August 2015 Update
August may mean holidays and relaxation for a large percentage of the population, but not for staff and volunteers at the Bala Lake Railway. Apart from the dedicated regime of ongoing maintenance, both on motive power and track needs, the return of Holy War’s boiler was eagerly awaited, as it was hoped that she would complete the foursome of Bala Lake Hunslets in steam. However, it was found that the boiler needed some extra work, which would preclude her re-assembly in time. Sad as that was, it meant that the whole exercise was to be finished later than expected. But, on the basis of ‘do it once and do it right’, it was decided that Holy Warwould only be a static display loco. But what was all this in aid of?
The Bala Gala
The Bank Holiday weekend was the occasion of the biggest festival that the railway has hosted, and what an unparalleled success it was! There were record passenger numbers for recent times on the trains on all four days, and the Llanuwchllyn Station shop and café enjoyed record business as well. One volunteer arrived on Saturday to find a packed platform, and was greeted by the guard asking, half in jest: “You haven’t got any spare coaches, have you? We’ve got six on and they’re full”. All four days of the Gala experienced wonderful passenger numbers, and it should be noted that trains were running well into the evenings.
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Photo by Michael Chapman
The railway’s operational Hunslet fleet, Alice, Winifred and Maid Marian were on duty, and to make up the fourth, the Statfold Barn Railway very kindly offered to lend their 2005 built Hunslet loco, Jack Lane for the weekend. In addition to the steam contingent, all the BLR diesels were on duty too. Bob Davies (always known as Trigger), the two Rustons, Chilmark and Lady Madcap, plus newly re-painted and re-furbished Meirionnydd, were kept busy throughout the Gala, the last hauling return passenger trains, and a testimony to the work and expertise of Dan Laidlaw and Rob Houghton. Her gleaming new paint was admired by all. Only Chilmark showed a little temperament when she briefly refused to start after being cleaned and polished by her owner, (such ingratitude), but she soon responded to the gentle ministrations of Dan and Rob.
Photo by Michael Chapman
The Hunslets alternated their duties, either hauling passenger workings or taking the stock of former Penrhyn wagons or Dinorwic slate wagons. With the Llangower loop in action, the signalling teams, both there and at Llanuwchllyn, were kept busy, and it was possible to have three trains in action at the same time, thus providing a vast number of photo opportunities over the entire distance. The BLR is deservedly known as ‘The Line-Side Line’.
Photo by Michael Chapman
In addition, while Llanuwchllyn was (briefly) quiet, visitors were given rides in the Dinorwic royal wagon. Likewise, our recently arrived Wickham Trolley was doing the same, as well as providing return trips to Pentrepiod, the first halt beyond Dolfawr bank. This platform claims the unique status of being the shortest in the UK.
Photo by Michael Chapman
The static displays in the yard were also attracting much interest. Apart from Holy War, the line’s fifth Hunslet,George B, was also outside on show. Coincidentally, they were both to be seen in a similar state, with their boilers fitted but detail work to continue. Holy War could be seen having her boiler cladding refitted, in readiness for all the other ancillaries, while privately owned George B is more of a long term restoration, but it is hoped that she will be back in steam next year.
Photo by Michael Chapman
In the parking area, visitors were intrigued to see a most eclectic collection of older vehicles, not forgetting a vintage bus plus a former London double-decker that was ferrying passengers from Bala car parks to Bala station. A pair of old tractors were joined by a beautifully restored Thames Trader lorry, railway director Martin Levy’s Austin Seven, plus another Seven that had brought the 5” gauge Hunslet loco on its own little period trailer, the loco providing rides on the track laid out on the platform. Julian Birley’s Land Rover was there too, as well as the ex-Ivo Peters Bentley, which is always greatly admired and photographed. All in all, this wonderful collection of vintage vehicles was on display throughout the whole weekend, and they predictably attracted much admiration and comment.
Apart from the daytime schedules, the Gala also featured the first quadruple-headed operation on the line, and the sight and sound of four Hunslets working hard up Dolfawr Bank was a sight and sound to behold. Indeed, on one evening, Trigger, which had taken a late passenger working to Bala, was met at Llangower on the return leg by the four Hunslets, and the sight of a quintuple headed train was spectacular. The sound of four steam whistles, plus Trigger’s low pitched hoot, was unique, Trigger naturally not wanting to be left out of the fun!
Photo by Michael Chapman
The whole event was one huge success, and a great tribute to General Manager, David Jones, and his team, the commitment of all staff and volunteers being immense. If there was a ‘Bala Buzz’ before, it is considerably louder now. One final extra bonus was the surprisingly quiet pass of Britain’s only flying Vulcan bomber, which was seen and photographed by many. She was performing at the Rhyl Air Show.
Carriage & Wagon
The news from this department this month is on the Penrhyn Coach Project, being built single-handedly by David Hale. He reports that the lower panelling has now been pinned and glued on one side of the carriage. This took a long time to get a good match between adjacent pieces of plywood, and even longer to pre-drill the 1.5mm holes through the ply into the ash frame to take the stainless steel pins.
The BLR Extension Project
Lest it be thought that other projects might be side-lined by the Gala, Julian Birley is still working feverishly to get the Bala Extension details and funding in place. Much is happening behind the scenes, and a large number of Gala visitors made contributions in the BLR Trust envelopes available at the station. All were, and indeed are greatly appreciated.
And finally…..
Our General Manager, David Jones, summed up the weekend very succinctly when he commented:
“We’ve started something now, and we’ll be doing it again next year. So put the dates for the August Bank Holiday in your diaries now. Bala is the only place to be”.
As a final thought, we show a photograph taken by one of our stalwart volunteers, Bob Greenhalgh, who was on (very) busy signalling duty over part of the Gala weekend. When Bala Lake enjoys sunshine, it is truly breath-taking. But the photo shows that you do not necessarily need sun to have spectacular sights around the Bala Lake Railway.
