News from the Bala Lake Railway
April 2016 Update Passenger numbers, by their very nature, do not always follow strict patterns. Those of April 2015 were very healthy, largely as the result of the big celebrations in the middle of the month in honour of the return to service of Winifred, our Hunslet which had been…
March 2016 Update We have already reported on the first services this year in February, but the first major passenger activities were around a particularly early Easter. The enthusiasm of visitors was as good as ever, although the Bank Holiday Monday was traditionally damp, hence the numbers were down. But…
February 2016 Update We break with tradition and start with And Firstly because of some wonderful news received at the very end of February. When we were presented with the opportunity to acquire from the MOD the rail needed for the extension into Bala, it spurred on and created greatly…
Double recognition for Bala Lake Railway at industry awards The Bala Lake Railway received two industry accolades at the annual Heritage Railway Association Awards held at Grand Station, Wolverhampton on Saturday February 6th 2016. The Steam Railway award, presented by one of the country’s leading railway magazines, was awarded…
January 2016 Update The first month of the year is an opportunity never to be missed on any railway, and the BLR team leapt into action on the onerous task of replacing all the sleepers along a quarter mile stretch of track, which we will cover later. But other activities…
December 2015 Update The railway is now closed for the festive season, and the locos are all drained, oiled and protected against the ravages of the inclement environment. But we ended the year on a real high with record attendance on the Santa Specials, held over the weekend of 12th…
November 2015 Update Much happened in November, but if ever an update merited the codicil ‘weather permitting’, it was the month just passed. However, persistent rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of staff and volunteers. After all, they were damp enough already, so a little extra went completely unnoticed.…
October 2015 Update If ever there was proof that it gets busierafter the end of the main operating season, then the last month on the BLR is a living testimony. The Halloween specials were an enormous success, the Wednesday Gang has been getting seriously busy again, one popular loco has…
September 2015 Update There is no dispute to the fact that the success of the August Bank Holiday Gala has had an ongoing effect on the railway. September passenger numbers were up by 10% on September last year, and the station café is enjoying even better figures, thus the Bala…
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…
