BLAENAVON GETS NEW THREE-ROAD CARRIAGE SHED… IN ONE MONTH
Up to 12 carriages will be protected from the ravages of Welsh weather by a new carriage shed at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway’s Furnace Sidings headquarters. Located on the site of the former Down exchange sidings, the 300-foot long building can house “four and a bit” BR Mk 1 vehicles on each of its three roads, said PBR Publicity Officer Alistair Grieve. It was completed in late February with the addition of the doors, just over a month after contractors had started construction in the second week of January. It will be used mainly for storage and servicing of operational stock, while restoration projects remain in other sheds. Said Alex Hinshelwood, the railway’s traffic manager: “It has been made possible due to a bequest from a former volunteer and our good friend Eric Edwards who, sadly, passed away a couple of years ago. Hopefully it is a building he would be proud of.”