

Ben Harding, operations director at Lappa Valley, said: “This is a real milestone for us.

“It’s the first time we’ve welcomed visiting steam locomotives onto our 15-inch gauge railway, and seeing five in steam at once will make for an incredibly exciting weekend.

“Having Mr Hallworth here is especially meaningful. Tony was a huge part of the Cornish railway community and a personal friend and mentor to me. Bringing the locomotive named in his memory to Cornwall feels like a very special homecoming.”