September 2017 Update
After the huge success of the railway’s traditional August Bank Holiday four-day extravaganza, life has now returned to ‘normal’, if any railway activity can be termed thus. The BLR has been on a proverbial roll all year and passenger figures have been consistently better than those of the equivalent periods last year. Nevertheless, while attendance this month has been healthy, our numbers are down a little on September last year. However, we expect to be back in number-beating form in October as the Halloween trains on the 28th and the 31st should be well patronised. Preparations for the two traditional yearly events, Halloween and the Santa Specials in December, are well under way, to the extent that not only have posters, tickets etc. been printed for both, but our on-line booking service is available for Halloween and the Santa Specials too. Please do not leave it too late to get tickets as the Santa Specials, in particular, have been sold out every year for the last few years.
Our Locomotive Fleet is as busy as ever, with September having scheduled trains almost every day. After the beginning of October, the work-load is less and a deal of care and attention can be given to our hard-working fleet.
Of note during September, Alice has just returned from her trip to the West Lancashire Railway where she starred in their 50th Anniversary Gala. All railways of whatever gauge co-operate with others, particularly with the loan of locomotives, and we were delighted to send Alice up to their Hesketh Bank base.
"Alice" being loaded ready for her trip to West Lancashire
But what made it special for all concerned is that the founding members of the West Lancashire were among the group which managed to rescue Alice from where she lay forlorn, deserted and derelict in Dinorwic Quarry, high up on Australia Level. She had to be brought down very carefully by way of one of the inclines, which was a major undertaking, bearing in mind that she still weighed, even in her partially stripped condition, not far off her normal 6 tons.
You will recall that George B suffered what could have been a serious failure just prior to the Gala, but the quick reactions of the loco crew meant that an ingenious repair by our Chief Engineer could be carried out so that she was operational for the Gala. As a testament to the effectiveness of that repair, she is still being used for light duties, particularly on a couple of Driver Experience days, but she will not return to main scheduled duties until a proper repair to the slide valve linkages has been done over the winter. It does however show just how durable are these wonderful little Hunslet locos.
As the season begins to wind down, an annual weekly activity starts again with enthusiasm and humour (plus flapjacks), this being The Wednesday Gang. Throughout the winter, in weather fine or foul, this intrepid group gather every Wednesday to attack whatever task needs its attention. As we have reported in the past, these could be track maintenance, tree pruning, building renovation, let alone the constant work on locomotives, be they steam or diesel.
But for all necessities to be tackled, there is always scope for more Volunteers to swell the numbers of our invaluable, unsung group of heroes which rise to any occasion. One has recently been building platform seats and was operating the 16mm model layout over the Gala weekend. Over the past year, our loyal band has been on hand, to turn out even on weekends. Likewise, our new arrivals have discovered just how productive and rewarding an activity volunteering can be, in a nutshell, fun! For example, preparations for the Halloween Specials are well under way, (in this instance by someone working over a weekend with his wife), and most of the ‘effects’ for Halloween happen at Flag Halt, so any extra help will always be greatly appreciated. As we mentioned earlier, the ticket and poster aspect is under control, and the volunteer involved, who also drives trains as often as possible, (he of the flapjacks), is fitting this in around moving house and the accompanying serious renovation. Their loyalty is rewarded only by the satisfaction of working with a like-minded bunch in a delightful environment.
Together with the forthcoming Working Weekends, anything could be on the agenda, and it is the variety that is so appealing. If this sort of thing is up your street, please call the railway, as we would be delighted to hear from you and welcome you to the railway.