Welshpool Gala 2011 - Sept 2/3/4

Having only ever visited on Sundays, I wasn't aware that Dougal only hauled passenger services on this day. However can see where you are now coming from with your request for variety. Maybe one suggestion could be to do a supplement for riding in the Brake Van like has been done elsewhere (if fully fitted though)?

Totally agree with the WTT and advertising for this year though. It was below par of previous years, normally it is spot on and you know exactly what is working and when before you arrive. This time wasn't the case, which was slightly surprising with it being the return to service of Joan.

Still enjoyed my time though, and will return next year. In my mind it's this event that kicks off Gala Season for me, and 2011 is definitely off to a good start.

 

I take your point with regard to a working timetable detailing locomotive allocations – to be honest with Joan only being passed for service a few days before the event the working timetable was not finalised until much later than usual.

As mentioned earlier the railway will listen to all comments on the event including criticism.

Andrew C
Press Officer
W&LLR

 

I enjoyed the gala - my first at the WLLR; my only quibble is that the train formations were very much the same, or, to put it another way, the locos didn't change their trains. I do appreciate that this was inevitable given that 'Dougal' was in use as one of the four engines in steam, but it would have been nice (and it would have improved the gala no end) if the locos could have been swapped around. There should be a place for 'Dougal', but it wasn't quite right this time. Perhaps next year.

My thanks for a good day on Saturday, shame about the weather but nobody can do anything about that, and it was good to see that the volunteers were so obviously enjoying it too.

Regards

 

Here's a short video I made of a trip behind the thrashtastic Dougal on Sunday morning.
Always the highlight of the event for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLmJMQA08jY

 

[video=youtube;OX-641rBJC0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX-641rBJC0&hd=1[/video]
Part two of our film from the gala

 

You got me at 7m 15 sec - The Earl's fireman-side injector is a tad finickity!

Andrew C
Press Officer
W&LLR

 

I was wondering if 'Andrew C' would like to answer this question. One of the difficulties I have when visiting the WLLR are the public rights of way. I'm not talking here of carriageways which are reasonably well defined on the ground and on OS maps, but footpaths which are defined on the maps but which disappear when I try to find them on the ground.

Is the WLLR aware of this matter and what steps is it taking to correct access to its railway by footpath?

Regards

 

I wasn't aware of any difficulties. Are we talking public footpaths? While not an expert in such matters, if these paths are not on railway land I would have thought it would be difficult to do anything about them. What parts of the railway are the paths you are referring to accessing? Defined crossing points?

Andrew C (the C is Charman by the way).

 

Not sure what you mean by 'defined crossing points' perhaps they are crossing points defined by the railway's LRO ... but, as an example, Heniarth station is shown on the OS map as being accessable from two spots off the A458. One, a farm track from the north and another a footpath from the west. The footpath is shown as a public right of way, the farm track isn't. The public right of way has been dug up for a drainage ditch at its A458 end and the farm track was closed by a padlocked five barred gate.

This means that the station and the Banwy bridge is inaccessable to pedestrians which, I would have thought, is of interest to the WLLR. Also, as public footpaths that cross the railway add a great deal of interest to the railway, I'm surprised that the WLLR isn't interested in them generally, but perhaps I've misinterpreted your post.

Regards

 

I never said we were not interested, merely that I wasn't sure what we could do, as I am not an expert in the rules and regulations surrounding public rights of way, and, as I stated, I was not aware before your posting of any issues. As far as I am aware this subject has not been raised with the railway before.
I'll ask the question next time I am in the office, but speaking personally I would have thought that if someone using a public right of way finds an issue with it the first place they should raise that issue would be with those responsible for maintaining that right of way. The local council perhaps?

Andrew C

 

[ speaking personally I would have thought that if someone using a public right of way finds an issue with it the first place they should raise that issue would be with those responsible for maintaining that right of way. The local council perhaps?

Andrew C[/QUOTE]

This is so.

Paul H

 

I suspect you had the wrong gate down to Heniarth station as I drove down to it both days, don't know about footpath access as I didn't manage to get an OS map, however a local member of the railway kindly gave me a guided tour on the saturday which included the station which I returned to on sunday. There are a few spots I would like look up before my next visit, mainly footpath related.

 

I know which footpath Orion is referring to, and I've never managed to find it either! I've driven down to Heniarth a couple of times, never had a problem with a locked gate, though it is normally closed.

 

This a map of the area in question: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?...ight+Rly,+Powys+&searchp=ids.srf&mapp=map.srf

I must say that I'm surprised that you drove down a farm track with a gate on it. I've always assumed that if a landowner puts a gate across a non public footpath then he wishes it to be private and would not be at all welcoming.

Anyway, whatever, the map is above.

PS I've just clicked on the map and it isn't really of the area at all, you'll have to pan to the left and enlarge it

Regards

 

Final part now up
[video=youtube;Lf9_s4XGWNw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf9_s4XGWNw&hd=1[/video]

 

Was there a mirror opersite the gate on the road, also there room to pull in two cars before the gate. To be honest I didn't know any location, a local memeber of the railway who has livedon the line all his life showed the spot along with several others, did mention that there were some foot paths along the rivers edge but as you said there was a lock of signs of the road as I didn't see any either. Best bet is the local council on the subject but getting local support will help but I suspect the railways wouldn't know untill you said as they are intrested in the line and don't see things from a road point of view.

Farmers often use gates to keep in livestock, they do not always mean there is no access, failway commen to find gated roads instead of cattle grids in the moors, around snowden and in the highlands.

 

Originally posted by Orion :

I must say that I'm surprised that you drove down a farm track with a gate on it. I've always assumed that if a landowner puts a gate across a non public footpath then he wishes it to be private and would not be at all welcoming.

I often take images at Henion and use the farm track which has a gate located about 50 yards from the main road. I have always understood that the gate was provided to keep the livestock in and the farmer(s) have no objection to persons driving down the track to Henion - providing they remember to close the gate behind them. Although not going to Henion on this year's visit I assumed that normal accesses were still available and no-one suggested otherwise.

Whilst acknowledging that access to public footpaths cannot be restricted, the action of landowners putting a gate across public footpaths is acceptable if the public are free to open and close the gate behind them; a matter of simple courtesy and "give and take" which is the reason that so many find Henion initially hard to find but easy to revisit once the geography of the location is known.

 

Nothing to disagree with here and now I know that the landowner doesn't mind people wandering down the track to the station I will certainly use it in future. I do think, however, that railway enthusiasts should be careful of assuming that they have free access to any part of a railway across farmland. We don't.

Regards

 

Nice video! I've done a pretty rough drawing showing where the footpath is, or should be, and the location of the station. .

I'm afraid I disagree with the view that I should lobby the local authority to get the footpaths maintained. I feel that this is the job of the local residents and businesses. AFAIK the only finger post marking a public footpath on the entire WLLR is the one at Sylfaen. Personally I feel that this is to the disadvantage of the area and to the railway, but that's just a personal view.

I have a video of the railway which was clearly done with its cooperation. It's by Graham Whistler and it shows just what a good location this part of the line is, particularly the Banwy Bridge.


Regards

 

Odd about the gate but it look like you had the correct place, assuming you match up the location with the map, on teh subject of public footpaths I think there is a body you can report obstruction of access etc to, and while local support help's, you do not need it as a public write if way is set in law for access for walker's in general. AFter all some ramblers travel miles to walk a planned route, only to find part of it obstruted is a vaild point, what ever your reason.

thei nay help;
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/rights_of_way/knowledge_portal/rights_of_way_law/obstructions