[Aug 30, 2014] Welshpool Steam Gala (Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway)

http://www.wllr.org.uk/gala.htm

Just had a look at WLLR website, and was amazed to see the Timetable is already up!

However, On Sunday only 2/3 Gala engines are booked to work. Any reason for this?
I've normally always attended on the Sunday, as the final Sunday train with No1/No2 DH on anything and everything has always proved to be a highlight. Sad to see this not happening for 2014, any reason for this?

Also, what's the status of Dougal?

 

Yes it's a pretty poor timetable for both days, particularly the Sunday where Joan appears to just stay in the shed all day. It's a shame that none of the diesels are out to add a bit of variety like last year, No.17 was well received by me and others I spoke to so putting that or Chattenden out would bring in a few extra people.

Unforyunately, Dougal failed its boiler examination at the beginning of the year so is currently out of action.

 

we are hoping to get to this but can't face the 450 mile round trip drive so looked at going by train. It's possible though the Saturday W&L timetable isn't good for connections meaning we will be a bit restricted. No way is the 0949 at Welshpool going to get us to Raven Sq for 1000 even with a taxi if we can find one and we certainly won't risk the 1702 off the 1638 arrival. Anybody know how long between the stations?

Don

 

Distance between BR and WL stations is just under a mile (think it measures to about 0.9 miles).
How long it takes to walk will depend on the person, especially bearing in mind a fair proportion of that distance is up hill.

 

Well, that is a very disappointing timetable, was planning to visit Rhiw Valley (not been before) and the garden rail ex on Saturday (probably helping friends run a layout for a while), stay overnight locally, and spend all day Sunday on WLLR. Think I'll cancel my accommodation and just do Rhiw Valley/ Garden Rail in a day. It's not worth the cost of an overnight stay as it stands. Joan isn't working solo on the Saturday, either, suggesting poor health, perhaps? I agree with jamesd that a diseasel or two would be appreciated to mix things up a bit, if no visitor is forthcoming. I'll hang fire for a couple of weeks, though......

 

Given the railway's less than universal gauge - exactly what visiting locos would one expect to suddenly be announced? The railway's gala usually runs with the resident fleet.

The unavoidable loss of Dougal obvious knobbles its little freight cameo and a local passenger trundle up the line, but there's 'nowt the railway can do about that. Likewise the early morning mixed freight/passenger train is missing - but as is often stated on this forum, freight trains don't put bums on seats. There's still an early morning departure at 8:30 each day, it's just pure passenger.

Through the rest of the day there are departures from Llanfair roughly every hour and a half up to 5 in the afternoon, with the last arrival at Llanfair 19:07. Once arrivals are considered it means there's never more than an hour to wait before something arrives/departs, and for some of the time there'll be a train waiting in the station.

I accept that in previous years there's probably been an extra train in the evening, which usually arrives back at Llanfair after dark, but what's with all the negativity? After reading the comments here I was expecting to see little more than a normal day's timetable for the Sunday.... The Sunday of the gala is the same as the Saturday (albeit without any double heading) - the level of service is unaltered.

This is a railway that normally in the height of the season runs four round trips a day with the last departure being half three in the afternoon - give 'um a break, this gala is still almost doubling the number of departures and is offering services from before breakfast until time for supper. If people only want a single train ride then the ticket price for that is the same as their usual fare - no forced day rover only sales at inflated prices (another bugbear of this forum).

You're not gonna see this level of activity on this railway at any other time of the year.

 

The Whipsnade fleet, Sittingbourne fleet and a couple from Statfold would all fit, so there's plenty of choice there.

Agreed the timetable is busier than normal but there isn't a lot of variety in it. Countess or Earl on the Pickering's is just as per a normal vintage train day and as previously said, Joan doesn't work solo and doesn't work at all on Sunday, Why? How about a Chattenden/No17 shuttle to Cyfronydd and back in Dougal's freight slot or at least have the three steam engines alternating on each train, changing locos at Welshpool? Include the diesels and you could change at either end.

I'll be there on both days as my parents live in Llanfair and I'll visit the garden rail show but not sure I'll buy a ticket to travel as there isn't really much difference (once you're on the train) to a normal day.

 

The Welshpool & Llanfair galas almost never feature visiting locos - the overwhelming vast majority are run using the available home fleet of locos. So there's little reason to suspect or expect a visitor to be brought in this year.

As for being upset that the gala trains consist of the railway's normal locos hauling the railway's collection of coaching stock that can be ridden on at other times in the year... well as I've already pointed out, that's no different to any of the galas over the last decade or more. For those that get excited by such things, there are two double-headed round trips on the Saturday. If using the railway's carriage fleet isn't satisfactory, what else are they supposed to do, rosta cattle trucks for passengers to travel in?

As for the repeated suggestion of running trains with diesel locos - well the railway does promote this as a "STEAM" gala. The forum is quick to moan at other railways that use diesel power during steam galas, just as there are those that have heart attacks at the thought of a steam loco being used during a diesel gala. Once again, I don't think the W&L gala usually use the diesels for anything more than shunting in the yard, so how come they're being assassinated for not running trains with them during this year's annual steam gala?

I'm no particular great advocate for the railway, and I admit the absence of freight trips is noticeable in this year's timetable, but I can't see what's so terrible about it either - there's still plenty of train movements and plenty of opportunity to spend the day going back and forth.

Perhaps I'm just out of touch with what the train-spotter mentality expects from a railway gala?
I confess that whilst I do usually pop over (assuming the weather's dry), I've never purchased a ticket to ride on the trains ...and I don't lurk in the hedges with a camera either, before I get accused of being a photographic leech. My motivation for going is to catch up with friends, fall asleep in coal bunkers (to everyone else's ammusment) and generally have a relaxing time with the road steamers - the displays in the workshops and frequent rail movements in the station alongside provide a nice setting. (Do summut about the bloomin' musical firewood and it could almost be ideal! lol)

 

I Cooper, whilst it might be an exceptional timetable for WLLR, the fact that there are only the 2 regular locos on the day I was planning to visit, make me wonder if it is worth an expensive overnight stay for. I may well only be able to attend one Gala this autumn, so I want to make it a memorable one. This doesn't look like it will be the Gala for me this year.