NEWS UPDATE No. 120
So much has been happening at the BLR over the last few weeks that it became very difficult to identify a cut-off point, such was the continuous run of events which seamlessly ran into each other. Most were to be enjoyed and celebrated but one, arguably the most momentous for all the wrong reasons, tried to dominate the thoughts of all concerned.
April 19th is a date that will live in partial infamy as this was when the Snowdonia National Park Planning Committee summarily rejected the BLR Trust’s planning application for the extension into Bala. Whilst this was a huge blow to everyone, it should be noted that the decision was not unanimous but delivered on an 8 – 4 majority, with four abstentions. This is not the medium in which to explore the politics of the decision but it should be noted that there was considerable uproar, to the extent that even the local Westminster MP, Liz Savill Roberts, left the chamber during Prime Minister’s Questions to receive the news, such is her interest in the project. Comments were raised in the Senedd in Cardiff about the peremptory manner of the refusal, particularly as tourism, while being actively encouraged in the Principality, has been seen to be given a slap in the face by this decision.
To qualify the word ‘uproar’ and its repercussions can be seen in several surprising and positive reactions. Two ardent supporters of the project, from the Midlands and London respectively who have been following the Trust’s progress very closely over the years, immediately sent sizeable cheques of four and five figures to help with the Appeal Fund, and many other donations have already flooded in. As a perfect example of enthusiasm in all quarters, Trust Chairman Julian Birley was dining with friends in Bala shortly after the 19th whereupon one of the restaurant staff approached him to commiserate and said that a number of shopkeepers had banded together and walked down to the current terminus at Pen y Bont to let the train’s guard know how strongly they felt about the decision. Likewise, one senior Bala Councillor was so furious that he was heard muttering (in Welsh) about red hot irons, boiling oil and other suitable forms of awakening .
The uproar and shock are universal. If you are able to pledge some support, in whatever form, we proudly include the link to the BLR Trust. We will be asking for your moral and written support once the revised application hits the planner’s desk, but right now what will help the most in getting us to that point is your financial support to get the application re-submitted as quickly as possible. Whatever is feasible will be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, the management team now know exactly what it is up against and are working furiously to raise the funds and work through the issues, this time with much wisdom and moral support from numerous quarters. You can make a donation online by clicking here.
Moving rapidly on to a wonderful run of success over the past weeks, the season got into full swing in April with passenger numbers decidedly healthy in spite of the weather while the engineering team worked busily to get Alice and Holy War ready for their long-awaited return to service at the end-of-the-month Gala after their ten-year overhauls .
The first significantly visual moment of progress was on the 12th April when the cab of Holy War was bolted on. On the 20th, the boiler inspector arrived and the boilers of Alice, Holy War and Winifred all passed their tests.
The celebratory Gala over the weekend of the 29th/30th was a resounding success with the stars of the show, Alice and Holy War, double-heading while George B and Winifred were also paired together, much to the delight of visitors who arrived in throngs to witness a quartet of Hunslets in steam and in particular the reappearance of our two famous locos not seen for quite a while. Only Maid Marian was absent for the proceedings, having developed an ailment at the last minute but as this is written, she is on the mend, back in steam and will shortly visit the Ffestiniog Railway for a special birthday party where she is to be double-headed with Britomart, the reason being that the elderly birthday guest first saw one and first rode behind the other. In the meantime, those in charge of rostering at the BLR will be spoilt for choice as to which of our five Hunslet locos they will be pleased to select!
The weekend featured many scheduled trains, including one of slate wagons, which meant that whichever signalman on duty at Llangower passing loop had little time to relax. Many visitors simply parked at Llangower to watch the slick operation of passing trains and one service to the end of the line was of note as there were many on the platform at Pen Y Bont terminus waiting keenly. But all were accommodated on board, such is the efficiency of our on-line booking which means that nobody is disappointed. It also means that the railway can develop statistics of exactly where our visitors come from etc., a vital tool in future marketing, particularly when the railway enters Bala Town.
The weather tried hard (and failed) to dampen the enthusiasm and while the figures for the Easter school holidays were 6% down on last year (incidentally our best year ever), Easter Saturday and Sunday saw a 13% increase! But overall, April suffered just slightly with showers (our perennial liquid sunshine) leaving us with a 4% lower number than last year but nevertheless, as we said, very healthy indeed .
Railway Modelling in narrow gauge has always enjoyed a small but dedicated following but now the choice of a new bespoke 009 scale group of products has been expanding rapidly, courtesy of the well-known marque of Bachmann which has gone to town on an exciting range of models primarily from the Welsh quarries and lines. Amongst the current range are several from the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways amongst others but Bachmann has now introduced a series of Quarry Hunslet locos which are enchanting both gazers as well as those fumbling quickly for their wallets. The models can be accompanied by suitable wagons and accessories but it is the locos that are a delight, indeed a revelation. Of the BLR stable, there are examples of Alice and Holy War which are beautifully made with exquisite detail and what is most important, they run perfectly ‘straight out of the box’, (as this writer can testify), and exactly as do the real locos after our engineering team of Rob Houghton and Dan Laidlaw have been busy with them! Model railway shops are sadly few and far between these days but the BLR has become an accredited outlet and even though the locos are not exactly cheap (they are not toys), the response has been nothing short of stunning with many thousands being already taken in sales. Representatives from Bachmann were on hand over the Gala weekend at the end of April and were quizzed about future developments, particularly regarding Winifred. Whilst there was no word on a Winifred appearing in the future, the Bachmann people took on board that there were only three ‘Port Class’ Hunslets, of which Winifred was one, and tooling for three near-identical locos would cost but a whisker more. On top of that, many collectors would probably welcome a set of the trio. Watch this space and the model railway press. In the meantime, remember the old axiom; “Model railways can damage your wealth” – and in the best possible way!
There is one topic which we have not mentioned recently, such has been the frenetic activity elsewhere. The Penrhyn Coach is currently tucked away in the dry Heritage Centre and is awaiting some suitably warm and prolonged weather to receive more work on the paintwork on the exterior. Currently, the Coach has its interior carefully covered, but a peak through the window shows the rich and sumptuous pleated leather in perfect condition and dust-free. Come the time for serious progress, we will keep you informed about this masterful recreation built by David Hale after the original in the Penrhyn Museum and painted by former general manager Roger Hine and his wife Bobby.
And finally……. it is in the nature of things that retirements inevitably happen after many years of devoted service but April 29th was significant in that regular driver (as well as all round volunteer) Bob Greenhalgh, known to all as Bob Shell after his distinguished career as a fuel analyst (and anyway, it is easier to pronounce) decided to hang up his gloves as he has reached a majestic age. Saturday 29th was special as it was not only Bob’s last day on the regulator but he was rostered on Holy War, fresh from her ten-year rebuild. The sun shone for most of the day and Bob grinned throughout a similar time span while his final task was to ease Holy War into the loco shed on a breath of steam at the end of the day. To show appreciation of his wonderful service to the BLR over such a long period, there was a ceremony earlier on Llanuchllyn platform where Bob was presented with a nameplate of Holy War. This was a wonderful return gesture to Bob as he had already donated a brand new shovel to the railway as a token of his appreciation and gratitude for being allowed to indulge in one of his passions for so long. But he will be back and we look forward to seeing him on the platform very soon. After all, you can never keep a good man down.
As a delightful addendum, three children from the village recently appeared at the station with three docile sheep on leads! The sheep were totally unconcerned with all the strange noises and movements, and as soon as the two trios had satisfied their curiosity with what was happening, they departed as quietly as they had arrived. You never know what might appear at Llanuwchllyn – and often does!
Postscript. Our General Manager David Jones writes: “This, the 120th edition of the Bala Lake Railway News Update, is the last under the current editorship. We can reveal that all 120 issues to date have been written and brought to you by Patrick Ridley-Martin who has been a huge supporter of the BLR over the years and indeed is the owner of our Ruston & Hornsby diesel Chilmark. We take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for his service and dedication to the written word, as well as a colourful turn of phrase that is uniquely his”.
Not long before Patrick started writing the Bala Lake Railway News he spent a day with Rob Houghton on Alice. Here are a few pictures from that day back in 2012.
The News Update will continue under new management so watch this space……