Plea se
£2 pay
at co u
the vale of rheidol railway
nter
NEWSLETTER issue no.26
Photo by John R Jones
Issue 4 - 2017
www.rheidolrailway.co.uk
Telephone us: 01970 625 819 - Park Avenue, Aberystwyth SY23 1PG Regular steam train services running throughout the year
ONTH M E H E OF T taff
QUOTeautiful viewtesr,dgaryeoant ths e ssteesaamwtrhaeinelB
s time ye r-in-law. He u the staff a lovely the and We had brother/ bro disabilities, l explained il r g u W in o n d h the r e a it ll w alk up has le hap ca chair & at. A lovely c help him to w ain goes. ld re e tr were g ow they wou nd where th esn’t always a h o to him nto the train him, which d rstand. Ano e 2 steps ed directly to e could und ir for him ha lk sh lc ta m e r y e e for a te h h T and in d after his w . Thank you , n e p p ft e k le ha o e lo . w 7 p 01 en ha other c his hand wh velled June 2 Tra ook or and sh lovely day! - m Tripadvis fro Quote
Abou Vale of Rh t the eidol Railw The Vale of ay Rhe
idol R Steam Rai lway which ailway is a historic op beautiful ra ilway runs ened in 1902. This Aberystwyt 11 h and Devil’ ¾ miles between a unique gl impse and s Bridge; providing views of th Rheidol Va e stunning lley, nestle d Mountains in the Cambrian , Wales. From the co mfo scenery an rt of your carriage w countrysid d steam passing by. atch the See the e change as yo wide open fields, woo u travel through dl mountain sc and and ru gged enery, the turning as line twistin it clings to the hillside. g and the sound locomotives of the narrow gaug Listen to e (200m) in th working hard to clim steam b e 11 ¾ mile s from Abe the 700ft rystwyth to Devil’s Bri dge. Birds of pr ey such as Red Kite an are regularl dB y valley floor seen soaring high ab uzzards and breath ove the taking view s can be enjoyed by all.
www.rheid
olrailway.c
o.uk
Upcoming Events Summer Evening Excursion ‘Driver for a Fiver’
On our green timetable days during July & August we will be running summer evening excursion trains to Devil’s Bridge, where you can combine your visit with a fish & chip supper
From 17 July to 31 August we will be offering ‘Driver for a Fiver’ at our Devil’s Bridge Station during yellow and green timetable days
Vale of Rheidol Newsletter Covering news and events from May, June & July
Contents: Page 3 - Vale of Rheidol News Page 6 - Volunteers Update Page 7 - The Mines of the Rheidol Valley Page 9 - Things to do Page 11 - A Day in the Life Of The Paintshop Page 13 - Workshop Updates Page 15 - Pictures from the Month Page 19 - A Photo from the Archives Page 20 - Roaring 20’s & 30’s Evening Poster Page 21 - Roaring 20’s & 30’s Event Preview Page 23 - Shop Products of the Month Page 24 - Garden Railway Products of the Month Page 25 - About Our Staff Page 26 - Things to do Page 27 - Readers’ Mail & Classifieds Page 28 - Poetry Corner Page 29 - Timetable Page 30 - Upcoming Events
Editorial The months of May, June & July have been busy, as always, with the planning of upcoming events. One of the big events for this year so far, was our attendance at Goodwood Festival of Speed, Look out for a write up of this in our news pages of this edition. The other big event for this year is on the 16th & 17th September. An article covering this is on page 21 of this newsletter giving an upcoming look at what we will be hosting to whet your appetite. The railway has published its own calendar for 2018, along with a selection of new bespoke mug and postcard designs featuring our railway, these can be purchased from our railway gift shops. Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter and for giving valuable feedback on your opinions, our readers’ input is an integral part of improving our newsletter. We all look forward to seeing those of you who visit us throughout the coming year and hope you enjoy reading this edition. If you have any feedback on our newsletter, then please let us know by sending an email to the following address: newsletter@ rheidolrailway.co.uk Gareth Jones Newsletter Editor
Page 2
Vale of Rheidol Railway News Arrival of NGG13 on VoR metals.
Aberystwyth’s Vale of Rheidol is pleased to announce the arrival of NG G13 Beyer Garratt locomotive No. 60 “Drakensberg”. The arrival of the locomotive signalled the completion of 3 years of careful negotiations and an 800 mile journey from Switzerland to Mid Wales. The move started on 12th July including a police escort through the centre of Basel, continuing through Germany over night and arriving at Antwerp on Friday ready to board a ferry. The locomotive arrived in Hull at 7.00am on Saturday before continuing to Birmingham then onto the Vale of Rheidol arriving on Monday 17th. The locomotive is privately owned but is to be on loan to the railway for a prolonged period of time. After some restoration work, No. 60 will be available to bolster the operational fleet if required, offering extended service periods for the current locomotives. Vale of Rheidol is rightly proud of the reliability of its steam engines and No. 60 will only enhance this offering new opportunities. Many readers will be aware the Vale of Rheidol has an extensive museum collection consisting of a variety of steam locomotives from all over the world. No. 60 will not be replacing the iconic Rheidol tanks but just spreading the load on the existing fleet. It is most likely No. 60 will operate some heavy summer trains and special charter trains. Keep an eye on the Vale of Rheidol web page www.rheidolrailway.co.uk or check out our Facebook page for updates and news on the restoration progress. The first chance to see the locomotive on display will be at the railway’s Roaring 20’s and 30’s weekend on 16th/17th September. Page 3
Llŷr ap Iolo, Vale of Rheidol Railway General Manager said: “We are looking forward to having another locomotive join our fleet, it will offer more flexibility and back up in our operation and something different for those who are interested. It has been a long time in the making and our work begins over the next 12 to 18 months preparing her to work the VoR with a 10 year ticket on the boiler. We are very grateful to the owner for allowing the VoR to have a long term loan of the locomotive on the railway.” Robert Gambrill, CEO Vale of Rheidol Railway said : “A very big thank you is in order to firstly the guys at Schinzacher Baumschulbahn, who have helped in every way, especially Urias von Meyburg who really has gone the extra mile to make sure everything went to plan. Our Haulage contractors Allelys have proved brilliant at organising and faultlessly executing the move of the engine to the UK. I am only too aware just how tricky this was especially with the Swiss road authorities! Finally the team at the railway who have safely landed the engine on the railway. All have worked really hard to see No 60 welcomed to the UK. We are now all looking forward to seeing her climb the 1 in 40 to Devil’s Bridge enabling everyone to enjoy the spectacular views from our railway. Offering yet another excuse to come and see us if one was needed!”
Vale of Rheidol Railway News VoR’S JAC SMITH IS UK’S YOUNGEST STEAM TRAIN DRIVER
Jac has become the latest member of staff to qualify as a locomotive driver on the Vale of Rheidol Railway. At 21 years of age, he is one of the youngest steam locomotive drivers in the UK. Jac first joined the railway as an engineering apprentice after leaving school at 16. After completing his training and apprenticeship, he was employed full time by the railway as a fireman, and in the VoR’s engineering workshop. Working on restoring and maintaining steam locomotives, he has used many of the heritage skills he has learnt through his training. Becoming a steam engine driver has always been Jac’s dream. He grew up on and around the railway as his father Pete Smith has been a driver on the railway since 1989 and is probably one of the most travelled steam engine drivers in the UK. Pete and Jac often work together on the locomotives.
Driver training is carried out ‘on the job’ by working alongside other qualified drivers and learning the skills required. Jac had to pass a practical assessment as well as an examination on the railway’s rules and regulations. A typical day consists of a morning locomotive preparation where the fire is lit and the locomotive polished and lubricated followed by two trips along the scenic trip to Devil’s Bridge and back. At the age of 21, it is believed that Jac is one of the youngest steam locomotive drivers in the UK at the moment Railway manager Llŷr ap Iolo said “We are proud of Jac for becoming the railway’s newest driver. The Vale of Rheidol is fortunate in having a large number of young staff members working for the railway. It ensures the traditional railway skills and engineering techniques are passed on to the next generation” Page 4
Vale of Rheidol Railway News Goodwood Festival of Speed
Between 29th June & 2nd July the members of the Vale of Rheidol Railway team attended Goodwood Festival of Speed. As part of our stand at the event we had a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost which was purchased new in 1921 by Sir Winston Churchill. This was definitely an eye catching centre piece of our display. The event was a great opportunity for us to meet people in a different environment and tell people who we are and where to find us, promoting the local area as well as our railway.
The event also helped the promotion of our upcoming roaring 20’s & 30’s event, which takes place during 16 & 17 September. As part of the promotion of this event our staff were dressed in period outfits as we will be for the gala too. A lot of interest was shown in our line and our presence was well received by those visiting the Festival of Speed, and we hope to see some of those we spoke to over the coming months and years.
VoR Wins Customer Service Award We are really proud to have won the Outstanding Customer Service award at the Menter Aberystwyth Aber First Awards, which is sponsored by the Cambrian News. We do our best to ensure all of our visitors have a great day out and enjoy exploring the area. Thanks go to all of our staff, from engine drivers and fireman, guards, ticket office and admin staff, workshop engineers and apprentices, wood choppers, the Two Hoots cafe staff and our management for all you do. Well done team Rheidol!
Page 5
Vale of Rheidol Volunteers By Clive Higgs, Railway Volunteer May had late frosts and the tulip plants took a long time to die back. After that the volunteers have enjoyed the busiest time of year outside in the summer weather. After happily weeding and trimming the tulip stems and leaves, the teams planted progressively from Aberystwyth, Capel Bangor, Nantyronen and Aberffrwd to Devil’s Bridge, as the frosts retreated. All of the different types of annuals were planted except one of the 560 geranium plants, still tiny and in the greenhouse. The passengers in the train enjoyed very much waving at us at Nantyronen and were even laughing. We realised later that our waving hands and arms were covered in compost. Welcome to Jamilah who has joined the volunteers in the planting and weeding. Volunteers were also busy during the evenings of the midsummer heat wave, watering the plants at the stations and fetching water to the station troughs at Capel Bangor, Nantyronen and Aberffrwd. Then sitting and relaxing, just watching the flowers, swallows and countryside. Not like:
Gareth, they painted the ABERFFRWD pebbles white at their local station. It was a very neat and quick job. Their original plan was to paint FFRWD but they had finished nearly all the letters before everyone else had got past A. The children and their paintbrushes stayed well away from the train as it tooted past. The photograph was taken after the last train. Some volunteers finished stapling all the fencing around the three Gothic Mine shafts. We had already repaired the original fence around the open shaft and added a new fence around that. But parts of the old fence previously flattened by falling trees were shaking in the wind. So we replaced those stretches with new fencing and posts. We found a problem stapling the steepest part of the new fence. Its slope was 45o, so the top of the 1m fence was 1.4m vertically above the ground surface. We had knocked in the posts firmly to leave them 1.2m high. So we took up the chain saw again, sliced the round posts and joined new posts onto the grounded posts. The steps we had dug into the hillside lasted just long enough. We just need to staple the barbed wire to the top of the posts. This was postponed during the heat wave as it involves wearing gauntlets and thick coats. Luckily it’s colder now. The car park at Aberystwyth has been tidied and everything is spick and span for the summer visitors.
Gwennan and Ianto, who are our youngest and fastest volunteers. With their father
If you would like to join our band of volunteers in helping to look after the railway then you can get in touch either via email to: info@rheidolrailway.co.uk or phone 01970 625819.
Mines of the Rheidol Valley: Rhiwfron Aerial Ropeway By Ioan R Lord N.B. This mine is on Private property and entry is forbidden unless by prior arrangement. Mines in the Valley are very dangerous owing to the vertical shafts and the potential for them to be hidden within woodland. Exploration should only be undertaken by experienced persons!
A detail of the ore-dressing mill, looking down the aerial ropeway from Rhiwfron. Note the turbine house with wooden flume on the riverbank.
Ystumtuen or Cwmrheidol Mine was reopened in 1900, after many years of decreasing ore outputs and deterioration. The company in charge of the reopening was the Rheidol Mining Company, which soon proved to be the most successful ever to work the mine. A new, modern ore-dressing mill was established on the hillside below a new adit – No. 9 – which was driven almost half a mile before the Great Ystumtuen Lode was intersected, 600 feet below surface. High above the mill, the older No. 6 Adit, or Level Fawr, was also reopened. This was over a mile long, and had been driven underneath the village of Ystumtuen and into two neighbouring mines to the east. In 1903, with the opening of the new dressing mill, a double aerial ropeway was Page 7
constructed across the valley, crossing the river at a height of over 200 feet and ending on the opposite hillside at Rhiwfron Halt on the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Here, the ore-buckets – two of which could be passed every two minutes – were discharged into a tall hopper built in 1903, placed above a siding which cost £51 to build. A masonry anchor block was constructed above the main line on the hillside to anchor the ore hopper. Wagons were shunted into the siding underneath the hopper, and the ore was discharged into them for transportation to the harbour at Aberystwyth. As was reported in June 1903, “Due to the abandonment of a proposed packhorse road leading up to Rhiwfron Halt, an aerial or Blondin cableway is being erected, and is now fast approaching completion. The length of the cableway is about 400 yards. This type of conveyance is about the only one of its kind in Wales, and
its erection has entailed a considerable amount of labour upon the popular manager of the mine, Captain W. Nottingham”. The aerial ropeway was driven by a 7 H.P. electric motor powered by a Turnbull turbine at the mine, and climbed at a steep gradient from the bottom of the mill to the railway halt. It had a capacity of transporting 3 tons of ore per hour. The aerial ropeway stopped work in about 1926: the date of its demolition has not been established, but the abandoned wire rope
cables and ore buckets remained scattered over the valley floor until taken for scrap in 1954. The Rhiwfron siding was lifted during the following year. The underground workings at Cwmrheidol closed in 1926, but boring contractors from Zürich opened three diamond core drilling rigs at the mine between 1969 and 1971. Cwmrheidol was closed for the last time in 1971 after raising a great 10,330 tons of zinc blende, 1,691 tons of lead-ore and 1,900 tons of pyrite between 1698 and 1926.
Miners at Level Fawr, Cwmrheidol, c.1906 Coming soon: “Rich Mountains of Lead” A detailed and in-depth history of the metal mining industry of Cwm Rheidol and Ystumtuen. Written by Ioan Lord, this book studies the development, peak and decline of the mines in the Rheidol valley, their connection with the railway and the community that grew from them. It brings together, in unprecedented detail, historical information and photographs with modern underground explorations and archaeology.
Page 8
TWO HOOTS TEA ROOM
A family run Tea Room, set in Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth, with indoor and covered outdoor seating areas, good food and friendly staff. A 5 minute walk from the mythical set of the story with the devil, with waterfalls nearby. Part of a good day out on the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Tel: 07779 450 735 Email: shanjinks52@hotmail.com
Rheidol Visitor Centre Set in idyllic surroundings with beautiful walks and stunning views, come and see our exciting exhibition, interactive displays about Rheidol Hydro power station and other renewable energies. Visit the café for something nice to eat and drink. Open 10:30 – 4:15 daily, Easter Bank holiday weekend and then May 1st until 30th September. Group tours of the Hydro power station are available all year round by prior appointment only.
Page 9
Rheidol Visitor Centre, Cwm Rheidol, Aberystwyth, SY23 3NF
Tel: 01970 880667
To visit the 300ft Waterfalls, Punchbowl and 3 Bridges built one on top of the other, turn left from the train station and walk down the hill past the Hafod hotel (approx 5 minutes). The Nature Trail circular walk includes views of the waterfalls, 3 Bridges, Robbers Cave and Jacobs Ladder (A steep flight of 100 continuous steps). It takes roughly 45 minutes and is a challenging walk with 675 steep steps. It is not suitable for pushchairs and those with walking difficulties. Adult £3.75 Child £2.00 20% discount on Nature trail walk by showing this advert to the attendant.
Not enough time for the long walk? Too many steps? To view just the 3 Bridges and the Devil’s Punchbowl enter through the coin operated turnstile. Only £1.00 per person Recommended time 10 minutes.
CARAVAN PARK 01970 890233
Looking for somewhere to stay near the train station at Devil’s Bridge? Call our friendly staff and enquire about our 2 bedroom self catering bungalow or Gypsy Pod. Alternatively pitch a tent or bring your touring van or motor home. We are situated just 10 minutes walk from the train station and 5 minutes walk from the waterfalls and Hafod Hotel & Brasserie. enquiries@woodlandsdevilsbridge.co.uk
www.woodlandsdevilsbridge.co.uk
Page 10
A Day in the Life Of: The Paintshop by Simon Cowan
remove the communication gear from the Aberystwyth end of the carriage, that’s the rods and pipes you may have seen. These get cleaned, degreased and stored for undercoat and glossing at a later date.
At the VoR, we are fortunate to have a dedicated paint shop, which is light, airy and heated in the winter. It is usually very tidy, neat & clean. It is large enough to easily take a carriage or locomotive with plenty of space around the outside to work in. Before we moved into the new workshop I began painting on the railway in the old shed. We built a clear plastic tent around a scaffold frame in a corner, painted the two brick walls white, and added some lighting. This was a great improvement, but when it rained outside, it came down the walls on the inside, when it was minus 5 outside, it was also minus 5 in the tent. Temperature is a major concern for us painters. When it is cold the paint thickens so has to be thinned down with white spirit so that it flows. When the weather is warm, the paint is thinner, but it will dry more quickly and won’t flow together giving the smooth gloss effect we strive for. To get around this, we add a little boiled linseed oil to slow down the drying time, which will allow the paint to gloss off. Honestly it is a balancing act, add to that the complication of the moist air on rainy days and it is like keeping the spinning plates in the air, until you get to be in control. In our new paintshop we are now able to be more in control of our environment for the perfect finish we seek to attain. Before that there is the all important preparation work. We will remove the droplight windows from the doors, the brass door handles and door stops. We also Page 11
My colleague Niall and I will spend up to a week sanding down the two old varnish coats, the lining, lettering and transfers using orbital sanders connected to a dust extraction machine. We will also remove rusting screws, treat any rust on the panels, re-seal the windows against leaks, and fill, flat and sand any chips or dents in the bodywork. Then it is the big clean up, the carriage gets a dusting off with an airline, the floor is vacuumed and it’s hometime. The next day we will spray the paint shop floor with water to keep the dust down, let’s go. Clean overalls on, lights on, radio on, it’s 08:30 off we go. We usually take a side each, and begin with the cream gloss on the upper half of the carriage. The paint is applied with a 3” brush starting at the bottom of the cream panel, a 10” wide area is steadily painted up the panel ensuring the paint is evenly applied, then every foot or so up the panel, the paint is laid off. This is where the brush is worked down the painted surface straightening out the brush marks ensuring an even and smooth finish.
A Day in the Life Of: The Paintshop by Simon Cowan
Once you get to the top of the carriage, you move down to the bottom and start with a new foot wide strip, laying the paint so that it seamlessly blends in with the previous strip. We also keep a sharp look out for any runs or curtains where the paint was too thick. This skill takes time to learn. Niall and I can now paint the cream the length of the carriage, usually before 10am.
clean finish makes a really good impression on entering the newly painted carriage.
At 10:15am we get the brown paint out for the lower half and can get the whole of that bit both sides before lunch time at 12:30pm. After lunch, we paint the ends black which takes about half an hour each end. So, by about 1:45pm the whole of the carriage is wet, that’s the cream, brown and black first coat. For the remainder of the day, one of us will paint the droplights, that’s the window frames we removed from the doors. The other will start on the inside giving the cream interior a fresh coat of paint.
Once the painting is done we polish the brasswork and refit them, the communication gear needs to be fitted and tested too. We check the roof is sealed and will keep the passengers dry. Niall usually cleans the windows while I check everything, then realise the lettering on the chassis needs to be done, oops. The lettering shows the weight of the carriage, the length, and for the sharp eyed, there is a star on the chassis which shows where the brake valve is located. On average it takes three weeks to fully repaint a carriage. There has been a couple of occasions where we have had a carriage for nine weeks, where we have re-panelled most of a carriage in new steel, perhaps that is for a future article though.
The following day we will do it all again for the second coat. The next five days will be spent lining, gold leaf lettering (using 24 carrat gold leaf), and applying the transfers. After that three days are spent varnishing the carriage and associated parts.
So, a day in the life of is more a period of time in the paintshop for me, Niall and a 1938 carriage. It is so varied there is really no one day in the life, there are so many, each is different, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If there is an apprentice free, then they assist us by painting the chassis, couplings and chains black, which is a great help to us. If Jac Smith, our newly qualified driver, is available then he is our first choice for painting the carriage floor in the grey paint we use. He is so quick, he seems to have it done before the kettle has boiled, and the Page 12
No.7
Workshop
Locomotive No.7 is undergoing a major overhaul. The locomotive was withdrawn from traffic in 1998 and dismantled. Over recent months, major progress has been made and a return to steam is forecast for 2017.
The focus of work with No.7 has been on the boiler the last couple of months, now the new firebox has been fitted to the boiler and the foundation ring has been rivetted, the fitting of the stays has begun. This has involved reaming of each of the stay holes, then tapping each in turn prior to the fitting of the stays.
Work has also begun to prepare the new side tanks for fitting to the frames, the tanks have been test assembled with bolts and will be rivetted prior to mounting on the engines frames.
Currently the crown stays have been fitted and are now complete, though more work still lies ahead before fitting the new boiler tubes can commence.
Keep reading for updates as No.7 gets closer to steaming or follow progress on No.7’s facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/ ourpastistheirfuture/
Page 13
Update
Other workshop projects
Within the workshop, the team work on repairing and maintaining the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s rolling stock as well as taking on other contract work. Paintshop
Cattle Van
The latest member of our fleet to receive TLC in our paintshop has been our Bogie Hopper Wagon of South African Origin, it has received a repaint to keep its bodywork protected from the weather and refresh its appearance. War Department Baldwin (No 794 / 590) The frames of the Baldwin have been set up on stands in the workshop ready for work to begin on getting the frames ready to go back on the wheels. The boiler, water tanks & cab have now been delivered to our workshop ready for work to commence. Talyllyn Railway No.3
The cattle van has been progressing at a good pace since our last newsletter. The van now sits on its axles with the running gear almost complete. The rivetting of the frames has been completed. The bottom section of the frames has been painted and the woodwork has begun.
Work has continued on No.3 with recent work involving hot rivetting of the frames and quartering of the driving wheels on their new axles.
Page11 14 Page
Page 15
Image courtesy John R Jones
Photo courtesy John RPage Jones 16 Taken February 2017
Pictures from the Month By John R Jones, International Travel Photographer
Page 17
RE-OPEN THE WAVERLEY ROUTE FROM CARLISLE TO EDINBURGH
EDINBURGH
GALASHIELS
for n i jo nly o
! 5 £
HAWICK
Upper: Copyright Walter Baxter, geograph.org.uk Lower: Copyright Robert Drysdale, CBR.
Grade B-listed Shankend Viaduct, nr. Hawick
PHASE 1 NOW OPEN! EDINBURGH-TWEEDBANK Opening day service at Stow Station 2015
CARLISLE
Founded in 1999, the Campaign for Borders Rail (CBR) has been one of the most successful grassroots rail campaigns in Great Britain, a story of concerned citizens from all walks of life getting together to right the 1969 injustice of complete closure of the 98-mile Waverley Route through the Borders. With our initial goal secured - services on the rebuilt 35-mile ‘Borders Railway’ from Edinburgh to Galashiels and Tweedbank began on 6th September 2015 CBR is now focussed on onwards extension to Hawick and Carlisle, lobbying hard for a full and fit-for-purpose feasibility study as soon as possible.
With YOUR support we can achieve our aim!
Membership is from only £5 a year to £50 for life; just ring our secretary on 017683 62022 or email dgma@talktalk.net for details of how to join online, or send a cheque to ‘CBR’ at The Station, Long Marton, APPLEBY, Cumbria CA16 6BJ. www.campaignforbordersrail.org Facebook campaignforbordersrail Twitter @BordersRail
Page 18
Vale of Rheidol Photo Archive By Rob Bance,VoR Archivist
On the 14th June 1950, we see locomotive No.7 with a four car train resting whilst taking on water at Aberffrwd station from the Great Western Railway water crane. To the right of the shot you can see the station building, along with the gangers hut. From 1963 all trains ran through the downside loop, and the upside and signalling were
removed. The water crane was moved over close to the running line, until the Nantyronen water supply was put into use in 1982. It is known that Aberffrwd station is 280 feet above sea level, although for many years the station name board always stated it was 200!
VoR Newsletter Advertising Price Guide
Your Advertisement could be here. There are six newsletters produced per year. The newsletters are made available in printed form and are also emailed out to our subscribers. Currently the printed version is available in our railway gift shop to all our customers. The emailed version currently has a subscription of 4,178 people globally and this number grows throughout the year with new subscribers.
Please email adverts and wording for classifieds to marketing@rheidolrailway. co.uk Price List for Adverts (inclusive of 20% VAT) Full Page Advert Half Page Advert Quarter Page Advert Eighth Page Advert Small Classified
£36 Single £24 Single £18 Single £12 Single £6 Single
£168 Annual £120 Annual £96 Annual £60 Annual £30 Annual
Artwork for adverts is to be provided by the purchaser. Wording for classifieds is to For further information or any queries be provided by the purchaser. Adverts can please contact the above email address or be sent as either PDF or JPEG documents. phone us on 01970 625819 option 3. Page 19
Roaring 20’s & 30’s
Celebrating 95 years of the GWR on the VoR Are you ready to time travel? Then, come and join us at “Roaring 20’s & 30’s” on 16th and 17th September 2017.
We will be celebrating 95 years of the Great Western on the Vale of Rheidol Railway and time travelling in the 1920’s – 1930’s era. Here are a few things to look forward to.....
Vintage dress contest. So that the feeling of time travel can be complete, every member of the staff will be dressed in period costume and we will encourage visitors to do the same! We will have an award for the best outfit.
Open workshop at our Aberystwyth station. The public will be able to see what’s going on behind the scenes and meet our Apprentices and Engineers.
Local Artist, Ag Cain, will be exhibiting his artworks. Ag is a prolific painter and illustrator. He worked intensively throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s as a freelance graphics and lettering artist in the Film & TV industry, working on set and prop decoration - both in the major British studios and foreign locations. He recently did incredible artworks for the Railway. Vintage fairground stands will be present at our Aberystwyth station, to entertain the young and young at heart.
Classic cars and road steam vehicles will be displayed at Aberystwyth & Devil’s Bridge. We would love to have period cars as well to add to the magic and fully recreate the atmosphere of the 1920’s and the 1930’s era. Page 21
Roaring 20’s & 30’s
Celebrating 95 years of the GWR on the VoR
A Jazz night will take place at the Hafod Hotel, where there will also be a dance contest with professional dancers to teach people how to dance the Charleston, Foxtrot and Swing! With its lovely interior design, the Hafod Hotel is the perfect place for this event. Situated a few steps away from the famous Mynach Falls, at Devil’s Bridge, the Hafod Hotel also offers delicious food and drinks. More information here: http://www. thehafod.co.uk/
“Margaret” Hunslet 605/1894 will be running at our Devil’s Bridge station so everyone can have a go at driving a real steam engine.
Vintage trade stalls at our stations, for anyone who would like to shop for something unique.
Actors will be performing scenes on our platforms, bouncing back through time and allowing our visitors to have a glance at what it was to live in the 20’s and the 30’s. Page 22
The Vale of Rheidol’s Railway Shop featured products: The Snailbeach District Railways by Andy Cuckson
218 pages, 273 illustrations. Hardback with full colour dust wrapper. The Snailbeach District Railways was one of Britain’s lesser known public narrow gauge railways. Never carrying passengers, its history and workings have never before been fully explored but after many years research Andy Cuckson is able to reveal a fascinating story, not just about the railway but also about the mines and minerals the line supported and the people who built and worked it, including Henry Dennis, the entrepreneurial civil engineer and mine manager. Available in our Railway Bookshops for £30.
Vale of Rheidol Railway 2018 Calendar. Priced £6 each.
Looking a gift for someone special? We stock a wide variety of gifts for both railway lovers, their devoted partners and their children alike. You can check out our range of products either online or instore. If you don’t wish to buy online then give us a call and we can post your item out to you, taking payment over the phone.
Page 23
Call our shop on 01970 625819 www.ebay.co.uk/usr/rheidolrailway
Garden Railway Shop Made from wood with real glass windows, this freelance four wheeled coach is a sturdy design which looks perfect behind a 16mm loco. Minimum radius is 2’6�. Supplied as 32mm or 45mm gauge, the wheels can easily be re-gauged to your railway. The Parcel Van and 3 Compartment Coach Timpdon Models, Rail Ready, 2, 3, & 4 are of very similar design, intended to compartment coaches. make a uniformed train.
Bowande, Porter No.1
We ran the loco straight out of the box on a rolling road without any issues. The instructions were followed, and as soon as the working pressure was reached, with the opening of the regulator, the locomotive happily ran. The running time was approx 10-15 minutes.
Recently we have added to our garden railway range some exciting products by Bowande, in the shape of two different types of G scale live steam locomotives. In this article we show the first of the two locomotives, the Porter No.1 an 0-4-0 Saddle Tank Locomotive. This locomotive is well built, and very neatly presented, and would be a great entry into Firstly being G scale the loco runs on owning a G scale live steam locomotive. 45mm track. It is a twin cylinder loco with There is of course plenty of scope for Stephenson reverse gear, and has a single modification for the more serious railway flue gas fired boiler. The boiler is fitted with modeller. a water level gauge, safety valve, water up valve, pressure gauge and even a working The Porter model locomotives are available whistle! An adjustable displacement to buy from our shop in Aberystwyth or on lubricator can be found in the cab, along with our online shop. the gas tank, reversing lever and regulator. The locomotive comes in a well presented The prototype cardboard box, which features photographs and drawings of the prototype that it has Locomotive No.1 was built by H K Porter & been based on. Inside the box the loco is Co in 1899. It was the very first locomotive secured within a Velcro strapped polystyrene to run in Fairbanks, Alaska on the 3ft gauge moulded shell, and comes complete with Tanana Valley Railroad. The loco was retired easy to follow instructions and factory from service in 1922 and was restored in issued pressure test certificates for the boiler 2000. It can now be found at the Tanana and gas tank. Valley Railroad Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Page 24
About Our Staff Caleb Lewis-Price
Over the 2015 summer holiday Caleb worked in the Harbourmaster kitchen, as a kitchen porter, for the whole of the holidays, meanwhile applying for different mechanical engineering apprenticeships. The Vale of Rheidol Railway advert came about in the local newspaper and he immediately applied. He was accepted for the interview, and got the job! Caleb started 2nd September 2015 and never looked back. He has since passed his college course with a distinction. Now, along with Connor, another apprentice, he will be continuing the college course into next year. Caleb also has other roles within the railway team, he is a passed out fireman on the line, as well as a guard since late 2016. If you see Caleb on your train or around the line say hello as he is always happy to talk about the jobs he does here at the VoR.
Maldwyn Davies
Maldwyn has been attending Canolfan Padarn for many years. As part of him attending the day service provision, it soon became apparent he had a love of finding a manual task and being very thorough in carrying it out. Canolfan Padarn used to produce black bin bags and this was very much his project. Later on when this activity had to finish he went on to making kindling which was then sold to the public. This continues to this day and since 2012, he has been volunteering at the Vale of Rheidol Railway where he makes kindling which is used for getting the fires started on the trains which operate to and from Devil’s Bridge. The placement for Maldwyn at the Vale of Rheidol Railway has improved his working skills, increased his independence and offered him the opportunity to work as part of a team where he has become a valued member of the organisation. This in turn has reduced his reliance on attending Canolfan Padarn and now forms a regular part of his life routine.
Page 25
Where history, myth & legend collide... Tours & Experiences A choice of tours and actor-led experiences. A Miner’s Life This guided tour immerses you in the original and rare setting of a historic silver-lead mine, both above and below ground and helps you to discover the fascinating facts of mining life in bygone times as it would have been seen through the eyes of a miner. The Black Chasm Orcs, Goblins, Wraiths & other Myths. Wales’ scariest underground adventure. This experience is not for the faint hearted! Not recommended for under 10’s. A Dragon’s Tale Why risk the nightmare of The Black Chasm when you can join the search for Grotty, Silver Mountain’s mystical, secretive and shy dragon. Our actorled adventure for families. Suitable for children from the age of 4yrs.
Plus many more features to keep the whole family entertained:
Coffee Shop – Our cosy coffee shop offers fresh from-the-bean coffees, teas, delicious hot chocolate, cold drinks and ices, hot soup, paninis, toasties, sandwiches, cold snacks and tempting cakes & muffins. Gift Shop – Provides the chance to browse a fascinating and colourful display of gemstone & mineral gifts plus plenty of fun items for the kids to choose from too.
Indoor / Undercover Time Lab live show Mining Exhibition Drawing Den Fossil Dig Gem / ”gold” Panning Outdoor Miners Trail Woo Hoo Wood Tangle-foot Maze Den-building Wobbly Log & Giant’s Pan Pipes Silver River Water Play Shroomy Games Giant’s Button Puzzle Shroomy Circle Quiz Trails Miners Trail Quiz Kindling’s Quest Nature Trail Events Events throughout the season. Check out our website for details
Page 26
Readers’ Mail This section of our newsletter gives you our readers the chance to offer feedback on both the railway in general and our newsletter. A Prize of a Family ticket for two Adults and two Children will be offered each edition to the best letter or email we receive. You can write us a letter and post it to the address on this card. Or alternatively write us an email newsletter@rheidolrailway.co.uk please put Newsletter Editor in the subject line.
Newsletter Editor Vale of Rheidol Railway Park Avenue Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 1PG
Classifieds
Your Ad Here Email marketing@rheidolrailway.co.uk for details MAESGLAS UCHAF Bed & Breakfast. YSBYTY YSTWYTH, YSTRAD MEURIG, CEREDIGION. SY25 6DD 01974 282 571 www.maesglasbandb.co.uk info@maesglasbandb.co.uk Find us on TripAdvisor: Maesglas Uchaf B&B We are just 10 minutes from Devils Bridge. Page 27
Your Ad Here Email marketing@rheidolrailway.co.uk for details
Poetry Corner Translated by Ioan R Lord The below poem was originally written in welsh and has been translated for our readers. Y Tren Fach
The Little Train
Forwynig hawddgaraf mor fawr dy wasanaeth Ar hyd y blynyddoedd heb gweryl na gwg, Ti weithiaist yn ddyfal a glan dy gymeriad Er galw yn ddyddiol ym Mhont y Gwr Drwg; ‘Rwy’n cofio dy weled yn dod y tro cyntaf I mewn I Gae Mynach yn hoyw ac iach, A dyna y cwestiwn oedd bron ar bob gwefus: “A ddowch chwi I’r pentre I weld y tren bach?”
Your kind service has been dependable Over the years without fail, You work diligently with a pure heart Despite calling daily at the Devil’s Bridge; I remember seeing you arriving the first time Into Cae Mynach in splendour and gayety, And here’s the question that everyone asked: “Will you come to the village to see the little train?”
Yn barod yr oeddit i gario enwogion Y byd dros y creigiauysgythrog a ffroch, Ac ni ddiystyrrent dy enw urddasol Os byddai y ‘guard’ gyda dwsin o foch; Mae’r ‘buses’ yn ceisio dy lethu os gallant, One elywir di eto yn chwiban yn iach, Pan wel yr ardaloedd nad oes eisiau meddyg Ar rai sydd ym mynwed ddiloes y tren bach. Pontarfynach T.J.Evans (Ap Salem)
You obligingly carried the world’s famous people Over the rocks and precipitous slopes, They never undermined your honoured name Even when the Guard carried a dozen of pigs; The buses try hard to suppress you, But we still hear your healthy whistle, And the whole area sees that no doctor is needed For those who live with the good nature of the little train.
Page 28
2017 Timetable 1. Pick your day of travel from the calendar. 2. Match the colour to the relevant timetable below. Please note there are no services on white days.
AUGUST 2017 M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31
S 6 13 20 27
SEPTEMBER 2017 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
OCTOBER 2017 M T W T F S
NOVEMBER 2017 M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
27 28 29 30
S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Aberystwyth Capel Bangor Aberffrwd Devil’s Bridge Devil’s Bridge Aberffrwd Capel Bangor Aberystwyth
dep: dep: dep: arr: dep: dep: dep: arr:
ORANGE 10:30 2:00 10:50 2:20 11:10 2:40 11:30 3:00 12:30 4:15 12:50 4:35 1:10 4:55 1:30 5:15
Aberystwyth Capel Bangor Aberffrwd Devil’s Bridge Devil’s Bridge Aberffrwd Capel Bangor Aberystwyth
dep: dep: dep: arr: dep: dep: dep: arr:
10:30 10:50 11:10 11:30 12:30 12:50 1:10 1:30
Santa Trains
16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23 December Page 17 1030, 1230 and 1430 from Aberystwyth
12:15 12:35 12:55 1:15 2:15 2:35 2:55 3:15
10:30 10:50 11:10 11:30 12:30 12:50 1:10 1:30 GREEN 2:00 2:20 2:40 3:00 4:00 4:20 4:40 5:00
S 5 12 19 26
DECEMBER 2017 M T W T F S 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23
S 3 10 17 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
YELLOW 12:15 2:00 12:35 2:20 12:55 2:40 1:15 3:00 2:15 4:00 2:35 4:20 2:55 4:40 3:15 5:00 3:45 4:05 4:25 4:45 5:45 6:05 6:25 6:45
6:00 6:20 6:40 7:00 8:00 8:20 8:40 9:00
Halloween Ghost Trains 27, 28, 29 October
Depart Aberystwyth 1800
3:45 4:05 4:25 4:45 5:45 6:05 6:25 6:45 GOLD 11:00 11:20 11:40 12:00 2:00 2:20 2:40 3:00
GOLD DAYS Enjoy the stunning Autumn Colours You can combine your visit with a Sunday Lunch at the Hafod Hotel, Devil’s Bridge
Music on the Train 8 October
Upcoming Events
Photo by John R Jones
www.rheidolrailway.co.uk
Telephone us: 01970 625 819 - Park Avenue, Aberystwyth SY23 1PG Regular steam train services running throughout the year