October 2016 Update
It has always been the firm intention of those behind The Red Dragon Project, our quest to extend the railway back into down-town Bala, that news will be announced when something of importance has happened, rather than speculative hopes and wishes. While there is an immense amount of work currently going on behind the scenes, we take great delight in publishing the following from BLR Trust Chairman, Julian Birley.
One of the most important aspects of preparing for the extension of the railway into the town has been the Economic Impact Survey. During the season, our visitors have been surveyed and their responses are now being analysed. On the 13th October, it was the turn of business to meet with the market survey agency, and an invitation was sent out inviting businesses to attend a meeting at Llanuwchllyn station.
We were delighted that 19 businesses attended, and a very useful meeting was conducted. Their response was extremely positive, and it is very reassuring that the railway is regarded as the premier tourist attraction in the area. Once concluded, I met with John Pritchard, the surveyor, who was very brief in his reaction: “It does not get any better than that”.
With that out of the way, we wait for the completed report and continue the detailed and complex discussions with Natural Resources Wales and the Highways Department.
This gives but a small taste of the myriad efforts in many directions that are being relentlessly pursued in order to achieve this ambitious plan. To put it simply, there is a considerable number of the proverbial ‘balls-in-the-air’, and we will publish details as and when they are finalised. These are exciting times.
We will report on the Halloween and half-term traffic next month, but, suffice it to say, up to this writing, numbers for October have been healthy, including a coach party of Chester Football Club supporters, the Senior Blues. Much favourable comment was heard after they had lunched at the station.
The Penrhyn Coach Project is, as we reported last month, making great progress, in spite of the very cramped conditions in which David Hale has to work. David reports: “The four plywood panels for the roof have been cut to size, and all the holes have been pre-drilled. With the roof fixed in place, the ‘canvas’ covering, which has just arrived, is to be attached, and a special adhesive is being sourced. The task of filling all the screw heads on the end panels is now done - a very time-consuming job – and a start has been made in doing the same to the sides. Once that has been done, the sanding down of the outside can be carried out in preparation for a coat of primer. I have started making the quadrant mouldings for the outer part of the window openings – four lengths for each opening – 10 openings – thus 40 lengths in total to be prepared. Those will then need to be cut to length and mitred at the corners before gluing and screwing in place. As with the filling, all of this work is very time-consuming and I am not rushing it.
On the 26th October, a local upholstery expert, Larry Piper from Sparkford, came over to look at what will be required in terms of seating and upholstery, so that the work can be put in hand, assuming the price he quotes is acceptable”!
BLR Director, Julian Birley, visited David recently and, in his own phraseology, was ‘blown away’ by the sheer quality of the workmanship and incredible attention to detail, particularly as it is now resembling a coach, rather than a bare carcass. When the completed coach arrives at the BLR, it will be a truly prized addition to the rolling stock, and there will doubtless be an exclusion zone in order to prevent oily boots getting even close. As we have said before, construction is to cabinet-maker standard, and with that, there will be so much that will never be seen.
We have some delightful snippets of General News this month, the first being the ingenious fitment of lights for the home and loop semaphore signals at Llanuwchllyn. Rather than laying lengths of cable, these lights are simply powered by solar panels and come on at dusk.
The other item of note, as always a private individual generously making something available to the railway, is a recently acquired back-hoe for the owner’s 1963 International B614 tractor. This addition will prove invaluable for ditch clearing and other line-side chores, particularly as (there is no other description) the tractor’s track is wide enough not to disturb the railway track.
And finally…. after the huge success of the recent working weekend, when sleepers were replaced and an immense amount of branches and foliage was cleared and chipped on site, the Wednesday Gang will meet every Wednesday in November. This rare group of volunteers tackle anything and everything, and always with humour and copious amounts of tea, although we hope the recent scare stories about rising tea prices will not temper their enthusiasm. We always welcome anyone who wants to join the team for these most productive and enjoyable days. As the photo shows, it is a beautiful working environment.
