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Bala Lake Railway

Coordinates: 52°52′48″N 3°37′34″W / 52.88000°N 3.62611°W / 52.88000; -3.62611
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Bala Lake Railway
Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid
Alice at Llanuwchllyn, 18 July 2004
LocaleWales
TerminusLlanuwchllyn
Commercial operations
NameRuabon Barmouth Line
Built byGWR
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated byRheilffordd Llyn Tegid Ltd
Length4.5 miles (7.2 km)
Preserved gauge2 ft (610 mm)
Commercial history
OpenedBetween 1 December 1861
and 10 October 1867
Closed to passengers18 January 1965
Closed1968
Preservation history
Opened1972
Bala Lake Railway
Legend
Ruabon–Barmouth line
 Bala (Penybont)
(
originally
Bala Lake Halt
)
 Bryn Hynod Halt
(closed 2011)
 Llangower
Glan Llyn Halt
Pentrepiod Halt
Llanuwchllyn
Ruabon–Barmouth line
A Bala Lake Railway trip

The Bala Lake Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid) is a narrow gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) long, is built on a section of the former standard gauge Ruabon - Barmouth GWR route that closed in 1965. Another section of the former permanent way is used by the Llangollen Railway. The Bala Lake Railway, which runs on 2 ft (610 mm)-gauge preserved rolling stock, is a member of the Great Little Trains of Wales.

History

Bala Lake Railway opened on 13 August 1972. The company, named Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Ltd, was the first company in Wales to be registered exclusively in the Welsh language. In in its first season, it operated a small industrial diesel engine with two open carriages on 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) of track between Llanuwchllyn and Pentrepiod.

Extension work continued throughout this period with the help of local ex-British Rail employees. The line was extended to Llangower by the start of 1973. In 1975 the line reached a new temporary station at Pant-yr-hen-felin.[1]

The following year the line reached Bala (Llyn Tegid), now known as Bala (Penybont). Expansion plans were to extend the line into Bala's town centre, with this final section opening in 1981. However, these plans were abandoned early in that year.[2]

The company now has the largest collection of historic narrow gauge quarry locomotives built by the Hunslet Engine Company specifically for the slate industry in North Wales.

In 2010, the company revived plans to complete the final 0.75 miles (1.2 km) of the railway to Bala town centre. The Red Dragon Project, under the auspices of the Bala Lake Railway Trust, has been established to build the £2.5 million extension.[3]

The stations along the line are:

  • Llanuwchllyn, includes the main buildings, workshops and railway offices.
  • Pentrepiod Halt, an operational request stop.
  • Glan Llyn Halt, a limited-use station, open only during the Halloween and Santa Special train services.
  • Llangower, principal intermediate station that all trains stop at. It has a passing loop for two-train services.
  • Bryn Hynod Halt, a request stop that closed in 2011 (platform demolished in February 2012).
  • Bala (Penybont), terminus located near the town of Bala.

Rolling stock

Maid Marian waiting with a train at Bala station in the rain.
Holy War seen in its red livery as it heads to Llanwchlyn in 1993; it is now painted blue.

Steam locomotives currently in use or stored on the line are:

  • Maid Marian, works number 822 (in use). It has twice undergone full overhauls at the expense of a special supporters' society for railfans with a particular concern for this engine.[4]
  • Holy War, works number 779 (in use)
  • Alice, works number 780 (in use)
  • Winifred, works number 364 (in use). It was repatriated to the UK from a warehouse at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the USA in April 2012. It has since been restored to working condition.[5]
  • Diana, works number 1158 (in use). Built by Kerr Stuart and worked in Newtown, Powys
  • George B, works number 680. Currently undergoing a lengthy rebuild.

All locos - with the exception of Diana - were built by the Hunslet Engine Company for the Dinorwic and Penrhyn Quarries. The numerous Hunslet slate quarry steam locomotives have led the railway to market itself as the home of the Hunslet brand.[6]

Until late 2011, Peckett 0-6-0st Triassic was stored on the Bala Lake Railway, but has since been relocated to the Statfold Barn Railway due to storage space issues.[7]

The four main diesel locomotives are:[8]

  • Meirionydd, a Bo-Bo diesel-hydrostatic locomotive built by Severn Lamb of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1973, and based on a Western class standard gauge locomotive outline
  • Trigger (Bob Davies), a Baguley Drewery, works no. 780, which is the railway's main standby diesel, used to haul out of season trains, for yard shunting and goods or works train haulage, which was built as 2 ft 6in gauge for the Royal Navy at Fishguard, purchased by Pete Briddon's Yorkshire Engine Company, regauged to 2 ft, and named 'Bob Davies' in honour of a remarkable railwayman
  • Chilmark, Ruston & Hornsby, works no. 194771, the oldest of the railway's diesels (a 40DL diesel mechanical 3-speed built in 1939 for the Air Ministry), used by the Royal Air Force for hauling explosives and ammunition at RAF Chilmark, Wiltshire
  • Lady Madcap, a Ruston & Hornsby 20DL, which sees only occasional use for light shunting and ballast ploughing.

A new addition to the fleet is a track maintenance trolley in the style of a standard gauge Wickham trolley.

Current and former locomotives

Locomotive Name Locomotive Type Year Built Builder Works Number Notes
Current Steam Locomotives
Winifred 0-4-0 ST 1885 Hunslet Engine Co 364 Relaunched 13th April 2015, by Pete Waterman.[9]
George B 0-4-0 ST 1898 Hunslet Engine Co 680 Undergoing long-term restoration.
Holy War 0-4-0 ST 1902 Hunslet Engine Co 779 In regular service.
Alice 0-4-0 ST 1902 Hunslet Engine Co 780 In regular service.
Maid Marian 0-4-0 ST 1903 Hunslet Engine Co 822 In regular service.
Diana 0-4-0 T 1917 Kerr Stuart 1158 Entered regular service during the 2016 season following restoration.
Former Steam Locomotives
Lilla 0-4-0 ST 1891 Hunslet Engine Co 554 Sold to Ffestiniog Railway in 1997.
Jonathan 0-4-0 ST 1898 Hunslet Engine Co 678 Left BLR in 1986.
Dryw Bach or Ashover 0-4-0 ST 1918 Kerr Stuart 3114 Now in the Vale of Rheidol Railway collection.
Triassic 0-6-0 ST 1911 Peckett 1270 At Bala from 1992. In service from 2008. Left Bala Lake 2011.
Helen Kathryn 0-4-0 ST 1948 Kassel, Germany 28035 At BLR from first opening until 1975. Moved to Llanberis Lake Railway and now on South Tynedale Railway in Cumbria.
Current Diesel Locomotives
Chilmark 4W DM 1939 Ruston & Hornsby 194771 Built as an RAF ammunition locomotive. At BLR since 1976.
Lady Madcap 4W DM Ruston & Hornsby Light duties.
Bob Davies 4W DM Baguley Drewery 780 Built for the Royal Navy. Passenger & engineers' locomotive.
Merionnydd Bo-Bo 1973 Severn-Lamb 22 Diesel hydrostatic double-cabbed locomotive. Passenger locomotive. Built for the BLR.
Wickham trolley 4W trolley A track inspection trolley in the style of a Wickham trolley.
Former Diesel Locomotives
Goofy 4W DM 1930 Hudson 38384
"No 2" 4W DM 1936 Ruston & Hornsby 182137
4W DM 1938 Ruston & Hornsby 189972
Indian Runner "No 3" 4W DM 1940 Ruston & Hornsby 200744 Built for gravel works. Moved to BLR in 1977. Left BLR in 2004. (Named Invicta until 1981.)
Cernyw "No 11" 4W DM 1940 Ruston & Hornsby 200748
Flaxen 4W DM 1942 Ruston & Hornsby 209430
4W DM 1949 Ruston & Hornsby 283512
4W DM 1934 Motor Rail 5821
4W DM 1939 Hunslet Engine Co 1974
4W DM 1942 Hibberd 2544
4W DM 1949 Lister-Blackstone 34025 Left BLR in 2001 (to Devon Railway Centre).
Alister "No 2" 4W DM 1958 Lister-Blackstone 44052

See also

References

  1. ^ Steam '82 directory, edited by Roger Crombleholme and Terry Kirtland, published 1981 by Allen & Unwin (London), ISBN 0-04-385091-X, entry 304.
  2. ^ Statement of G H Barnes (General Manager) in Steam '81 directory, edited by Roger Crombleholme and Terry Kirtland, published 1981 by Allen & Unwin (London), ISBN 978-0-04-385082-4, entry 304.
  3. ^ "Proposed Route for the Bala Town Extension". Bala Lake Railway Trust. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. ^ See that society's own website.
  5. ^ "Welcome to the Bala Lake Railway". Bala-lake-railway.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  6. ^ See the full list at this Archived 4 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine supporters' society webpage.
  7. ^ "Triassic moves to Statfold". Railways.national-preservation.com. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  8. ^ See data and illustrations at the official webpage.
  9. ^ Eryl Grump: Bala Lake Railway steaming ahead with more visitors in 2015. Daily Post, Trinity Mirror Merseyside, 5 June 2015.
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52°52′48″N 3°37′34″W / 52.88000°N 3.62611°W / 52.88000; -3.62611

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