SINGLE LINES

■ THE Talyllyn Railway ran a special train on July 30 to celebrate the contribution made by its women volunteers since the line entered preservation in 1951. The 60 ladies aboard the train, which was worked by an all-woman train crew, represented a combined 1,000-plus years of female volunteering.

■ THE Yeo Valley Trust, support organisation for Exmoor Associates, has secured at auction one of the two original blue enamel Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Snapper Halt running in boards. The intention is for it to eventually be displayed at a proposed replica goods shed/museum at Bratton Fleming station.

■ THE boiler of Fairbourne Railway’s Curwen 0-6-4ST

Beddgelert accompanied by a new set of tubes

(funded by a successful appeal) was delivered to the Ffestiniog Railway for repairs, modifications and tubing on August 16. The chassis has been dismantled for overhaul at Fairbourne.

■ LYNTON & Barnstaple Railway’s Return to Parracombe appeal (RM, July) has topped £180,000. With money from legacies the railway now has £630,000 towards the £1.65 million cost of extending from Killington Lane to Parracombe.

■ MOTOR Rail 4wDM 9837/1944, purchased by the Fairbourne Railway earlier this year (RM, July) has been regauged from 2ft to 12.25in and was used for the first time at Fairbourne on August 11.

■ PERRYGROVE Railway’s Exmoor Steam Railway-built 0-6-2T Anne visited the (standard gauge) Severn

Valley Railway’s September 3-4 ‘Purple Weekend’.

■ THE September 10-11

Steam & Diesel Gala Weekend at Whistlestop Valley (nee Kirklees Light Railway) featured visits by Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway’s Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 2

Northern Chief and privatelyowned Bassett-Lowke 4-4-2 ‘Little Giant’ Count Louis.