The Gwili Railway thread

Bangor to Afon Wen is part 2 of the TLC campaign. If Carmarthen to Aber gets built then I expect that that line would follow.

Regards

Matt

 

Update

Loco shed taking shape- roof trusses are on

Cladding starts next week.

Meanwhile on the extension the first "SW" boards have been erected and plans are ongoing to complete the 2 occupation crossings with anti-trespass grids and timbers.

Getting closer...

Regards

Matt

 

Bangor-Afon Wen is probably a non starter. A lot of trackbed has gone between Bangor- Dinas Junction - Afon Wen, notably through Menai Bridge, Velinheli, Griffiths Crossing, Porth Waterloo, the site of Caernarvon station, the tunnels at St Helens Road, then the slight matter of the WHR, the A487 improvements to Pen y Groes and Nasareth, factory units at Glan Dwyfach and Chwilog, and road improvements at Afon Wen, before trying to interface with the Cambrian Coast. Quite a lot to overcome, as it is not all abandoned trackbed, but partly cycleway/footpath as well, with not much scope for diversion of the trackbed.

 

Agreed - about as much of a non-starter as Carmarthen to Aberystwyth I'd say....

Regards

Matt

 

Update

The final rails were changed on the weekend, four on the loop and one on the mainline. A few minor issues left (the odd bolt to be inserted) but the track is almost good to go. On the shopping list for the next extension - a nice large yard so we can spread out all the rails and avoid "double handling"....

Cladding of the shed starts tomorrow. Some of the spoil from the shed foundations will be used to help complete the walkways on the extension.

This week should hopefully see another key job complete which is the anti-trespass and timbers on the occupation crossings.

Regards

Matt

 

I seem to recall seeing a plan with a loco shed and/or a carriage shed at Aber - has that plan been cancelled/postponed?


Keith

 

There are plans at Abergwili for a carriage shed and this remains part of the medium term plan.

Unlikely we would locate a loco shed at AJ due to the proximity of the hospital.

Regards

Matt

 

Thanks Matt

 

Update

Roof sheets going on

Regards

Matt

 

Abergwili comes under Carmarthen Town and the emissions controls are quite strict meaning that the loco's only have a limited time to idle at Abergwili in order not to exceed the emission limits on planning consent so there would be no way a loco shed for lighting up or disposing would get permission unfortunately.

The station, car park and carriage shed at Abergwili were in the plans to be built as part of the southern extension but it appears the emphasis has already shifted away from their construction to extending the track north to Conwil as soon as the southern track is open. No official announcement has been made about this apparent change.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

Keith

 

Hi Alan

No - the only "emphasis" is on getting the line to Abergwili Junction open at present. What happens next depends entirely on funding., there are several avenues in this regard, not all of which you can expect to see on the internet.....

Regards

Matt

 

Perhaps then a little more feedback from the Board in the VNL about what's actually happening then? When all there is to be seen is repeated comments (frequently from yourself) such as 'Conwil next' or 'now looking to extend north to Conwil' together with the new justgiving.com site for the extension 'north to Conwil' (but not one for Abergwili station I note) you should not be surprised if people get the wrong idea.

 

Hi. Alan

As an individual I generally express opinions like everyone else. Official policy is always going to be dictatd by time, money and manpower. As I said it isn't possible to divulge everything that goes on. Nevertheless I am sure that this thread performs a useful function in providing up-to-date happening as well.

I'm happy to add a disclaimer to my footer to say that my postings are my personal views but I think its is covered within the rules of the forum unless I'm wrong?



Regards

Matt

 

Any update on the Vintage carriages (216/220) ? Seems to be a lack of updates on the carriage group website

Regards

Gareth

 

Hi Gareth

The vintage carriages continue to progress between other jobs. The usual slot in the shed for the carriages is the summer, when everything else is running. Other times of the year the operating fleet tends to take priority.

A summary is that GWR216 has seen consistent work for pretty much the last 15 years to a greater or lesser degree. The last significant task are the doors. One needs replacing completely and we are getting a price for it to be make externally. The other doors have seen much work patching up, adjusting door locks and edges, basically very fiddly work which takes an age and is not very exciting to report.

On TVR220 the doors are slightly better and most are in the workshop being attended to. One door (guards) is at our usual woodwork contractor for a full rebuild. Unlike 216 some of the (plywood) bodywork on 220 will need replacing.

Neither coach is helped by the weather and we really need a shed for both to keep them in reasonable condition. We have a number of other vintage projects pending such as GWR 8 which we are keen to get stuck into. In the short term it is possible that a vintage train could be formed with 0-4-0st "Olwen" and in the medium term with TVR28.

Regards

Matt

 

Thanks for the reply, appreciate the detail ! Looking at the number of bodies you have there's some real potential to healthy stable of vintage carriages in the future.

 

One would hope building a Carriage Shed somewhere is given priority over any further extension. A quick look at the cost of restoration for coaches and the benefits in terms of keeping stock in good condition for far longer should make this a no brainer for the Railways management.

Brian

 

Agreed, but it can be possible to undertake both at the same time. We are building the engine shed concurrently with the extension to Abergwili for example. It is just a question of finances.

Regards

Matt

 

Hi Gareth,

It is pretty much what Matt said.

During the winter focus shifted from GWR 216 to TVR 220. This was for the simple reason that as part of the Christmas set up most of the Wagons and coaches disappears up to the far end of the line. So we decided to tackle the doors on the TVR coach as they could be worked on off the coach where as the doors off 216 need to be worked on-on the coach if that makes sense!


As of Wednesday, 4 of the 8 doors off 220 where in undercoat, two where in the new wood workshop for repair, one is still on the coach and the other is away for contract repair.

If I remeber my camera I will take some picture of them on Saturday.