March 2017 Update
We all know the old adage about London buses, nothing for a while then two arrive in quick succession. After last month’s announcement about the acquisition of land in Bala Town for the site of the Terminus Station, we are truly thrilled to make a second announcement under the heading; ‘Bala’s Dragon starts to breathe fire’.
The Bala Lake Railway’s plans to extend into Bala Town received another major boost at the end of March with the award of a Heritage Lottery Grant to enhance the covered accommodation for the locomotives and rolling stock.
The staff and volunteers at the BLR are celebrating the award of £38,500 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to extend and improve significantly the existing rolling stock accommodation at Llanuwchllyn Station. This is to cope with the current increasing demand and to protect the improved rolling stock which will accompany their ongoing plans for the new station in Bala. Speaking of the award, Project Leader Julian Birley BEM said:
This is superb news for the BLR and for the local area. In recent years, the team has been reaping the rewards of its hard work to provide more events and a better visitor experience, and the year-on-year growth in passenger numbers reflects that. However, the existing facilities have become increasingly overcrowded and do not allow us to expand, particularly taking into account the increasing collection of historic locomotives and rolling stock.
Apart from larger and more secure accommodation for the rolling stock, the extended building will provide a much improved visitor experience through disabled access, as well as better interpretation of the heritage exhibits. A revised track layout, which will allow access from each end of the yard, will also provide better operational flexibility, which will be particularly useful during the increasingly popular programme of Gala events held each year. Heritage and Development Officer Toby Watkins, who secured this grant, explained:
While an improvement of the infrastructure at Llanuwchllyn Station is a necessary precursor to our expansion plans, the new building is also vital for the development of volunteer numbers and skills. Likewise, our developing activity programme requires suitable facilities, where visitors and groups can access our wide range of exhibits, in both Welsh and English, regardless of weather and physical ability. Without this grant, we would have had to wait years to begin this vital work. The HLF has been fantastic, providing us with valuable advice and guidance every step of the way, and it has been a pleasure working with them.
The new rolling stock accommodation is another project to be delivered as part of a portfolio of projects on which the BLR and the Trust will work together to deliver under the banner of ‘Prosiect Y Ddraig Goch/The Red Dragon Project’. These include a new engine shed, better passenger carriages, the extension and the new station in Bala itself, plus further enhancement of the heritage rolling stock which tells the story of the Welsh slate quarry railways. Describing The Red Dragon Project, Julian added:
This year has got us off to a flying start with this grant award from the HLF, and it endorses the incredible support from local residents and businesses all the way up to the Welsh Government for the Bala Lake Railway and its expansion plans. The first piece of land for the new station site in the town of Bala itself has been acquired.
As both a Director of the BLR and Chairman of the BLR Trust, Julian has been involved in complex negotiations for the funding and permissions necessary for the proposed expansion. Reacting to the extremely positive developments over recent months, he concluded:
A supporter watching our progress from over 200 miles away believes so strongly in the project that he has put up the entire purchase price of £85,000 for the next land purchase. This now gives the railway a strong presence in the town. It is well-known that, nationally, heritage railways contribute much to local economies. Now it really is the turn of Bala.
But life carries on. Under the heading of Locomotives, the 10-year strip and rebuild of Maid Marian continues under the expert eye of Chief Engineer, Rob Houghton, and while, to the untrained eye, the myriad pieces would present a bewildering task for most, Rob is confident, in his relaxed manner, that she will be ready on schedule. Please remember, she will reappear in her original ‘open’ format for this season only.
In the meantime, the serious attention that our trusty diesel, Trigger, has been undergoing, is nearing completion. Apart from being overdue for a large helping of TLC, Dan Laidlaw found that vibration from a broken engine mount had caused a crack in the frames, so it was a case of remove the engine to facilitate that repair, as well as attending to other items much more easily. She is now being put back together, and as Dan’s photos show, everything gets a fresh coat of paint, particularly the bits that are not normally visible.
While accessibility permitted, the brakes were modified and improved, and new brake blocks were fitted. The massive drive chains were cleaned and adjusted, the air reservoir was sealed and repainted, and the aforementioned repaired subframe was painted.
Her reappearance into service will take the heat off Chilmark, which has been in almost daily use for months, but it will mean that the railway now has two heavy diesels at its disposal at any time.
Work on the Penrhyn Coach has started again after a break and much has been happening. David Hale, who is building this coach entirely on his own, reports:
“I started again last weekend and the immediate job is to get on with the doors. Because of the confined workspace, and the need to be able to hang and swing the doors open, I made a couple of timber skids to fit to the steel underframe to enable me to move it, giving me almost a metre between the carriage and the boundary fence. In time, it will of course be necessary to move it in the other direction next to the house to deal with the door on the other side.
I have at last found a source for suitable hinges. After trying a number of so-called specialist firms in various parts of the country, but to no avail, I finally found a place locally, in Yeovil, who could supply almost immediately!
The order for the impregnated plywood for the floor will be placed very soon, so that it can be loose-fitted in readiness for the seats. Pipers of Sparkford have visited to take final measurements for the seats, and I am expecting them to visit once more next week to try the seat frames in place”.
Again, we cannot reiterate too much just how much detail is going into the construction of this beautiful coach, and the cramped conditions in which it is being so carefully put together.
The Wednesday Gang, our regular band of volunteers, has been achieving a great deal this month, and in all conditions. More sections of track have been relaid with new sleepers, two of the crossings on the line have had their timbers replaced, the work on Boathouse Bridge has been completed for this year, although one day did necessitate jobs in the workshop, such was the amount of ‘liquid sunshine’.
But one of the bigger achievements over the March Working Weekend has been the replacement of the entire platform fence at Llangower, the half-way halt on the line. The fence was delivered as a kit of parts, which included over 400 pickets, and with the horizontal rails pre-cut to size. In a fine piece of organisation, the team was put into four groups, the first setting out the panels and getting the spacing exact for the pickets (the upright timbers), the second fitting the pickets, with the third installing and completing anything else that was needed. The fourth team installed the fine new sign boards, all in all a finely executed operation.
But it must also be mentioned is that all the materials, posts, sign-boards etc. were purchased as the result of a wonderful donation from Ian Whitley. BLR Members will recall from an article in the Llanuwchllyn Express Members’ magazine that Ian had an adorable terrier called Pip who sadly passed away. Pip particularly loved visits to Llangower, where the lake, beach and plenty of sticks (and probably an inattentive duck or two) provided great enjoyment to him and his owner alike. In memory of Pip, Ian commissioned a painting of his pooch and sold the prints, the money raised being used to fund the new fence and signs. On the day of completion of the fence, Ian was invited to hammer in the last nail and to fix a small commemorative plaque in honour of his beloved terrier. To say that the railway is grateful for this touching generosity is an understatement. As a consequence, Llangower now takes on even greater significance.
And finally….. here are some important dates coming up.
We have chronicled the restoration of Hunslet George B.Saturday, 22nd April is the day she enters service on the BLR, a day not to be missed. Please check our website for the latest information.
We have already mentioned that the 10-year inspection and overhaul of Maid Marian is nearing completion, and we expect her to be back in steam by Saturday, 6th May, which will be the 50th anniversary of her sale and rescue from Dinorwic Quarry.
The week before Maid Marian re-enters service at Llanuwchllyn, she is due to attend the Bressingham Steam Museum Heritage Steam Gala in Norfolk. Interestingly, Maid Marian has been at Bressingham before as she was one of the early fleet of 2ft gauge locomotives at the museum, running there between 1967 and 1971. Further details of this event can be found by clickinghere.
No heritage railway can ever have too many volunteers. To this end, we remind all that our next Volunteer Day is taking place onSunday, 14th May. Numbers of those registered to attend are healthy, some coming from a considerable distance. Distance is subjective, particularly with such spectacular scenery en route.
On a final note, even after a serious day’s work, our volunteers still want to help. At the end of one onerous day, (while tea and cakes were being prepared – naturally), the ‘Catoflat’, our bogie works wagon, and the small P-way generator wagon, were given a thorough clean and tidy while still on site. As one remarked; “We had time, it was needed so we did it”.
