WELSHPOOL & LLANFAIR
LIGHT RAILWAY
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Archive
News from the
Line 2005
2004
2003
2002
Release
date: 19th September 2005 Largest Heritage Railway Rail Order As part of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway's continuing rail renewal program , General Manager Terry Turner has recently returned from Poland following his inspection of new rail on 8th September. The pictures show part of the combined order of 1400 tonnes for the Welsh Highland, Ffestiniog, and Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railways. The order represents the largest single order of new rail to heritage railways in the UK. In addition to significant amounts for the FR and W&L, sufficient rail has been purchased to complete the relaying of the Welsh Highland line between Rhyd Ddu and Porthmadog.
The rail destined for the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway was delivered to Welshpool Raven Square station on Friday 23rd September having arrived at the Port of Flixborough on the Wednesday afternoon.
Ends Release
date: 1st September 2005 MAV carriage makes traffic debut Operating
staff at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway were able to
put the second of the line’s Hungarian-built ‘MAV’
carriages into passenger-carrying service in time for the August
Bank Holiday traffic and the line’s Annual Gala weekend on 3-4
September. The vehicle made its debut on Tuesday 23rd
August, following its restoration by the Ffestiniog Railway. The
line owns two of these bogie carriages, which were built in 1958
for the Hungarian State Railways and came to Wales in July 1999.
The first, no 430, entered service in June 2003 after major
restoration by members at the railway, and with its end
balconies it has since proven almost as popular as the line’s
well-known Austrian four-wheeled vehicles. With
much demand on passenger vehicles, the W&LLR decided to have
the body of the second vehicle, no 418, restored by the
Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge carriage works. The decision
followed the Ffestiniog’s previous project for the Llanfair
line, building a replica of the W&LLR’s original Pickering
bogie vehicles, all of which were scrapped by the GWR in the
1930s. The stunning re-creation of the Pickering entered service
in 2003 and has since been highly admired by visitors and
Welshpool members alike. Meanwhile the W&LLR’s own rolling stock team is not being left out. At the line’s Tanllan workshops the reconstruction of B24, built in 1924 for the Salzkammergut Lokalbahn line in Austria and obtained by the W&LLR in 2003, is progressing well. Much work, especially on the body, will be required before this vehicle can join its fellow Austrian four-wheelers on W&LLR trains.
Ends Release
date: 1st September 2005 THE HEAVIEST TRAIN? On
Saturday 6 August the W&LLR ran what is believed to be its
heaviest-ever train, double-headed, comprising eight vehicles
and totalling more than 130 tons. The
event was the result of a special working for a party from
Norwich, hauled by the line’s Hunslet 2-6-2 no 85 and Beyer
Peacock 0-6-0 no 2 ‘Countess’ and comprising three bogie
vehicles and two Austrian four-wheelers, which ran from
Welshpool to Llanfair ahead of the usual service train of one
bogie vehicle and two four-wheelers. For the return trip to
Welshpool the two were combined and again double-headed by no 85
and ‘Countess’. With the 16 passenger units (four
four-wheelers plus four bogie vehicles, each of which are
designated as two units) weighing in at almost 70 tons, plus 40
tons of locomotives and around 20 tons of passengers, this train
was very likely the heaviest load ever carried on the Llanfair
line. Crewing
the mega-train required some changes to regular operating
procedure, two guards accompanying it (one in the middle and one
at the rear) and W&LLR members stationing themselves at
road-crossings to flag the train across and close the gates,
saving a long walk for the guards. Alan Buckley, fireman on
‘Countess’ said that the two locomotives proved equal to the
challenge, adding that running-round at Welshpool also required
some ingenuity, the train rather longer than the loop, before
the return with a much lighter passenger load.
Ends Release
date: 1st September 2005 JOAN
PROJECT UNDERWAY… Preliminary
work is now underway in readiness for the restoration of
‘Joan’, the W&LLR’s ‘Joan’
was built in 1927 for the Antigua Sugar Co, and was a larger-boilered
version of locomotives that can be seen today on the
Sittingbourne & Kemsley and Great Whipsnade Railways. The
locomotive was discovered and brought to Wales in 1971 by W&LLR
director Tony Thorndike, and after restoration proved a mainstay
of services, her large grate proving particularly useful during
a coal crisis in the 1970s when she ran for two days on old
sleepers and rotten lineside telegraph poles. The
decision to restore Joan has proved very popular among the
W&LLR membership (not least your correspondent, whose first W&LLR trip was behind the
engine in the mid-1980s), and an appeal to raise the
projected £105,000 cost has attracted much early support. The
locomotive will be restored to as near-original visual condition
as possible, complete with the spark arrestor chimney worn in
Antigua. Members will also be very pleased to see the back of
the ‘Thomas the Tank engine’-style livery worn during
Joan’s sojourn at Llanfair. Vitally
the project is planned to greatly involve the line’s young
members group. This group is having growing influence at
Llanfair, one of their most visual recent efforts the attractive
GWR-style livery applied to works diesel ‘Ferret’.
…WHILE
MONARCH PROGRESSES Also
making solid progress is the project by a group of W&LLR
members to cosmetically restore ‘Monarch’, a locomotive
closely connected with the early days of the preservation
company. The
articulated locomotive was bought by the W&LLR from Bowaters
Paper Mills at Sittingbourne in Kent in 1965, at which time it
was just 13 years old. It proved difficult to work on the
undulating Welshpool line and was sold to the Ffestiniog Railway
in 1992. The
Ffestiniog intended cut down the loco to enable it to work
within the line’s restricted loading profile, and Monarch was
dismantled. However priorities changed and in 2003 the loco kit
of parts returned to Llanfair. Since then a small team has been restoring Monarch, work organised so as not to interfere with the line’s normal maintenance programmes. Both power bogies have been restored and the boiler has recently received a new coat of light Brunswick green paint. Currently the team is working on the loco’s mainframe with the hope of reuniting it with its bogies and boiler some time next year. Ends Second Hungarian Carriage Restoration Progress The restoration of the second ex Hungarian State Railways carriage, No. 418, has made a significant leap forward today following its return to Llanfair Caereinion from the Ffestiniog Railway's Boston Lodge workshops. The Ffestiniog Railway was rewarded the bodywork contract following the successful construction of a replica Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Pickering Carriage last year. In the meantime Llanfair Caereinion workshop staff have thoroughly overhauled the carriage's two bogies, which were reunited with the remainder of the carriage this morning. No. 418 will join her sister carriage No. 430 in service following the installation of brake cylinders and other associated parts. Both carriages were built in 1958 and were obtained in 1999 from the Ciernohronska Forest Railway in Slovakia. They are both 40ft steel bodied carriages with seating for 54 people plus guard's compartment. The major overhauls have involved converting the brakes to vacuum operation and fitting new compatible couplings, plus a complete interior re-fit.
Ends First Step to Joan Restoration The first task of a lengthy restoration of Joan was completed on the afternoon of Sunday 19th June when she was moved from her resting place outside Llanfair Caereinion tearoom. A few cosmetic refinements have been made for her display at the forthcoming 'Vintage Weekend', including restoration of her original spark-arresting chimney. As well as returning a much missed locomotive to service, the project is seen as an ideal opportunity to pass on skills from one generation to the next. More details to follow.
Ends DREAM
REALISED AT WELSHPOOL AS HISTORIC STOCK RECREATED Members
of a Mid-Wales heritage railway are celebrating the realisation
of a long-cherished dream, the recreation of one of the line’s
long-lost original passenger carriages. On
Monday 21 June the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway took
delivery of a brand new replica carriage, built under commission
by specialists at the Ffestiniog Railway in Porthmadog. The
vehicle recreates one of three vehicles built for the opening of
the Welshpool line in 1902 by R.Y. Pickering & Co in Wishaw,
Lanarkshire. The three were withdrawn in 1931 when the Great
Western Railway, by then owners of the W&LLR, ended
passenger traffic on the 8.5-mile line, and all three were
scrapped in 1936. The
new carriage, centrepiece of a £260,000 fund-raising appeal,
was off-loaded from haulier Duncan Milner’s trailer onto the
W&LLR line just before mid-day, and was immediately taken on
a test run to the intermediate station of Cyfronydd, hauled by
the line’s no 175 diesel newly acquired from Taiwan .
Those
present on the test run included a contingent from the
Ffestiniog Railway, among them Chief Engineer Jon Whalley and
Project Leader Norman Bond. The combined W&LLR/FR crew
carried out braking and ride tests after which W&LLR General
Manager Terry Turner commented that the ride quality of the
vehicle was superb. “We’re delighted with our carriage,”
he added, saying; “The overall quality of the vehicle reflects
the skills and enthusiasm of the staff at Boston Lodge Works on
the Ffestiniog – this
venture and the co-operation between two of the ‘Great Little
Trains of Wales’ has without doubt been of significant benefit
to both organisations.” Terry further commented that, subject to approval of Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate, the carriage will enter public service at the line’s Annual Steam Gala on 4-5 September when it will operate on early morning mixed trains with one of the line’s original locomotives no 823 'Countess' and a rake of restored freight wagons. Enthusiasts hoping to travel on these trains will need to book in advance as accommodation is limited to the capacity of the new carriage. Many
W&LLR members have long argued for the building of a replica
original passenger vehicle, seeing this as the ‘missing link’
to the line’s history, now that the original locomotives and
goods stock have been restored with help from the Heritage
Lottery Fund. The current appeal, which also includes restoring
other passenger rolling stock on the line and providing covered
accommodation for the vehicles, has already raised half of its
£260,000 target, and the arrival of the new vehicle will
provide a great impetus to collect the remainder. The
replica is not only a unique reminder of the line’s earliest
days but also its only example of truly ‘British-style’
passenger rolling stock. When preservationists took over the
line in the 1950s the lack of passenger-carrying vehicles
resulted in a search far and wide for suitable carriages. Today’s
passengers travel in vehicles that have seen previous service in
Austria, Sierra Leone and Hungary!
Ends Replica Carriage Arrival The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway is pleased to announce the arrival of the new Replica Pickering Carriage this morning. The public launch for this vehicle will be at this year's annual steam gala on 4th and 5th September.
Ends New Locomotive Arrives at Llanfair First pictures of arrival of former Taiwan Sugar Corporation locomotive No. 175 on 19th April 2004 at Llanfair Caereinion.
Ends WELSHPOOL’S STEAM FLEET EXPANDED
It
seems it is locomotive month at the Welshpool & Llanfair
Light Railway. Just two weeks after it was announced that the
line had bought what is thought to be the first diesel
locomotive exported from the Republic of Taiwan, the Mid-Wales
line’s steam fleet has been expanded by the arrival of a
locomotive originally from Romania. The locomotive, a 25-ton 0-8-0 tank built in 1957 for a forestry railway and named Resita No.423, arrived at the W&LLR’s Llanfair Caereinion headquarters on Saturday 3rd April, having been transported from the Midlands by haulier Duncan Milner. The
locomotive has been stored in the UK for some time, having
originally been imported in the early 1990s for an abortive
railway scheme near Aberystwyth after ending its working life in
a Romanian cement works. It will join a cosmopolitan fleet at
the W&LLR, which includes locomotives that have formerly
worked in Antigua, Sierra Leone, Austria and Finland. The
engine was donated to the W&LLR by its owners the
Staffordshire Railway Group,
and W&LLR General Manager Terry Turner says it will become
part of the W&L "strategic reserve" of 760mm gauge
display locomotives from Europe and beyond. Initial assessment
suggests that there is potential for an eventual return to
steam, although cosmetic preservation for display will be the
initial aim. Meanwhile the line’s newly-purchased modern diesel locomotive from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation is expected to arrive at Llanfair on 13 April following its journey on the cargo ship 'Ming Orchid.' Ends TAIWAN
DIESEL FOR WELSHPOOL TAIWAN
has become the latest country to add to the Welshpool &
Llanfair Light Railway’s globally-sourced locomotive stock. After much work and investigation by a life member of the W&LLR working in Taiwan, the mid-Wales line has purchased a modern diesel locomotive from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. TSC No.175 was one of a number built in 1978 by Diema of Bremen, Germany. Weighing 17 tons, this 3-axle locomotive is powered by an Allis-Chalmers turbocharged engine rated at 235hp. At the time of going to press the locomotive is aboard the vessel 'Ming Orchid' heading for the UK, with anticipated arrival in Felixstowe on 7th April. The
line has for some time been seeking an additional diesel
locomotive with the aim of relieving the strain on the line’s
ageing diesel fleet and making life easier for permanent way
gangs. W&LLR General Manager Terry Turner is delighted with
the purchase. "We believe that this is the first locomotive
to be exported from the Republic of China (Taiwan) and we wish
to thank all involved in Taiwan,” he said. Terry
added; ”Particular thanks go to Pauline Tsai of Millzone
International Exporting Company in Taiwan for her help with
translation, purchase, export, insurance and shipping
arrangements - without her, this purchase would not have been
possible." NEW
WAGONS AID WINTER TRACK WORK Over the winter period, the W&L has continued with its policy of large-scale track refurbishment using new materials, with well over half of a mile having been relayed. The
arrival of ballast hopper wagons from Romania allowed additional
relaying to take place this year. Instead of spending a week
manually unloading more than 50 ballast wagons onto the newly
relayed section from Welshpool to New Drive, the gang moved on
to further relaying at Henllan Mill. The newly arrived ballast
hoppers, hauled by Beyer Peacock loco.No.1 The
Earl, then laid more than 350 tons of ballast at both sites
in less than three days. The South African Plasserail
ballast tamper completed the task of levelling and lining
shortly afterwards. General
Manager, Terry Turner, commented; "Investments in
mechanisation such as the tamping machine and ballast hopper
wagons have already paid for themselves with over a third of the
eight mile line having been relayed over the past five
years". Ends Release
date 11th January 2004 NEWS
ROUND-UP FROM WELSHPOOL Looking
like a carriage – Pickering replica progresses well PROGRESS
on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s replica bogie
carriage, a long awaited recreation of the railway’s original
passenger vehicles all of which were scrapped by the Great
Western Railway in 1937, is continuing to be swift. The carriage
is under construction at the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge
works and its body is now complete allowing work to switch to
the bogies. General
manager of the W&LLR, Terry Turner, has praised the efforts
of those working on the carriage, saying; "We are delighted
with the workmanship which reflects the skills and enthusiasm of
the staff at Boston Lodge" Meanwhile
the appeal set up by the railway to raise funds for both the new
carriage and work on existing passenger rolling stock has so far
proven very successful. With £125,000 already raised the
campaign is almost halfway to its £260,000 target, and Appeals
Director Iain McLean reported that the last quarter of
fundraising was the best yet, with more than £27,000 raised –
rising to £34,000 including tax relief. Ballast
on the hop across North Sea THE
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s permanent way vehicle
stock has been expanded with the arrival of two ballast hopper
wagons from Romania. The
two vehicles were delivered to the line’s Llanfair Caereinion
base on Saturday 20 December, W&LLR General Manager Terry
Turner having inspected them in Brad, Romania eight days
earlier. But the acquisition had proven a rather longer process,
the original enquiry being made on 4 December 2002. Both
vehicles are in excellent condition. The side discharge wagon
has been refurbished with 70 per cent of its steel replaced
while the centre discharge wagon is of new construction using
parts from other vehicles. Both vehicles are fitted with roller
bearing bogies and the
Winter
break brings tracklaying progress With
the passenger-carrying season not due to begin for several weeks
permanent way gangs have enjoyed total occupation of the
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s main line. Before
the year end Castle Bank, the step climb out of Castle
Caereinion station, was relaid using new 50lb rail obtained from
the Corus steelworks at Workington. At the time of writing track
is dismantled between Welshpool and New Drive Crossing and
awaiting the arrival of hardwood sleepers from Brazil. These
will be combined with more new 60lb rail from Corus. General
Manager Terry Turner commented that the W&LLR would continue
with the policy of investing in major renewals of the permanent
way at a minimum rate of half a mile per season. “This will
both improve ride quality and minimise future maintenance,” he
said, adding that the recently acquired ballast hoppers along
with the Plasserail ballast tamper would greatly aid the
programme. Ends Red
letter day for Welshpool line’s carriage fleet WEDNESDAY
4 June 2003 proved a momentous day as far as the Welshpool &
Llanfair Light Railway’s passenger rolling stock was
concerned. On the
same day as the Mid-Wales line received official notification
that its newly restored ex-Hungarian ‘MAV’ bogie carriage
was fit to enter service, another example of the much admired
ex-Austrian carriages was unloaded at the railway’s Llanfair
Caereinion headquarters. The
latest arrival is a four-wheeler built in Graz in 1925 as number
Ci569 for the Salzkammergut Localbahn in Austria. When the
Salzkammergut Localbahn closed in 1957, both it and sister
vehicle Ci567 were
bought by the Zillertalbahn where Ci569 became B24. Ci567
was donated to the W&LLR by Zillertalbahn along with three
other vehicles in 1968 and which has since given many years of
good service. Curiously
Ci567 now wears the Zillertalbahn number B24 though it was
originally B25! Ci569 was later sold to 'Club 760', a support group for the Murtalbahn, another Austrian line, and was sent to the Murtalbahn. It was later purchased by the Gurkthalbahn in Carinthia and has been awaiting restoration for 24 years. As
part of the W&LLR’s efforts to extend its
passenger-carrying fleet with suitable vehicles General Manager
Terry Turner, accompanied by volunteer carriage and wagon
engineer, John Bancroft, visited the Gurkthalbahn on the 13/14
May, travelling free on Ryanair to Klagenfurt. The purchase was
concluded with Gert Schneider, President of the Gurkthalbahn and
the The carriage with spare axles and other useful parts, were
transported by Austrian hauliers, Prangl Gesellschaft m.b.H,
arriving in Llanfair Caereinion on Wednesday 4 June to be
reunited with its sister vehicle. During
its time residing at the Gurkthalbahn’s Treibach/Althofen
station, the vehicle was subjected to much vandalism but Terry
Turner says it will be an excellent volunteer restoration
project as it is a historic and original vehicle. When finished,
it will be identical to its sister vehicle. Meanwhile
a long and involved restoration project on ‘MAV’ (Hungarian
State Railways) carriage no 430 reached its climax with
notification from the Railway Inspectorate that the carriage was
fit to enter service. This
was one of two bogie vehicles built in 1958 which came to the
W&LLR in July 1999. In restored form with end balconies it
is bound to be popular. This news comes as progress continues apace on the replica of one of the W&LLR’s original bogie carriages, currently under construction at the Ffestiniog Railway. The £260,000 appeal to fund this carriage’s construction, restore existing vehicles and acquire new ones such as Ci569 is also making good progress, with more than £80,000 having already been collected. Full details of the appeal can be obtained from the railway on 01938 810441. Ends WELSHPOOL
LINE MARKS TWO ANNIVERSARIES IN STYLE
THE
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway launched its centenary
year over the weekend of 5-6 April by celebrating not one but
two anniversaries. The
first of this year’s Centenary celebrations, dubbed
Commemoration Day, recalled both the opening of the Mid-Wales
line, on 4th April 1903, and its reopening as a
preserved railway on the 6th April 1963, it having
been shut down by British Railways seven years earlier. The
event, aimed firmly at the voluntary members of the company that
has made the W&LLR a very successful preserved line,
produced many connections with both anniversaries being
celebrated. Many past members, who played vital roles in seeing
the preservation company through its difficult early years,
returned to take part in the event and travel on a special
double-headed train pulled by original locomotives The Earl and
The Countess, the latter having been in charge of the train in
both 1903 and 1963. Some original members came from far and wide
to be a part of the event, such as Tony Allen, who travelled on
the 1963 train. He flew in from Botswana for Commemoration Day,
complete with his original ticket from 1963. En
route from Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion the special paused
at Four-Mile Oak, close to the line’s Sylfaen halt, for a
tree-planting ceremony. The original oak was more than 200 years
old and so big that the railway was diverted around it when
being built in 1901-2. Sadly storms last year brought it down,
so a replacement was planted in the same spot by a quartet of
young and old W&LLR volunteers spanning the history of the
preservation effort. When
the special train reached Llanfair Caereinion speeches were made
from a flat wagon, just as they had been in April 1963 by the
then Chairman of the preservationists Sir Thomas Salt. At the
time he was accompanied by the preserved line’s first
President, the Earl of Powis, and in 2003 the event was repeated
to the letter with current W&LLR Chairman Ken Fenton leading
the speeches accompanied by today’s President, the current
Earl of Powis. Other
elements harking back to the original opening included a full
three-hour pealing of church bells in Welshpool, by bell ringers
from both the town and surrounding villages. This followed one
of the bell-ringers reading in W&LLR member Ralph
Cartwright’s history of the line that bells had been run in
Welshpool on the opening day in 1903. One
family used the event as an excuse for a gathering. Descendants
of the Mayor of Welshpool at the time of the opening in 1903
visited the line, some 22 of them coming from all over the UK to
be at the event and bringing the special medal struck at the
time of the opening, which has been passed down the generations.
The highly successful Commemoration day has kicked off the W&LLR’s centenary year in great style and the line is now looking forward to its next major event, the Edwardian Weekend on 14-15 June. The plan is to present the line as it would have been around the time of its opening, and members and visitors are being encouraged to join in the spirit of the occasion by wearing Edwardian dress – organisers hope many will take up the challenge. Extra attractions will include a heavy horse display and working steam machinery, and full details can be obtained from Llanfair Caereinion station on 01938 810441. Ends WELSHPOOL
LINE STAGES DAY TO ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS The
W&LLR would not have reached its centenary without the
efforts of its volunteers – more than 95 per cent of the staff
are voluntary and new recruits are not only welcome but
essential to keep the line functioning and progressing. To give
potential recruits an idea of what they can get involved with
the annual New Members Day is being staged on 17 May. Guided
tours will cover the whole line including many behind the scenes
areas not normally open to the public, with expert members on
hand to describe the many opportunities from engineering to
carpentry, track work to making tea and gardening. If you want
to some along contact Llanfair station on 01938 810441 for more
details. Ends WOULD
YOU LIKE TO PUT AN ENGINE BACK TOGETHER? A
SMALL team of W&LLR volunteers are looking for help in
reassembling one of the locomotives from the line’s early
preservation days. ‘Monarch’ a large articulated Mallet
locomotive which originally worked at paper mills in Kent, was
bought for the W&LLR in 1966. Problematical
steaming and the arrival of other engines eventually saw Monarch
sold on to the Festiniog Railway in 1992, which then dismantled
the locomotive for rebuilding. However Festiniog priorities then
changed and the loco was left in parts in a yard, until earlier
this year a group of Welshpool members reacquired it. The intention is to rebuild Monarch to display condition, and working parties have already begun. More help would be welcome, experience is not needed, and anyone who wishes to get involved is welcome. Ends WLLR & FR SIGN CONTRACT FOR REPLICA CARRIAGE
The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway are delighted to announce the acceptance of the contract to build a replica Pickering Carriage for the WLLR by the FR at their Boston Lodge works. The General Manager of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, Terry Turner, and the Acting General Manager of the Ffestiniog Railway, Paul Lewin, signed the contract on Tuesday 28th January 2003. Following this on Friday 31st January, engineers from both railways met to make further detailed assessments of the drawings to enable materials to be purchased for the construction of the carriage. Three carriages were built in 1902 by
R.Y. Pickering
& Co. Wishaw, Lanarkshire for the opening of the line. These vehicles remained in service
until in 1931 the Great Western Railway, by then owners of the W&LLR,
ended passenger traffic on the 8.5-mile line. The three vehicles were
scrapped in 1936 and today all that is believed to remain of them is one
wheel set, which is in the W&LLR’s keeping. The
W&LLR’s bid to build the replica has received a big boost within
weeks of being announced, with an anonymous donation of £60,000 to the
£260,000 fund-raising appeal. Appeal leaflets are being sent out with the latest edition of the W&LLR’s members’ journal. For further details or to donate to the appeal contact the line at 01938 810441. Ends
Release
date 14th January 2003 MONARCH
IS HOME Adding
further impetus to the W&LLR’s coming centenary celebrations, a
locomotive closely connected with the early days of the preservation
company returned to the line’s Llanfair Caereinion headquarters on
Tuesday 7th January. The articulated locomotive Monarch
was bought by the W&LLR from Bowaters Paper Mills at Sittingbourne
in Kent in 1965, at which time it was just 13 years old. It was sold to
the Ffestiniog Railway in 1992 after being deemed surplus to W&LLR
requirements. The Ffestiniog intended to overhaul and cut down the loco
to enable it to work within the line’s restricted loading profile, and
Monarch was dismantled for this purpose. However priorities changed and
despite later thoughts towards using it on the Welsh Highland Railway,
under restoration by the Ffestiniog, the loco was left in parts. The
various parts of the loco are now safely stowed around the W&LLR’s
Tanllan yard, where plans
for the foreseeable future involve restoration of Monarch to display
condition. Work is due to
begin as soon as possible, but will be organised to avoid taking
volunteer effort away from the Railway's main events such as Workshop
Week or February Track Fortnight. Ends Release
date 14th January 2003 PLANS
IN PLACE FOR CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS Members
of the W&LLR are now looking forward to the line’s 100th
anniversary year, with three specific events planned. The
first will be on the opening day of the season, Saturday 5th
April, which has been dubbed Commemoration Day. The first train of the
day will be hauled by the line’s no 2 Countess, the same locomotive
that hauled the very first train in 1903 and the first train when the
W&LLR reopened as a preserved line in 1963. On
14th and 15th June the line will stage an
Edwardian Day, with added attractions and extra trains. This follows the
success of last year’s celebration of the cutting of the first sod,
when several members donned Edwardian outfits for the occasion. Finally
the railway’s traditional steam gala on 30th-31st
August will this year be a special centenary event – more details will
follow nearer the time. Ends Release
date 14th January 2003 IN BRIEF THE
W&LLR has begun 2003 by relaying a half mile of track from Hydan
Fawr to Dolarddyn Road – between Cyfronydd and Castle Caereinion
stations – using new rail purchased from South Africa and new hardwood
sleepers from Brazil. W&LLR
General Manager Terry Turner reported that the major project had
involved much drainage work, the rebuild of a major culvert, the
rebuilding and strengthening of a bridge and the upgrading of two
occupation crossings. The
policy of major renewals to create a lower maintenance railway will
continue beyond 2003 while major levelling and maintenance work on
existing track using the line’s Plasserail tamping machine will also
be carried out. A highlight for this work will be during the line’s
traditional Track Fortnight from 15-28 February, and anyone
wanting to join the work parties will be made very welcome. THE
rebuild of one of the W&LLR’s latest carriages, acquired from
Hungary, is nearing completion. W&LLR
General Manager Terry Turner reported that the carriage ‘MAV 430’
should see trial running and brake testing in late January/early
February with a view to being in service for the start of the season.
Work will then transfer to its sister vehicle MAV 418. These
carriages will enter service with end balconies and are likely to prove
as popular as the line’s balconied Austrian stock. STAFF
at the W&LLR are pleased with the results from the line’s annual
Santa Special trains, which returned pleasing figures similar to those
in 2001. Ends
Release Date 5th December 2002 W&LLR AWARDED 'RAILWAY WORLD INDEPENDENT RAILWAY OF THE YEAR AWARD' The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway was delighted to learn at a ceremony in London that it had been awarded the 'Railway World Independent Railway of the Year'. Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal made the presentation at the National Railway Heritage Awards 2002 which were held at the Merchant Taylors' Hall in the City of London on Tuesday 3rd December. The award was presented to the W&L for its all round achievement in meeting the expectation of its customers. The announcement comes towards the end of a very successful year for the railway; one which has seen a record number of passengers travelling on the line, the availability of both of its original steam locomotives for the first time since the early 1970s and a visit by HRH The Prince of Wales during July. W&LLR General Manager Terry Turner commented "Everyone on the railway is absolutely delighted with the news and looks forward to continuing to provide a great day out to all its visitors during its Centenary Year in 2003. It is a fitting reward to all the hard work undertaken by everyone this season." Ends
Release date - 21st November 2002 WELSHPOOL & LLANFAIR LIGHT RAILWAY FFESTINIOG RAILWAY Announcement
Ffestiniog Railway General Manager Peter Randall
and Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway General Manager Terry Turner
are delighted to announce that the FR has successfully bid to build a
replica carriage for the W&LLR. Built in 1902 by R.Y. Pickering & Co.
Wishaw, Lanarkshire, the three original vehicles ran until the cessation of
passenger services in 1931 and were eventually scrapped in 1936. Many
W&L members see a replica of one of these vehicles as the ‘missing
link’ now that the original locomotives and goods stock have been
restored with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund The replica, a composite carriage, will be built
at the FR’s Boston Lodge Works where considerable skills and
experience in this type of work have been amassed over many years. It is
expected that the W&L will take delivery before the start of the
2004 season. This venture and co-operation between two of the ‘Great Little Trains of Wales’ will be of significant benefit to both organisation Peter Randall Terry Turner 21st November 2002 Release date
- 22nd November 2002 WELSHPOOL JOINS
FFESTINIOG TO RECREATE MISSING LINK THE
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway is to recreate a missing part of
its history in a joint initiative with another of the Great Little
Trains of Wales, the Ffestiniog Railway. Welshpool & Llanfair
Light Railway General Manager Terry Turner and Ffestiniog Railway
General Manager Peter Randall announced this week that the FR has
successfully bid to build a replica of one of the W&LLR’s original
carriages, for use on the Mid-Wales line which celebrates its centenary
next year. For the opening of the
Welshpool line three carriages were built in 1902 by R.Y. Pickering
& Co. Wishaw, Lanarkshire. These three vehicles remained in service
until in 1931 the Great Western Railway, by then owners of the W&LLR,
ended passenger traffic on the 8.5-mile line. The three vehicles were
scrapped in 1936 and today all that is believed to remain of them is one
wheel set, which is in the W&LLR’s keeping. Many W&LLR members
see a replica of one of these passenger vehicles as the ‘missing
link’ to the line’s history, now that the original locomotives and
goods stock have been restored with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The replica, a
composite carriage in the style of original vehicles nos 1 and 2, will
be built at the FR’s Boston Lodge Works in Portmadoc. The Works has
undertaken a number of heavy engineering projects in the past including
the building of complete locomotives.
The plans are for the carriage to be delivered to the W&LLR
before the start of the 2004 season. Once at Welshpool the
carriage will not only be a unique reminder of the line’s earliest
days but also its only example of truly ‘British-style’ passenger
rolling stock. When preservationists took over the line in the 1950s the
lack of passenger-carrying vehicles resulted in a search far and wide
for suitable carriages. Today’s passengers travel in vehicles that
have seen previous service in Austria, Sierra Leone and Hungary!
Members of the W&LLR
are immediately setting up an appeal to fund the building of the
carriage, and considering that over many years constant pleas to build a
replica have been made by many members, it is predicted the appeal will
be well supported. W&LLR General Manager Terry Turner was delighted to make the announcement of the carriage project, but added that it meant more than just the building of a new vehicle. “This venture and co-operation between two of the ‘Great Little Trains of Wales’ will be of significant benefit to both organisations,” he said. Ends Release date
- 4th November 2002 2002 – IT’S A RECORD PASSENGER
figures on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway appear to have
smashed last season’s totals – which was itself a record. Initial
analysis of the end-of-season figures by the Mid-Wales railway’s
management show passenger journeys and bookings to be 17 per cent up on
those in 2001, a remarkable increase considering that last year was a
record season. Far
outshining the railway’s efforts, however are those of its sales
department. Having also enjoyed a record season in 2001, the two shops
took full advantage of two new books and a new video on the line to
boost their takings this year by 22 per cent, earning much useful
revenue that will be ploughed back into funding the many expenditures
necessary to keep the W&LLR running. Members are delighted with the
results and the railway’s operating staff are to be congratulated on
such impressive totals. Release date
- 4th November 2002 MONARCH COMING HOME – AT LAST After
months of ‘Will it Won’t It?’ the articulated locomotive Monarch,
sold to the Ffestiniog Railway in 1992, is to return to Welshpool. On
Tuesday 29th October W&LLR General Manager Terry Turner
visited the Ffestiniog Railway to make the purchase of Monarch.
Arrangements for transport of the loco, which is currently dismantled,
will follow, and once back at the railway’s Llanfair Caereinion base
the intention is to cosmetically restore Monarch for display. Monarch,
a 0-4-4-0 side tank, entered service at Bowater Paper Mills,
Sittingbourne, Kent in 1953, and was the last narrow gauge steam
locomotive to be built for industrial use in the British Isles.
Constructed by Bagnall of Stafford, the locomotive was unique in more
than one way – it was articulated on the Meyer principle, and it had a
marine design firebox. The engine was taken out of service at Sittingbourne in 1965, after just 12 years work, and in 1966 was purchased by the W&LLR with funds donated by a member, at a time when serviceable steam engines of 2ft 6in gauge were scarce in the UK. The engine became W&LLR No 6 but due to the necessary slow pace of overhauls at that time did not see regular passenger service until 1973. Monarch
continued to suffer reliability and steaming problems on the
steeply-graded Welshpool line, though more recently with the benefit of
hindsight members’ opinions as to how problematical the loco actually
was have differed. In any event it was eventually taken out of service
in favour of other easier to maintain locomotives, until 1992 when it
was sold for use on the Ffestiniog Railway. The
original intentions of Monarch’s new owners were to overhaul and cut
down the loco to enable it to work within the Ffestiniog’s restricted
loading profile. Monarch was dismantled for this purpose, but priorities
changed and despite later thoughts towards using it on the Welsh
Highland Railway, under restoration by the Ffestiniog, the loco was left
in parts, which is as it remains today. In fact much of the delay in
buying Monarch back for the W&LLR has been due to Welshpool
management needing to ascertain that all of the parts are still present! Monarch
may have had a suspect reputation in its former working life at
Llanfair, but most members look forward to its return, albeit for the
foreseeable future only as a static exhibit. Ends Release date
- 4th November 2002 COUNTESS
GOES – BUT ONLY FOR THE WEEKEND Welshpool
& Llanfair locomotive No 2 The Countess is leaving the line at the
end of November, but only briefly. The Beyer Peacock 0-6-0 side tank,
built in 1902, will form the display centrepiece at the Warley Model
Railway Exhibition on 30th November and 1st December. Held at
Birmigham’s National Exhibition Centre, the Warley Model Railway Club
event is regarded as the UK’s national model railway show. As
part of the locomotive’s centenary celebrations, Countess will be
displayed along with three of the railway’s heritage wagons on 2.5
lengths of rail, mounted on a pair of transporters. A sales and
publicity stand will also be present at what is an excellent publicity
opportunity for the W&LLR, made possible by generous sponsorship of
the visit by two of the line’s members. The
display continues a fast-evolving tradition by the Warley organisers of
attracting impressive centrepieces for their show, displays in past
years having included one of Virgin Rail’s brand new Pendolino
electric trains. Ends |
