NEWS UPDATE No. 114
What a month! That exclamation has been used before but it was definitely merited this time.
The 50th Anniversary Steam Gala over the Bank Holiday weekend topped off our 50th Anniversary celebrations perfectly and was an enormous success, particularly with our ‘guest’ locos from our friends at the Statfold Barn Railway proving a considerable draw. The BLR management would like to express their sincere thanks not only for the loan but also the immaculate preparation of the two locos. Statistics-wise, it was the busiest Gala in the last five years and just short of the record. Indeed, we beat 2019 by 4 passengers and 2021 by 19! The management was said, with typical laconic dryness, to be ‘quite satisfied’ with the truly excellent August results overall even if exceeding the spectacular 2021 record was only just missed.
Many permutations of matched motive power were tried over the weekend but the most fascinating was surely the coupling together of Liassic with our own Triassic. To the uninitiated, double heading during a Bala Gala is nothing new but Triassic, normally at rest in our Heritage Centre, has not steamed for years, thus coupling two ‘sister’ Pecketts was noteworthy to say the least. On top of that, our ingenious engineers managed a bit of clever trickery to make it appear as if Triassic was in steam, using an air supply to make her whistle work faintly as well as a smoking rag to emit wisps of smoke from the chimney. Now that was special!
Prior to the Gala itself, the sight of an enormous low-loader with two appealing locos chained on to the trailer being reversed all the way from the village High Street along Station Road, across the bridge and then into the yard, a tortuous route, was not only a sight to behold but an exhibition of superlative truck driving. Some might blanche at reversing a car up that lane.
Rather than discuss all the fun and variations that were evident over the weekend, we present a scrolling montage of photos from the weekend on the basis ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.
Away from the Gala activities and attractions, the BLR hosted another distinguished visitor during August. On the 11th, the railway was honoured by the visit of Leslie Griffiths MS who is the Minister for Rural Affairs in North Wales. She was met by Julian Birley BEM, Chairman of the Bala Lake Railway Trust and David Jones, General Manager of the Railway who escorted her along the proposed extension of the line into Bala Town.
During the visit, she showed a keen interest in the new development of the railway which is expected to increase visitor numbers by over 50% while bringing significant economic benefits to Bala and the wider area. She was particularly pleased to hear of the co-operation between the BLR and Natural Resources Wales regarding the renewing of the flood defences, on top of which will run the track-bed of the new line for a short way. Seeing this actually taking shape was most rewarding for her as she could see the projects taking shape simultaneously.
As regular readers will recall in these pages, the BLR has welcomed some high-profile guests to the extension over the past months and it was a delight to add Leslie Griffiths to that distinguished list.
Continuing with BLR Trust activities, Christina Kennedy, a Trustee of the Bala Lake Railway Trust, posted the following statement.
The Red Dragon Project is the realisation of the long-held ambition to extend the Bala Lake Railway into the town of Bala. The Trustees of the BLRT are busy working on the logistics of the project which will bring real benefits to the local community. The railway is not just for enthusiasts as it brings a lot of tourism and trade to the area and to the town of Bala.
We are now looking for a local volunteer fund-raiser to join our small and energetic team to;
- Approach businesses, local authorities and individuals to secure funding.
- Organise and help with fundraising activities such as sponsored and promotional events.
- Recruit volunteers for fundraising events and co-ordinate their work
- Plan donation campaigns and events.
- Write reports and press releases.
If you are interested, please contact Julian Birley on 07831-120564.
The Penrhyn Coach has been receiving regular attention each week when the husband and wife team of Roger and Bobbie Hine address the detailed task of painting the coach which needs very steady hands. You may recall that Roger was responsible for the exquisite paint job on Winifred after her years of wearing storage dust etc. As the photo shows, they are making great progress on what, when completed, will be a unique creation in the style of the original in the Penrhyn Museum.
EVENTS. After such a successful season filled with extra events, it could be thought that life might become a bit quieter. No!
First in line are the Halloween Trains on the 28th and 29th October. A spooky ride along the line in half-darkness with the trees eerily rustling is not to be missed, as will be the ghostly figures appearing out of the shadows.
The Santa Specials on the 10th and 11th December are always very popular and as with the Halloween ‘ghost-runs’, all details will be available on this website. But do book early as these extra services will sell out very quickly. Now all we need is snow, and lots of it.
And finally…… it is always refreshing to highlight something really ingenious that our engineering team have come up with. As detailed in last month’s News, Carriage no. 4 was ‘out-shopped’ just prior to the Gala but nobody will have paid any attention to the bright blue bearing covers on the new bogies but they definitely deserve an explanation. Engineer Dan Laidlaw felt the exposed bearings looked a bit unsightly and cast his eagle eyes around to improvise a cover of some sort. Said eyes alighted on a classic International 275 tractor parked near the loco shed, and in particular the front wheel bearing covers. Briefly ‘borrowing’ the covers from the tractor showed that they would fit perfectly on the new carriage bogies and duly ordered some. Around Llanuwchllyn, ingenuity knows no bounds.
Our second item sums up the BLR to perfection. The photo shows regular driver Ben Nelson with Graham Ashby who was a regular volunteer fireman for years until knee issues got in the way. It should be remembered that the footplate area of a Hunslet locomotive is cramped to say the least. The photo shows the two standing next to George B with Graham’s 5” gauge Alice which was used on the 5” line laid along the platform for the Gala.
It is this sort of refreshing camaraderie that really typifies the prevailing atmosphere that is the Bala Lake Railway.