Great Western Coffee Shop

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The derailed Britannia steam engine

It was a case of Thomas to the rescue after the iconic train saved the day for dozens of steam railway passengers in Peterborough on Saturday (23 February).

Thomas, Nene Valley Railway^s blue locomotive, was called to Yarwell Station after two wheels on the Britannia steam engine came off the rails.

A spokesman for Nene Valley Railway said: ^The Britannia was derailed at Yarwell. Fortunately we had a spare set of coaches in storage, so we sent Thomas out to pick them up, and then onto Yarwell. The passengers were lead along the footpath and up a ladder onto the coaches.

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Nene Valley Railways own blue steam engine Thomas. Photo from reader Steve Smith

^Some families were on board, and they said it was fantastic - some even said we should do it again. We also had a few railway enthusiasts on board, and one said he had tried to avoid Thomas all his life - but he had never been so glad to see the blue train.

^The Britannia was not damaged in the incident, and was back up and running shortly afterwards.^

Mark Wilford was one of the passengers on board, with his family, including granddaughter Ruby, said the adventure had been a great surprise. He said: ^It couldn^t have been more perfect when Thomas saved the day. Nene Valley Railway staff were excellent.^