The Year of steam!
- ronniesramblings
- Feb 26
- 7 min read
Having been given discount tickets as a Christmas present, Chris and I waited until June 2008 to start the journeys of adventure. This is in the hope that the Welsh Highland Railway will be a complete journey by Spring 2009 and we can do the whole thing in one joined-up journey.
Our first real encounter with the world of steam in The Year of Steam, was with the short track from Blaenavon to the Whistle Inn – a distance of about a mile. Not that we rode on the train, just that we camped at The Whistle Inn, which I think has more to do with horse racing than railways. The intentions are to try and extend the track past the Whistle Inn if and when the railway trust can persuade the current landowner that this is a good idea. Sounds to me like the tale of all steam railway preservation lines. However, we wish them luck and maybe we will be back one day for a ride …
Our first trip was the only train on the list in South Wales – the Brecon Beacon Mountain Railway. I have previously been on this train with Anne-Marie about 25 years ago. I don’t think it has changed much since then but it could only just have been opened back then. The beginning of the journey is not on an original track and the station buildings themselves were purpose built for a tourist attraction. However, the staff were friendly and helpful.
This is not a very impressive journey, with not many outstanding views except perhaps the summits of Pen-y-fan and the other one whatever it is called, and is probably why it is described as a “mountain” railway, because it certainly didn’t go anywhere near mountains!
The curious thing about this journey is that you steam right past the last/only station on the journey, continue for about a mile, the engine is unhooked, goes past and is attached at the other end and drives the whole train back to the station for you to get off. The journey restarts after about twenty minutes, quite enough time to admire the views, across and up and down the lake.
What did impress us both was the workshop. Neither of us know much about engineering shops or engineering but this was neat and tidy, a place for everything and everything in its place. This is very much a working engineering workshop and we were to see a few engines during our adventure in steam which had been either repaired or rebuilt here.
The Vale of Rheidol is a stunning train journey, leaving Aberystwyth (just off the main line railway station) it slowly chugs through Aber, holding up traffic on the main road, before gathering a little speed and then follows the Rheidol river before gradually and slowly climbing up hill.
We did not have stunning weather and many of the tops of the hills were shrouded with mist but the views are stupendous! Anne-Marie was with us and we have promised to come back and explore the Vale of Rheidol in the camper van. On several occasions red kites glided along with the train and we could also see nests (which we think could have been the kites’ nests) on eye level with the train, in the trees growing up the slopes.
On many of the bends the front or back of the train could be seen, the Prince of Wales gleamed in its polished red paint and bright brass work. One closer inspection at the station at Devil’s Bridge some of its pipes were stopped by corks – must ask Malcolm about this – and its brass plate proclaimed that it had been renovated at the Brecon Railway.
At Devil’s Bridge our hour stop gave us enough time to go down the steps into the gorge to view the three bridges and listen to the story of Devil’s Bridge itself. How the Devil offered to build a bridge in return for the life of the first living creature to cross it. This was agreed, the Devil built the bridge but a clever old woman was one step ahead of the Devil and sent her old dog over the bridge first …
There is at least one other walk here but it takes longer than the hour that we had so we will definitely visit again. We were disappointed with the unkept state of both railway stations and the depot/working area at Aberystwyth – perhaps more volunteers are required or perhaps because the journey itself is so stunning the enthusiasts don’t have to try very hard. The souvenirs were also disappointing.
The return journey was every bit as good as the outward trip – this time buzzards joined the aerial displays!
I must now include the funicular railway up the cliff at Aberystwyth – not that it is steam of course! Originally the trains moved by the weight of water in tanks etc. etc. but today its all run by electricity. Anne-Marie was not too happy on the way up, it is incredibly steep and rather than look out over Aber. she was looking down at the building at the end of the railway.
We took this journey to visit the Camera Obscura at the top, having already visited the one on the Downs at Clifton, Bristol. The mechanisms and the way the building is kept are far superior to Clifton. Again, because the day was not sunny the views were not stunning on the Obscura but you could see people moving about, golfers playing golf, the waves coming in on the beach, sheep, seagulls wheeling and diving even some horses getting a bit frisky! At Clifton because the view is limited to the gorge and out over the city there is not a lot of movement to observe, just a few cars in one part of the disc driving along the Portway and, if memory serves me right, cars going over the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
These three railway journeys were linked by lots of walking and a trip in the camper van. On two evenings we listened to a Dr. Who audio tape and by coincidence the story centered around robots and space ships powered by steam! This was part of the universe that had a strange border to it in space which didn’t allow for electronics to work so everything had had to adapt to steam power! It involved pirates and the black spot and was very entertaining!
Our third train journey was on the Llanuwchllyn/Bala line. This was quite pleasant for us but probably not for the train driver who was too tall to stand up right on the footplate and spent a lot of time with his head out of the cab. At the beginning the ticket collector had not seen one of our discount tickets (although they were advertised on a poster at the station) and gave us single journey tickets rather than return tickets as these corresponded nearly with the cost of the return journey together with discount.
It was a nostalgic journey for us as some years ago I had run a Scout Camp at Llanuwchllyn and for our community service we helped the railway out. Our task was to chop back a lot of small trees growing on the banks of the Lake in order to give passengers a better view of the lake across to Bala and the other side. I seem to remember we all worked very hard and had a really enjoyable day, at the end of which the Scouts were given a lift back to Llanuwchllyn by the steam train!
This is a narrow gauge railway built on a broad gauge railway track bed. The line originally ran from Ruabon near Wrexham to Dolgellau. The Llangollen Railway has utilised part of the railway track to run from Llangollen with hopes of extending the line to Corwen eventually. From Llanuwchllyn the original railway ran on through the valley to Dolgellau and you can see quite a lot of the old embankments etc through the trees as you drive down the road to Dolgellau, it might make quite a pleasant walk.
There are wonderful views over the lake and a certain amount of wildlife – herons, ducks etc.
Our next steam experience was on Ellesmere, when we took Chris’ mum and dad on the steam boat around the lake. The chap who owns it had renovated it and now runs trips around the lake. The boat is all gleaming brass and wood. It was a chilly but dry day, with quite a breeze blowing but it was good fun. There is a large colony of swans on the mere and loads of ducks but perhaps not much else.
On the same trip as ourselves were Emma Dean’s dad and her daughter, Emma had just got married and was on honeymoon somewhere warm and her dad was looking after her daughter while she was away.
We were to see another steam boat on the Ellesmere Canal one day when we inadvertently stumbled on their annual canal festival, lots of canal barges and boats, stalls selling everything to do with canal boats, food and anything else you could think of. And our steam boat gentleman was providing trips on a smaller version of his lake trip boat.
Our next trip out was on the Llanfair Caerionion/Welshpool line, we started on the first trip of the day (we have found this to be the best trip to take – not so crowded) which went from Llanfair Caerinion, the main depot, with workshops and rolling stock etc. Most people start their journeys from Welshpool as we found on the return trip – it was very crowded and noisy and not nearly as pleasant as the journey to Welshpool.
The line runs along the valley and has to stop many times to check that the roads it crosses are clear, not all the road crossings have level crossing gates and frequently the fireman had to get off and wave his flag, which all added to the feeling of “The Railway Children”!
Comments