The Gwili Railway thread

Yes it has been very pleasing to see it all coming together.
We are one of the smaller railways and I won't lie, trying to extend the line as well as operating as much as we can/have done has stretched us, and there have been some testing times, some of which has been hinted at on the thread.
However, I think that at last we might be starting to to realise some of the vast potential the railway has.

Regards

Matt

 

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder that the 2016 gala will be held on Saturday October 8th. Locos in use will be RSH No.7849 "Moorbarrow" (visiting for the season), RSH No.71516 "Welsh Guardsman", class 03 D2178 and the cl.117 DMU. A busy timetable of steam, diesel, railcar and goods trains will be run all day, with the first departure expected to be at 1000 from Bronwydd Arms.

More details will follow very soon.

Cheers,

Phil.

 

Update

Pretty much a hole in the ground but work has commenced on the ground frame at Abergwili Jtn.

Regards

Matt

 

Hi all,

Further details of the gala are below...

Cheers,

Phil.

----------------

On Saturday October 8th 2016, the Gwili Steam Railway will be holding it’s annual Gala Day.

A busy timetable of steam and diesel hauled passenger and demonstration goods trains will be running throughout the day, as well as the diesel railcar (alongside other side attractions), providing plenty to see and do.

Parking
At Bronwydd Arms station, there will be limited car-parking (on a first come, first serve basis).

An overflow carpark will be provided at Bronwydd Village Hall (SA33 6BE), with a regular shuttle-bus providing a link to the railway all day. The village hall car-park is located on the B4301, half a mile North of Bronwydd Arms station - turn left out of the station, over the level crossing, and keep going for half a mile.

Reserved disabled parking will be available for blue-badge holders at Bronwydd Arms station.

Fares
Adult £12.75
Senior £11.50
Child £5.50
Family £29.50

Tickets are available on the day, and do not have to be bought in advance. Tickets are valid on all passenger trains, all day. Please note that it is not possible to travel on the demonstration goods train.

HRA passes (and other vouchers) are unfortunately not valid during this event.

Timetable
A copy of the working timetable will be published on the railway’s website closer to the event. The timetable will include a mixture of steam, diesel, railcar and goods trains - featuring all available locomotives on passenger trains.

The first train (diesel-hauled by D2178) departs Bronwydd Arms at 1000, with the first steam-hauled departure at 1030. The final train of the day will arrive back at around 1630.

Locomotives expected to be in use will be RSH 7170 No.71516 “Welsh Guardsman”, RSH No.7849 “Moorbarrow” (visiting for the season), class 03 D2178 and the resident cl.117 DMU.

Where to eat
Hot bacon rolls will be available on board the first train of the day (1000 from Bronwydd Arms, hauled by D2178), freshly cooked in the kitchen car. The Victorian Coaches cafe at Bronwydd Arms (located in the ex-Taff Vale Railway coaches, next to the signalbox) will be serving sandwiches, rolls and home-made cakes throughout the day.

A bar will be located on board the main service train, serving a range of drinks and alcoholic refreshment.

What’s on - Bronwydd Arms...

- Intensive timetable - lots of movements to see!
- S&T Museum (at the far end of the carpark, in the old signalbox from Fairfach)
- Routemaster RM308 on display, outside the signalbox.
- Cafe open all day (in two restored ex-Taff Vale Railway coaches, located next to the signalbox)
- Trade and display stands in the carpark (weather permitting), as follows:

• Mainline & Maritime - railway book and DVD sellers
  
  
• Garw Valley Railway Society
  
  
• Dean Forest Railway
  
  
• Rhondda Tunnel Society
  
  
• Gwili Railway Preservation Society
  
  
• RSPB - “Give Nature A Home”
  
  
• Milford Haven Model Engineering Society
  
  

The Milford Haven Model Engineers will be running a portable dual-gauge (3.5/5” gauge) passenger-carrying track at the North end of the car-park. Rides will be available for a donation to the society, using both steam and battery electric locomotives.

At Llwyfan Cerrig...

- TVR No.28 on static display in the yard - available for ‘cabbing’.
- Carriage & Wagon workshop - view progress on rolling stock currently ‘in the shops’.
- Travelling Post Office - TPO coach open and available to visit.
- Display stands from the Welsh Train Project (TVR 28) and the Gwili Vintage Carriage Group (GVCG).

The 7.25” gauge Llwyfan Cerrig Miniature Railway will be running throughout the day, with trains hauled by resident Roanoke 0-4-0PH “Ben” (2003).

Competitions
If you’re bringing the whole family to the gala day, why not try entering one of our competitions? There will be two running during the day - with the opportunity to win free tickets to the railway, or vouchers in the shop.

Competition 1: “Guess The Mystery Item”. On the Gwili Railway Preservation Society stand (located in the carpark at Bronwydd Arms), there will be six ‘mystery railway items’. Visitors will need to guess what the items are, write their answers on the sheet, and place them in the box. The winner will be contacted via email after the event, and will also be announced after the event, via social media.

Competition 2: “Spot the Engine”. Can you spot the nameplates, hidden around the railway? All are from a particular class of locomotive. Match the names with the numbers (given to you with your ticket), and hand in your completed answer-sheet in the ticket office. The winner will be contacted via email after the event, and will also be announced via social media.

 

It might help the Gwili Ry if they put this kind of info up on the Facebook page...and maybe a few more news worthy post.

N

 

Hi Nick,

Afraid it's been a bit more mundane in the last few weeks with daily running but the last few news items earlier this month were about Welsh Guardsman and the tamper. I am sure that with the exciting things coming up in the next couple of months (shed and extension matters hotting up) there will be a few more posts. Maybe a tad early for gala postings but I'm sure Phil will be onto that.

With the revamp of our Facebook page we have seen an upturn in figures so we do believe in the importance of it.

Regards

Matt

 

And straight from the Facebook page.... Bracket signal with the ams fitted on the extension.....

Regards

Matt

 

Popped into the Gwili on Saturday on the way to a bank holiday weekend, and I'm afraid I ended up feeling a little bit ripped off. It's lovely scenery and pleasant stations, but £11 for a 2.5 mile run in a DMU (immaculate externally but shabby internally) is just too much and would discourage our family from returning.

 

Hi Kingscross

Thank you for your honest feedback. VFM in terms of miles per pound is obviously something we are addressing with the extension, which will almost double the length of line available. I hope that the extension once open would encourage you to try us again at some point.

Regards

Matt

 

Maybe if we're in the area and the price is similar once your line is doubled. For a direct comparison, the Avon Valley (3 miles long) charges £6.50 for a trip in their DMU, which I reckon is about right; it means we visit several times a year and sometimes just their tea room.

 

I just checked google maps and realise now how close to Carmarthen your new terminus is...it's right by the A40 roundabout. Is there road access there? Looks to be a great ride next to the river all the way

 

Not initially, but the plan is to have one in time.

Yes the ride is excellent with a decent gradient and some unhindered views of the river. About 2/3 of the way to Abergwili the line hugs a mini-waterfall which is going to be a great feature. There is also a contrast to the ride north of Bronwydd (which is curved and through rock cuttings) in that the line is generally straight and passes through flat planes. The remains of a leat from the 1700's are also present on part of the route, and we have two level crossings, one with GWR gates and the other an open crossing. All in all, will add significant interest to the line as well as increased journey time.

Regards

Matt

 

i'll be there next year at least once , depending on the ferry times. I wish you every sucess

 

Win a ticket to the gala....

Over the course of the last century, the valleys of South Wales have changed immeasurably - in places, almost beyond recognition. Locations of industrial and railway heritage are now almost unrecognisable - where it can be hard to imagine that a busy railway ever worked there at all.

However, there are some places in South Wales where there is still evidence of the ‘old railway’, if you know where to look. The pictures in the attachment were all taken in August 2016 - each shows a building or location that has a connection with a railway past.

To win a free ticket to the Gwili Steam Railway’s gala (on Saturday October 8th), identify the locations in the pictures, and (where applicable) their past railway connections. Send your answers to the email address in the attached file, in the format as below:

1. = Grumbly Crossing, Merioneth & Llantisilly Traction Company Ltd.,

2. = Llaniog Station, M&LTC Ltd

etc.

The winner will be notified via email on Saturday October 1st. The winning entry will win an adult rover ticket for the Gwili Steam Railway’s gala event, and cannot be exchanged for cash value.If more than one set of correct answers is received, a draw of the correct answers will be made. Please note that no correspondence can be entered into.

Finally, the competition is intended purely as a bit of fun, in advance of an enjoyable and fun event. Pob lwc!

 

A couple of quick 'gala' updates...

The 'South Wales Railways' competition (to win a free ticket - see above) is now online, with thanks to PLEG. That means that you should be able to see the competition, even if you're not a member of Nat Pres - ie you don't have to download the PDF link above. Link to the competition is here.... http://pleg.org.uk/files_ln/Gwili.pdf

There is also now a Facebook event page for the gala. Link is here... https://www.facebook.com/events/1028179000565841/

There's also room for one or two more society/display stands on the day - get in contact via the email address on the 'competition' link above, if you're interested in attending.

Timetable etc is coming together - more details soon. I'm sure Matt will keep you to date with other 'on the ground' happenings around the railway.

Thanks,

Phil.

 

Update

1. Mile post heads for the extension looking good...

2. One of the doors from GWR 216 receiving some surgery....

Regards

Matt

 

If you go here:- http://www.gwili-railway.co.uk/en/extension/introduction.aspx there is an aerial photo of the Abergwili site....

 

Don't you web site mean 1983 when the track bed etc was acquired and not 1963. (I have sent this Aunties bloomer to the contact us section of the railways web site as well)

 

the site looks great with plenty of room for buildings sidings and parking. Access does look difficult though

 

Yes, and it's going to be expensive. We were hoping for an exit off the roundabout (seemed sensible at the time) but then we were informed that the A40 Carmarthen by-pass was classed as a national trunk road (and the roundabout as having a 70 MPH speed limit !!!) and to get an exit off there approved we would have to go to the Department of Transport (or whatever they are called these days) and jump through all their (expensive) hoops before that could even be considered. So we are having to do the next best thing which is an exit off the short stretch of the A485 'Eastern By-pass' (on the right in the 'photo). Figures around £250,000 have been bandied about just for the on and off slip roads to the site entrance...

And for those of you that know the Gwili and remember how little parking we have currently the plans for the site include 200 car, 9 disabled, about 20 staff (tucked out of the way!) and 4 coach spaces. Oh won't that be bliss!