Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway : Driver Experience

Driver Experience Courses

No.1 / 822 'The Earl' climbing the Golfa Bank

Photo: Graham Whistler

Our Driver Experience courses are designed to give you the thrill of being at the controls of a powerful narrow gauge steam locomotive, doing the job for which it was designed. You will be hauling one of our standard train sets along a challenging route that abounds with sharp curves and steep gradients.

Give yourself a treat - or arrange a surprise for someone else!

“Golfa Bank” Course

For One Person - Saturday, Sunday or Monday

Our driver experience courses are restricted to one person to maximise driving time, under the guidance of one of our regular drivers.

Your course starts with a short health and safety briefing before taking the controls of one of our passenger steam locomotives. Once familiarised with the controls, you will take a standard rake of carriages over the entire railway from Llanfair Caereinion to Welshpool and back.

On the outward journey, you will drive from Llanfair Caereinion to Sylfaen, with the instructor taking over for the descent into Welshpool. After running round, you have the challenge of the 1 in 29 Golfa Bank ahead of you. The return journey is a total distance of 16 miles, and will take about two and a quarter hours.

The cost of the course is £395.00. Drinks are included, and a certificate will be awarded at the end of your journey.

Mondays - The morning course starts at 0900, and should finish by 1215; and the afternoon course starts at 1300, and should finish by 1615.

Saturdays or Sundays - Only one course is available on a Saturday or a Sunday, starting at 1000 and finishing at 1400. This course lasts a little longer as there are other train services operating.

All day (One or Two People) - Mondays only

Why not bring a friend or family? Or have two journeys yourself? A discount is available if you wish to book the morning and afternoon Monday sessions. The price for the entire day is £750.00 (a saving of £40.00 compared with two individual courses). We’ll also provide lunch for the participants.

General Information

The cost of each course includes refreshments. A limited number of family and friends (a maximum of 6) are welcome to ride on the train at no extra cost, but please do let us know in advance.

We shall send you an information pack after full payment has been received. This will include a copy of ‘Driving Steam Locomotives – An Introduction’, by Geoff Holland & Owen Ryder (RSP £5.25), notes about the locomotive that you will be driving and the layout of the railway over which you will be driving.

Health and Safety

Acceptance of your booking will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a basic Medical Form. You will need to provide your own protective clothing, including boots, preferably with steel toecaps. For safety reasons, outer clothing should be 100% cotton.

2013 Dates

Saturdays

~~20 April;~~ ~~11 May~~; 15, 29 June; ~~13 July; 3,~~ 17 ~~August;~~ 14 September

Sundays

~~16 June~~; 7 July; ~~4 August;~~ ~~22 September~~

Mondays

~~20 May~~; 10 June; 1 (AM Only) July; 9 (AM Only), 23 September (PM Only)

Note - Crossed out dates are no longer available

Updated 11 May 2013

FOR FULL DETAILS AND BOOKING FORMS PLEASE CONTACT THE RAILWAY:

(Booking forms are available by email using Microsoft Word,

otherwise please provide a postal address)

Telephone: 01938 810441

email: info@wllr.org.uk

We look forward to welcoming you to the Welshpool and Llanfair Driver Experience