Matt78's Recent Activity
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Matt78 replied to the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
it’s a GWR “macaw”, we have two of these plus a “60ft “Gane” which came from the Swansea Vale Railway.
Nov 10, 2026 at 10:11 AM -
Matt78 attached a file to the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
First items of stock on road 2 at the carriage shed today. Road 1 on the right will now be extended a short distance to the rear. This will allow us to fit 5 x MK1 in the shed and therefore keep the service set under cover every night.
Nov 9, 2026 at 8:43 PM
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Matt78 liked 5944's post in the thread 2026 Entries/Returnees and Withdrawals.
Not quite back yet, but 1420 has been spotted outside the shed at Buckfastleigh in lined BR green.
Nov 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM -
Matt78 liked jamesd's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
In hindsight, I'm probably taking my rather skewed view of the World and the things I like to do on a day out and not explaining them very well! Jamessquared has summed it up best, the Gwili isn't a whole day attraction. I generally try and think...
Nov 7, 2026 at 10:23 PM -
Matt78 liked Pete Thornhill's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
To expand on that point slightly, I do sometimes spend some time in Pembrokeshire which has plenty of family attractions to keep my children entertained. From my part of the world it’s around 2hrs to Carmarthen, and roughly another 45 minutes...
Nov 7, 2026 at 9:48 AM -
Matt78 liked Jamessquared's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
Yes and no I think. As a local, if I want to visit the Museum of Army Flying (about 20 minutes from me) than basically it just needs to stand or fall on its own merits, and it is irrelevant that, e.g. the similar Boscombe Down Aviation Museum is...
Nov 7, 2026 at 9:47 AM -
Matt78 liked Chris M Jones's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
Quite Right Matt. The Gwili has made MAGNIFICENT improvements in the last 20 years and I am in AWE of everyone who has made this possible. I'm certainly NOT criticising the Gwili in any way because I know that the Gwili has had to change as...
Nov 6, 2026 at 8:57 PM -
Matt78 replied to the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
i am slightly curious about this this point. Is it necessary for a railway to be surrounded by other attractions, or is it enough that the railway is an attraction in itself? I appreciate there is an element of each to their own.
Nov 6, 2026 at 6:35 PM -
Matt78 liked Chris M Jones's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
My "probably wouldn't join the Gwili now" is that MY interest was in the HISTORICAL aspects of running an old time country branch line and there are now too many "extracurricular" activities to interest me - but this DOESN'T mean that I don't...
Nov 6, 2026 at 1:11 PM -
Matt78 replied to the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
Can only say that the railway has certainly changed from the time that @Chris M Jones was volunteering (I was around too at the time). Longer length, longer trains. More passengers, bigger motive power. Perhaps it is true that some of the charm...
Nov 6, 2026 at 1:00 PM -
Matt78 liked thb17's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
Also Carmarthen is a destination in itself, some great restaurants! I think it is unfair to call the extension a distraction. It will improve the enthusiast offering as Dan Y coed has always been a bit of a bottle neck for long trains etc. If...
Nov 6, 2026 at 8:58 AM -
Matt78 replied to the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
All I can say to this is if you have a look back on this thread it does chart the progress on the carriage shed, which is not yet open to the public but will be by Easter. We have several vintage carriages such as Barry 163, GWR 216 and Taff 220...
Nov 6, 2026 at 7:38 AM -
Matt78 liked thb17's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
I think you have to consider where the Gwili is. It is out on a limb in west wales and there are not a huge amount of enthusiasts queuing up to ride. From an enthusiasts perspective the railway is in a much better place now. They have a prairie,...
Nov 5, 2026 at 8:26 PM -
Matt78 replied to the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
It had been noticeable that since we started operating more GWR engines a few years ago there has been an upturn in “enthusiast” type visitors be they volunteers on other railways or more generally. However this still accounts for only a small...
Nov 5, 2026 at 8:26 PM -
Matt78 liked alexl102's post in the thread The Gwili Railway thread.
I know the income from Coach parties is a welcome one, but please can I urge you not to fall into the trap of another railway I'm aware of who appear to have largely sold their soul to Coach parties at the expense of walk-up and enthusiast...
Nov 3, 2026
