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News
from
the Line

Whilst the season is well underway, every opportunity is being taken to continue the all
important maintenance.
Whilst the track gang take a
break for lunch, No.19 made a 'running in' journey to Cyfronydd
to test that all was well before her
first passenger duties of the
season on the following day. 12 April 2013
Photo: Bruce Webber
2013
For older news stories please follow the follow links:
Archive News 2009 to
2012
Archive News 2002
to 2008
Release date 16th April 2013
50th Anniversary Season is Underway
With the problems
reported elsewhere on this page, it is with some relief that the
Easter period operation has passed and the 2013 season is in
full swing. The severe snow one week before opening may
have been the last thing that the outdoor engineers wished to
see, but it added a magical touch to the first week's operation
as can be seen in the accompanying photographs. It would
have been disappointing had the railway reached its
Golden Jubilee with a partially closed line (although perhaps
quite appropriate if the trains had only operated between
Llanfair Caereinion and Castle Caereinion because of the
problems near Sylfaen), but the efforts of staff and volunteers
ensured the whole line was open. On the 6th
April, the railway celebrated 50 years of preserved operation. More information about the anniversary can be
found in the
Press Release issued on 8th April.
Mention has been
made of the outdoor engineers, but the mechanical department
must not be forgotten. During the last two weeks all four
main line passenger steam locomotives have been in use - the
first time for some years that this has been possible. In
addition, Salzkammergut Lokalbahn carriage C569 quietly entered
service on 30th March, and wagon 33 has made a
transformation from a snow covered Permanent Way vehicle to a
stage fit for the Chairman of the Company.
All in all, it
might have been a cold Easter holiday, but non the less an
enjoyable and satisfying one. Do come and see us for
yourself.

'Joan' approaching Coppice
Lane with the first train of the new season.
29 March 2013
Photo: Alan Barnes

'Joan' at Cwm Lane with the first train
of the season from Welshpool.
29 March 2013
Photo: Patrick Cheshire

Newly restored carriage C569
(the 4-wheeled carriage next to the locomotive)
quietly entered service and is
seen here on her first train
near Coppice Lane with 'Countess'.
30 March 2013
Photo: Ulrich Clees

'Joan' is once again in
service near Coppice Lane.
31 March 2013
Photo: Patrick Cheshire

Carrying a suitable
headboard, 'Countess' is seen at Castle Caereinion, terminus of
the line when re-opened to the public in 1963. 6 April 2013
Photo: Andrew Charman

One of the 'Nostalgia
Trains' near Heniarth. The carriages used 50 years ago
have moved on to new pastures, but the three carriages used on
this train
all arrived on the W&L during
April 1968 making them the next best thing. 6 April 2013
Photo: Andrew Charman

Members gather around
the Chairman, Alan Higgins, whilst he updates a speech made 50
years earlier from the same wagon. 6 April 2013
Photo: Andrew Charman

On the three days that
the railway has not been in operation since Good Friday the
track gang have continued their work on repairs
to the line caused by the
winter weather. During the 'Engineers Possession' the gang
take a well deserved break to admire No.19 which was being
run-in following
winter maintenance.
Everyone loves steam trains! 12 April 2013
Photo: Bruce Webber
Ends
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Release date 16th April 2013
We made it!
It has not been
the easiest few months leading up to the Easter opening and, as
hinted elsewhere, resources have been stretched. Despite major
unexpected problems, the first train ran on time with only a few
people knowing of the struggle beforehand. At one
stage it seemed as though we were finding new problems every
day, and as February rolled into March the track gang put in
extra days and rose to the challenge. With a feeling that
perhaps we are now moving out of the 'Winter Railway' and into
the operating season we thought you would like to see some of
the extra jobs needed before trains
could operate again. When we set ourselves the challenge of trying to
document our winter activities to share with you we never
thought there would be quite so much. Thank you for all
the kind words of encouragement and gratitude that we have
received from people who have already seen the end result.
A note about
the photographs. With pressure mounting to carry out all of
the jobs, the photographers often resorted to cameras on mobile
phones to record the work during short breaks. Weather and
machinery have not made the workplace the best place to store
expensive camera equipment at times. We hope that it does
not detract from your enjoyment.
Quarry Cutting
...... Nice flowers, pity about the location!
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A landslip in
Quarry Cutting on the Golfa Bank was the first
indication of a difficult winter ahead.
We believe the landslip occurred around New Year but,
like other problem areas, it was cut off from our
rail bound resources by the gap in the track on the
winter relay near
Cyfronydd. The cause was a blocked
stream running adjacent to the main road further up
the hillside. The stream was effectively
diverted through the field and on to the railway at
this point.
The snowdrops are always particularly beautiful at
this location yet rarely seen by anyone but the
engineers. 5 February 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood
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A few hours with shovels could
have cleared enough of the surface mess to allow trains to pass. 5 February
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

Or you can do it the easy way
and ensure a more longer lasting job is achieved. The
'Rollwagen' has proved to be a saviour this winter, and the use of
the JCB
ensured that the line was
cleared and ditches re-instated in just one day. The old
method of transporting road vehicles would probably have taken
half a day
alone for the safe loading and
unloading of the vehicle. 4 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley
Castle Bank ...... A Little
Rabbit Problem

This was a known problem, but
not one that we wished to tackle at this moment in time.
Rabbits have a fondness for the soft earth that
is used on many of our
embankments. Heavy rain after a large snow fall combined with
the rabbit burrows to move this job on
to the 'must be done now'
list. Fortunately, like most of the winter problems, the damage
did not stop trains passing the site as it was caught in time.
The following sequence of
photographs show the progress as the new retaining wall was
constructed. 6 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

6 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

8 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

11 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

The finished product is quite
a work of art. What isn't clear in the photographs are the
various fixings to help keep it in place - it doesn't just rely
on gravity. 11 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley
Cwm Curves to Pussy Bridge
....... Unwanted Water

The fast melting snow caused a stream at Cwm Curves to
divert along the trackbed. The volume of water must have
been impressive but only the
after effect was seen. Note
the debris alongside the far rail, and one of the areas where
the water broke through back to the stream which is out of sight
to the left of the photograph.
This was the area of track relaid
during early 2012 and was soon repaired. 7 February
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

Of more concern was the damage
just around the corner at Four Mile Oak where an old tree stump has
partially blocked the stream. The volume of water took
the easiest route through the gap
- the soft railway embankment. With the stream now a little
too close for comfort the decision was taken to remove the
stump and return the stream
to its natural course. At this time there was still no rail
access to this site. 7 February
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

A contractor was used to cut
up part of the stump. 12 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

By the time work was being
planned for the removal of the stump at Four Mile Oak (just
visible above the right shoulder of the
gentleman wearing orange)
water levels had dropped and it was realised we had a larger
problem at the location known as Pussy Bridge. Note the
state of the field, 15 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

Swirling water had undermined
one of the bridge retaining walls. The solution -
temporarily divert the stream, dry out the bed and build new
foundations.
Some stone had already been
placed to help fill the void beneath the wall. 15 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

Diversion in Progress. 15 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

'Where's the water gone?' 15 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

Concreting in progress. 18 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

And the finished concreted bed
is protected from the weather. This area of the line is one of
the most
windswept, and during the
period that the repairs were being made the cold and damp was
almost unbearable. 18 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

Shuttering in place for the
retaining wall. 19 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

And thumbs up. Stage one
complete. With part of the wall in place to provide
support the opportunity
was taken to continue the job and secure the
rest of the wall in a similar
manner rather than have to return to the location in the very
near future. 20 March 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley

The second phase coincided with the heaviest snow of the winter
- just one week before trains were due to start. Whilst
roads further north
were becoming impassable, the
bulk of the snow held off for work to continue on 22 March.
The workforce altered
their working days to ensure that precious time was not lost because of the snow.
Excellent forward planning. 22 March
2013
Photo: Bruce
Webber

Trains were used to transport concrete the short distance from
Sylfaen station to Pussy Bridge. 22 March
2013
Photo: Bruce
Webber

By the end of the day phase two of the retaining wall was in
place (the base having been constructed the previous day).
Working conditions
were even more unpleasant but sufficient progress was made to ensure that trains
could pass Pussy Bridge once more. Heavier snow followed later
in the evening and the following
day. 22 March
2013
Photo: Bruce
Webber

By the following Monday the site
was not looking very Spring like. Staff were optimistic that the
emergency repairs would now be completed,
but were less so about water
supplies for the steam locomotives required the following
Friday. 25 March
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

A sense of achievement is keeping spirits high! 25 March
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

The retaining wall is in place, pointing can wait a few days. 25 March
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

Trains had worked through from Llanfair. 'The Wasp' in the
background cleared the way, and No.7 brought two pipes for the
Four Mile Oak repair. As on
many days, workshop staff interrupted their schedule to help the
outdoor engineers with the repairs. 25 March
2013
Photo: Bruce
Webber

The Rollwagen was used once again to move the JCB between sites. 25 March
2013
Photo: Dave
Bothamley

There is still a considerable amount of tree stump to mark the
location of the old Oak, and the stream has now been cleared.
The extent of the erosion is
quite obvious. 26 March
2013
Photo: Dave
Bothamley

Snowing again, but the work is nearly complete. 27 March
2013
Photo: Dave
Bothamley

A few week's later and you would hardly know that there had been
so much trouble. 13 April
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

The pointing took place as the first trains of the season were
rolling by, and finishing touches will take place in the near
future. 13 April
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood
Castle Caereinion Electricity
Supply ..... an interruption

One of the planned jobs for
this winter was a new electricity supply at Castle Caereinion.
Work for new ducting was on-going when some of the emergency
repairs were discovered and
labour was transferred elsewhere. Work is in progress once
more as this is being typed. 27 February 2013
Photo: Dave Bothamley
A Few Ten Minute Jobs .....
how come they always take longer than the boss says?

The wet weather has caused
considerable debris to be washed into the railway's drainage
system. This particular one a short distance away
from the winter relay site was so
blocked that water started seeping through the embankment and on
to the railway below. 5 March
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

Traditional shovels were the solution on this occasion, and some
two hours later the water was back on the correct course.
The day also coincided with a
short spell of mild weather and for once everyone was too hot!. 5 March
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

We'll be digging out culverts and streams for months, but the
larger ones have been tackled. This one near Heniarth was
one of the more satisfying
clearances. The debris had been as high as the rail below
the top rail on the old gate, and the water not far from it.
When the snow suddenly melted
during February it was smaller streams like this that suffered
the most, the River Banwy behind the photographer was not as
dramatic as it often can be.
The snow that fell the day after this photograph
melted at a much slower, and less damaging rate. 21 March
2013
Photo:
Alan Barnes

A change from repairs. Whilst a gang cleared the adjacent
stream, new signs were erected at Dolarddyn Road level crossing.
All these little jobs
add up and before you know
it another day has passed and the opening day is a little
closer. 21 March
2013
Photo: Alan
Barnes
Problems at The Kink ...... An
age old problem

The area of the railway near
Cyfronydd known as The Kink has suffered from land movement
throughout the 50 years
of preservation. With snow
covering the sleepers that we wished to lift and tamp we could
not tackle this job before train operations on 29 March.
A temporary speed restriction was
applied, and the line was closed for repairs on the first
available day without trains.
To slew the track back into place
speedily the JCB was brought to site. 5 April 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

The movement doesn't look too
great in the photograph, but you should be looking at a left
hand curve rather than a straight line with a bulge.
It took until about 7.00pm to do
sufficient slewing, lifting and tamping to allow trains to
operate the following day - the Golden Jubilee celebration.
Once you start a job you've got
to finish it. There was no doubt a little last minute effort to
finish something 50 years ago as well. 5 April 2013
Photo: Dave
Bothamley

On the following Monday, with no trains planned a small gang
returned to site to continue improvements. About 50 tonnes
of ballast
was used to return the levels to
something resembling normal. Having started the job we
decided that it was time to spend a little more effort at
improving the location rather
than the periodic slew and tamp that takes place every few
years. 8 April 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

The Tamper in action. Levels are beginning to look decent
once more. 8 April 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

One final day to smooth the job and lay extra ballast to secure
everything in place. The full extent of the job is visible. 12 April
2013
Photo: Alan
Barnes

Tidying has taken place, and a most satisfying job achieved. 12 April
2013
Photo: Alan
Barnes
So is that it?
Can the outdoor engineers take a break?
Fortunately
everyone enjoys themselves, and who wants to work in miserable
weather to then sit indoors during the more pleasant months (we
hope). All the work outlined above has taken place instead
of other planned maintenance which will continue when trains are
not in operation. Time has already been spent back on the
Relay Site between Cyfronydd and Dirty Lane to do some of the
finishing jobs and much more is planned.

One of two small occupation
crossings at the eastern end of the site which received new
timbers
whilst some of the gang were at
The Kink. 5 April
2013
Photo: Dave
Bothamley

The livestock crossing at the
western end of the site receives the last finishing touches. 12 April
2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood
Ends
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Release date 28th March 2013
Snow and Chocolate
In addition to
the usual pre-season preparations, the track and workshop staff
have put down their normal tools of their trade and picked up
shovels and brushes to ensure that the recent snow fall is clear
of public areas and the line is clear between Welshpool and
Llanfair Caereinion. The snow is melting slowly but there
should be a chance for the first few visitors of the season to
view the entire line as rarely seen by public passenger train.
And for the children travelling between 29th March and 1st
April......... a FREE Easter Egg.

'The Wasp'
is ready to clear the line of any obstruction. 25 March 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

The view from 'The Wasp'.
The depth of the snow varied throughout the line, but very few
drifts were encountered en-route, unlike many of the surrounding
roads.
Luckily no major trees were found
to have been brought down by the weight of the snow. 25
March 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood
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Not content with a
full day's work of repairs along the line, at the
end of the day these gentlemen opted to work late
and clear Welshpool station in readiness for
opening. Meanwhile, other track and workshop
staff cleared Llanfair Caereinion station. 27
March 2013
Photos: Kevin
Heywood
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Complete
with newly fitted steam heating equipment, 'Joan' is ready for
the next day's service. 28 March 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood
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And looking back 50
years ago to 1963 when the railway was being
prepared for re-opening for the first time after
closure by British Railways ........
...... a little more snow.

Castle Caereinion. Photo: Basil Roberts
/ W&L Archives

Castle Caereinion. Photo: Basil Roberts / W&L
Archives

Cyfronydd. Photo: Basil Roberts / W&L
Archives
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Ends
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Release date
28th March 2013
Winter Relay - The End
of the Job (Almost)
Over a month has
gone by since we wrote about the relay site being ready for
ballasting and tamping, and it has taken nearly all of that time
to complete the task. The gang have been split between
planned maintenance and unplanned repairs. The inevitable
call on some of our resources being required in two places at
the same time has caused some delays. This collection of
photographs completes the planned outdoor maintenance story and
we hope encourages you to come and have a look for yourselves
from one of the balconied carriages of our passenger trains.
Those of you who have been inspired may wish to learn more and
join the gang.

Moving the ballast from
Cyfronydd station to the site using the Ballast Hoppers has only
taken a few days to complete the bulk of the job, but further
journeys have been made to
some areas to bring the embankment levels back towards their
original height. 1 March 2013
Photo Bruce Webber

The Side Discharge wagon in
action. 28 February 2013
Photo John Seaman

The Centre Discharge Wagon takes
its turn - so much easier than shovelling by hand. 28 February
2013
Photo John Seaman

Sign Hut Curve ballasted, but
before the tamper has passed through the site. 28 February
2013
Photo John Seaman

A rotating laser is used to
ensure the tamper operator is aware of the correct level before
a sleeper is tamped (a detector is mounted on the tamping
machine). 28 February 2013
Photo Kevin Heywood

The Tamper in operation -
pushing and vibrating stone under each sleeper. When
required, hydraulic clamps and lifting rams are used
to lift the rails (with
sleepers) to the desired level. 28 February 2013
Photo John Seaman

UGM No.9 in operation. 1
March 2013
Photo Bruce Webber

A closer view of the Tamping
Tines performing a task in a fraction of the time required if
done by hand. 1 March 2013
Photo Bruce Webber

Tamped track
before tidying. 20 March 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

And a little
further on, after tidying. 20 March 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

The finished
product. 20 March 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

'The Wasp'
passing Sign Hut. 20 March 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

The gang
en-route for one final day of tidying. 21 March 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

Almost Done. For the
time being a 10mph speed restriction has been applied to the
site whilst the track is consolidated. The site will be
re-visited
after Easter to make final
adjustments if required. 21 March 2013
Photo Alan
Barnes
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And a look back at
how it looked before clearance work started last
Autumn, courtesy of Richard Johnson:
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Ends
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Release date 22nd
February 2013
Winter Relay - Are we
connected?
Hardly a day has
gone by since the last Winter Relay update on this site without
somebody asking "Are we connected yet?" The track gang are
pleased to announce that the simple answer is "Yes".
However, as will be seen from the following photographs there
have been many other activities on the site, and there is still
a lot of work to do before passenger trains can operate through
to Welshpool at Easter. So perhaps the answer should
really be "No, but the job is going well."

Unlike many of our larger
relaying projects in the recent past it has not been possible to
take lorry loads of stone direct to site.
All new ballast is being
delivered to Cyfronydd station, a short distance away. This has
meant that we have not been able to prepare the levels of the
trackbed
before relaying the sleepers as
well as we would have liked and will result in a longer period
of levelling at a later date. 13 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

Another consequence of the
shortage of ballast on site before relaying was the day needed
to cover the largest of
the new drains with approximately
30 tonnes of stone - all by hand. It at least helped the
gang keep warm. 13 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

10 years
after the rest of the shipment was laid, these three South
African rails are en-route to help bridge the gap between the
old 'new' track and the new 'new' track. 15 February 2013
Photo: Alan
Barnes

The last of the new Polish rail
has been laid and a few sleepers are being unloaded to bridge
the gap
to the existing South African
rail. The last two dozen or so sleepers to be laid are not
new as a small number of the sleepers taken up last November
were found
to be re-useable during a survey
of the site at the planning stage. The remainder of these
will probably be used next winter. 15 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

A new
retaining wall under construction. 18 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

And the
finished product a few days later. The structure is
required to maintain an adequate ballast shoulder. 20
February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

A smaller
structure. In the distance a day of ballasting (using the
ballast hoppers on 14 February) is visible. 18 February
2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

Another
drainage structure. A grate will be added at a later date
to help prevent debris blocking the pipe under the embankment.
20 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

'The water
feature' - a few concrete slabs will be added to aid
maintenance. 20 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

Bridging the
gap. The first pair of South African rails are in position
and pandrol base plates have been placed on the sleepers. 18
February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

As there was
a shortage of South African fishplates, the rails are being
cropped to allow new Polish plates (different hole positions) to
be fitted. 19 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

A new hole
being drilled. The 'mag drill' is a cross departmental
tool and will also be spotted in the workshop week story below.
20 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

'The Connection'. Polish
(Left) and South African (Right) rail meet. The South
African rails have been re-drilled, but before greasing, the
Polish plates will
require a small amount of work to
match the slightly different South African rail profile on the
right hand side. 21 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

With the
rails in place the final sleeper is drilled.............21
February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

................ and the last screws go in. 21 February
2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood

Before slewing the railway into
the correct position in readiness for ballasting, the train had
to be pushed beyond the occupation crossing known
as 'Dirty Lane'. Living up
to its name, the flange ways of the crossing needed digging out
and the opportunity was taken to clear some of the drains of
the large quantity of mud that
had been washed into them since trains last operated. 22
February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber

With the levelling instrument
near to the crossing, a straight line has been put in from that
point to 'Sign Hut Curve' - this section of ballasted track does
not form part
of this year's relay and is now
10 years old. 22 February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber

Does the
General Manager want the team to slew the track to his right, or
is he asking the photographer to get out of his way? 22
February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber

Not quite
the Nullarbor Plain in Australia, but the end result is very
satisfying. 22 February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber

A final few
tweaks and the new track is ready to be ballasted. 22
February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber
Ends
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to Top of Page
Release date 22nd February 2013
Workshop Week
Without a
headline stealing project the workshop has been absent from this
page for a few months, however maintenance tasks have continued
on an almost daily basis. The gathering of a larger than
average workforce during the annual February Workshop Week (9th
to 17th February) has provided an opportunity to review some of
the work that has been on-going for some time.

The workshop team on
the Monday. L-R standing: Tony Cass, Simon Bowden, Alan Regan,
Geoff Gauntlett, John Dunkley, Paul Durant, Gareth Smith, Gareth
Jones, Richard Roberts, Keith Bide, Bruce Webber, Roger Pattie;
L-R sitting: Andrew Charman, Rolf Thomas, Simon Durant (on
Joan). Photo: Rolf Thomas

Fitting the steam heating system to Joan, seen here drilling the
front buffer beam for the hose connection to the train.

Installing a
common design of fusible plug across the fleet, seen here
reaming out the front plug hole on No. 19.

While Joan’s ashpan
was removed to give access for caulking the foundation ring, the
opportunity has been taken to fit new dampers and doors in
heavier material.

Some of the bearing wedges in
the motion of Nos. 1 & 2 were found to be excessively worn.
These were built up and machined to the required dimensions.

A number of
washout plugs are being replaced. Here a new plug is
having its head cut on the milling machine.

The linkage
to No. 19’s regulator was modified with the intention of
improving operation of the pilot valve.

I have seen
the light! Workshop Week is a good thing.
Photos
unless otherwise shown: Bruce Webber
Ends
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to Top of Page
Release date 10th
February 2013
Progress Outdoors
Photo Update

The top of Sylfaen Bank,
heading towards the highest point on the railway, during an
expedition to retrieve some pipes for use on
the current site. The pipes
were manhandled (easy in the snow) to Sylfaen before hitching a
ride by road to
Cyfronydd with the supply of
newly acquired materials. 22 January 2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood

Bad weather
has continued to cause problems throughout January and early
February, but on the whole it has not affected the progress of
the relaying team. 23 January 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood
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On the other hand
a further fall of snow a few days after these
pictures were taken, followed by a rapid thaw and
heavy rain has caused greater difficulties with the
new drainage works and also at other locations along
the railway. 24 January 2013
Photos: John
Jacobs |

Where
possible existing drainage has been re-used along the site, but
for some stretches the old pipes were found to be inadequate for
the current quantities of rain fall. 30 January 2013
Phtoto: John
Jacobs

It is not
easy to create drainage structures in fast flowing water. 30
January 2013
Photo: John
Jacobs

One of the
access chambers approaching completion. The pipes will be
covered by ballast shortly. 6 February 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

The interior
of the chamber. Before too long nobody will even notice
that this work has taken place. 6 February 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

Most of the sleepers have been
pre-drilled before transport to site. Some of the regular
track gang came in for an extra day to finish the task,
conveniently located
at one end of Llanfair
workshop to provide some protection from another flurry of snow.
5 February 2013
Photo Kevin
Heywood

Back on site the end of the
relay is in sight. The inclined base plates are being
positioned on the sleepers,
whilst the JCB (and operator)
wait patiently for the rails to be lifted into place. 7
February 2013
Photo: Kevin
Heywood

Man &
Machine. The JCB has lifted one end of the rail and the
gang move into position to lift and swing the other end on to
the inclined baseplates. 8 February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber

With
everything in place, and with pre-drilled sleepers, the rail is
soon fastened down. 8 February 2013
Photo:
Alan Barnes

And before long there will be
one less length of track to lay. Looking back towards
Llanfair most of the railway between the rail head
and the train in the
background has been laid during a three day session. 8
February 2013
Photo:
Bruce Webber

It is
evident from the photographs that the progress is heavily
dependant on machinery and tools, but the most important element
is the workforce who have come together in some atrocious
conditions. Mess facilities are provided on site and the
gang look forward to the topics of conversation during breaks,
which might include the benefits of home made bread, vintage
cars, naval history, the latest TV sensation, and occasionally a
railway related topic. 7 February 2013
Photo:
Kevin Heywood
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Meanwhile, having been postponed by January's poor
weather, the lineside clearance team have been at
work near Dolarddyn Road on a task that aids
visibility to the approach to the level crossing at
that location. 3rd February.
Photos:
Willy Field
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Release date
15th January - Updated 22 January 2013
Winter Relay Photo
Update

'New Year' focuses the
mind and the realisation that before long it will be time to
re-open the railway to passengers once again. Not wanting
to disappoint, the staff and
volunteers have turned their
attention to the large gap separating the two sections of line
and are delighted with the progress to date.
Ballasting
and tamping of this section will be undertaken shortly to allow the temporary crossing
in the foreground to be completed. 12 January 2013
Photo: Alan Barnes

Meanwhile the 'advance
gang' are continuing drainage work and the preparation of the
track bed. 12 January 2013
Photo: Alan Barnes

The trackbed has now
been levelled at this point by the JCB in readiness for the next
track laying gang the following day . 15 January 2013
Photo: David
Bothamley

Two days on and the
supply train (including hot drinks) is being shunted at Llanfair
Caereinion - and the forecast snow is starting to settle.
17 January 2013
Photo: John Seaman

Ahead lies a section
of drainage that has recently become blocked after rain caused
erosion on land adjacent to he
railway and the existing pipes
were unable to cope with the quantity of water. 17 January
2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood

Work continues
clearing the cess. Much of this area will receive new, and
larger pipes to try and avoid problems in the future. 17
January 2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood

The gang are
delighted with the railway's recently acquired hydraulic rail
bender which requires much less effort, and is therefore quicker
to use than those used
previously (see
photograph in news story from 20 December 2011). Progress is
slower whilst the rail bender is required to pre-bend the
rails, although
the curve is nowhere near as sharp as some of the
others on the railway. 17 January 2013
Photo: John Seaman

Another few screws
are put in place and the Impact Wrench will shortly be used to
fasten the rail to the sleepers 17 January 2013
Photo: John Seaman

Periodically on a
curve the inner rail requires cutting to keep the joints on each
rail opposite each other. 17 January 2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood

Another length of
sleepers and rails are in position, temporarily laid straight to
ensure a good fish plated joint between the nearest rails and
the previous length.
Unfortunately, with
an amber weather warning and heavy snow falling, the following
day's activities were postponed to avoid un-necessary risk.
17 January 2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood

To help make up for
the lost day, a few members of the gang re-arranged their
activities the following Monday to continue the work.
Mechanical lifting has aided the rail handling. 21 January
2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood

Bit by bit (18m by
18m)......... progress is being made. 21 January 2013
Photo: Kevin Heywood
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