Barry Tourist Railway

Hi,

I've recently been updating some of the older records in my Locos database, but not having much luck with the items at Barry Tourist Railway. Their own website has no stock pages (and the latest News is apparently 2017) and my mate Google has not been able to find anything recent about the following locomotives.

0-6-0ST 2 Pontyberem
GWR 4500 4575 2-6-2T 5539
GWR 5600 0-6-2T 6686
4wVBGT 7 Susan
BR 9F 2-10-0 92245
BR 08 0-6-0DE D3658 08503
BR 20 Bo-Bo D8128 20228
BR 73 Bo-Bo E6025 73118

If anyone can update me on the current condition (and location if they have left Barry) that would be much appreciated.

 

If you go onto Facebook, and search for Barry tourist railway or GWR 56xx No. 6686 restoration project then you might be able to find out some more information. Cheers

 

Thank you. I have had a look at Facebook but not much info on there either.

Sadly, BTR is one of the few heritage railways that doesn't seem to have much of a web presence. Even their 'Train Services' page seems to still be showing last years dates.

 

Small prairie 5539 is a contract restoration job. The boiler is currently under overhaul at Llangollen.

Bob.

 

It seems that BTR now have even less of a web presence as their website (http://www.barrytouristrailway.co.uk) is off line.
They do still seem to have a Facebook page but it seems to be FB members only .
I hope they are already aware of and taking action to fix the website, but perhaps one of the FB users on here could drop them note on FB just in case they are unaware.

 

It's possibly going to the Flour Mill to be finished.

Bob.

 

The Barry Tourist Railway have also mentioned that restoration is going to start on the Ex GWR Whitewash Coach via FB.

 

Barry Tourist Railway are operating brake van rides for £10 (plus £0.84 booking fee) for up to 6 people. Tickets on sale at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/barry/barry-tourist-railway

Currently its steam on 5th & 12th June and an 08 on 6th & 13th June. First trip 09:00, last trip 11:45.

 

What is happening at the Barry Tourist Railway? I live about 20 minutes away and have explored getting involved but it's a nightmare to actually contact anyone. Every time we've visited it's been shut, the site is quite messy, and I get the sense that filming work and the storage of hoppers etc. for Freightliner keeps them ticking over and allows the odd steam event to take place, but that little progress otherwise is being made (though in their defence we have been in a pandemic etc.). Is anyone on here involved? What are Cambrian Transport's longer term plans?

 

I live 20 mins away too and you've pretty much summed up my view of the place. When they've run brakevan rides I've popped down and chatted to the volunteers who are all friendly but they don't seem to have much of a long term plan. Last I heard there were 73 hoppers stored on site which take up all the sidings and a lot of the running line.

 

This sounds like a silly use of the track. They could run lots more this is an important area of steam due to the scrapyard and other things that happen end there

 

Guess it depends on what pays the bills. Covid + winter make for tough times.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

And BTR is a private company operation so they're even less likely to just have empty sidings because the odd person wants to ride it (if they're even of enough quality to be used for passenger rides) when renting them out is a nice little passive earner. . They're renting the entire site from Vale Of Glamorgan Council and are over half way through a 20 year lease so kind of hard to have any third eye vision of the site in the future when the lease is up 6 years.

So much of the Woodham scrapyard has been redeveloped into housing, Asda and a Premier Inn. There is nothing left of the area worth looking at without the locomotives. Otherwise its just industrial ground with some locomotives melting in the sea air slowly. Having the remains of the Barry 10 on site is a better memorial to what was a good bit of business than Dai being some Saint that some people think was going on. I guess there was something in the air if you were there (and not just bits of asbestos) but Barry locomotives stored there for a long time are fraught with plate problems because the sea air tried to get to them which is another headache for restoration teams. If anything its more an important area for the wider story of industry in South Wales, coal magnates, labour movements and the construction of Barry Docks itself.

 

Storage fees may be a factor. Nice bonus income for minimal cost.

 

Not sure I recognise this characterisation of Barry or the BTR. All the locos (as far as I am aware from being there nearly every weekend) are in storage, so nothing (bar the Freightliners hopper) are "melting in the sea air." The line runs from Barry Island, probably one of the busiest places in the area at high season, to the comparatively swanky Goodsheds, which is a new-ish outlet and food venue, with another running line up to a new station being developed by the Waterfront Retail Park (or it was last I heard). The line itself truddles over a viaduct on the causeway which offers some cracking views of the harbour, Friars Points and the Knapp. It's not perfect, but it's location offers bundles of potential which simply aren't being realised. I do agree that there is a richer heritage story to be told, but that again raises my point about Cambrian's longer term plans.

 

Sorry SpudUk, I wasn't characterising the BTR at all but referring to Woodhams in the past and locomotives we have in operation/ restoration/ Barry condition/ static condition. I should have been far clearer on that. I just don't get the rose tinted view people take on Woodhams, mostly cos I wasn't there but no picture I've seen suggests it was a nice place to be except maybe as a child. Barry is undergoing a pretty decent regeneration which it fully deserves.

 

This was posted on another site earlier......
https://valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Docu...H0pbGuq7zZh3hAxAVGog9CLfppKwQjjsjju74TJ4E4xSs

 

Merely curious here..... Interesting bit highlighted:

3. How do proposals evidence the Five Ways of Working and contribute
to our Well-being Objectives?
3.1 The proposed disposal of land to TfW accords with the Five Ways of Working and
our Well-being objectives as follows:
a) Involvement - Due to the tight deadline to facilitate the land transaction there
is insufficient time to consult the local community. However, this project would
result in the continued use of the land for railway purposes for the benefit of
Barry and the wider region …

Does classifying the proposal as a continuance of 'rail operation', regardless of a change of use within the industry, completely kybosh any statutory requirement to seek local approval?

 

Also made the local news too. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/transport-wales-spend-millions-rail-23249360

No mention of the Barry Tourist Railway in the article or what will happen once TfW take over the land.