NEWS IN BRIEF

Ravenglass➧Renewals

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway employees and volunteers have renewed 1,110ft of track at Katie Caddy, between Miteside and Murthwaite, about 2¼ miles from Ravenglass. Over nine days in January, up to 22 people worked 141 man-days and relaid 37 rail lengths. Four culverts were also replaced. In November, the gang renewed 1,500ft of rail (in fifty 30ft lengths) at Mill Wood, near Muncaster Mill halt, just over a mile from Ravenglass.

Bala➧BoaRd➧changes

Roger Hine, general manager of the Bala Lake Railway from 2001 until 2014, has retired from the board of the BLR Company. As the railway’s engineer, he joined the board in July 1997, taking the place left vacant by the retirement of George Barnes, the railway’s founder. His replacement is Peter Heywood, who grew up in Bangor and is due to retire from a career in the legal profession shortly.

new➧welshpool➧wagon

Volunteers at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway are building a replica private-owner wagon to run in the line’s goods and mixed trains. Llanfair Caereinion coal merchants, J. Ll. Peate & Sons, had five four-plank wagons built by Pickering in 1903. Painted maroon with white lettering and black ironwork, they were scrapped in 1935.

whR➧station➧staRts

Work to relocate the sewer under the Welsh Highland Railway’s new Caernarfon station site was started in February. The site has been cleared and the outline of the building marked out. Local authorities anticipate that the building will act as a catalyst for other developments in the area. The Ffestiniog Railway’s new three-road ‘heritage carriage shed’ at Boston Lodge was brought into use during February. Items currently stored in it include Hunslet 0-4-0ST

FFestiniog➧shed➧opens