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Gwili Motive Power 2011

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Matt78, Mar 29, 2011.

  1. svr-rodgers

    svr-rodgers Member

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    Jennifer arrived today incase anyone's interested.
     
  2. Tim Hall

    Tim Hall Member

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    :)

    Yes, very interested! Thanks
     
  3. jamesd

    jamesd Member

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    Is it likely to be working on Sunday?
     
  4. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Not sure what the roster is for the weekend yet, will find out. As mentionned elsewhere the 03 is out tomorrow. Haulwen is being repaired with the hope that it will last the season, but probably will be relegated to steam standby, the other options are Jennifer and the 14. Will know more in the next day or so as to what the likely pattern of services is to be but probable that it will be a mixture of Diesel and Steam for the next month or two. Will post more news when I get it,
    Regards
    Matt
     
  5. svr-rodgers

    svr-rodgers Member

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    Please say it will be Jennifer on June 20th :) as i'm firing :)
     
  6. Phil_Guard

    Phil_Guard Member

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    Just to clarify, it is D9524 (14901) that will be working all services today - not D2178 (change of plan - crew availibility). Trains depart Bronwydd Arms at 1030, 1150, 1320, 1450 and 1605; an adult rover is £8, and children ride for just £1. Please do come and support us, if you're in the area!

    I'm sure Matt will keep us posted on developments later this week, regarding motive power - keep an eye on this thread.

    Finally, for anyone wondering what 14901 sounds like, have a listen to this... (from about one minute in); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihH68ilo-Oo .... a bit of a unique sound?

    Cheers,

    Phil.
     
  7. steamdream

    steamdream Member

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    possible to have an update about the Carmathen extension please?
    thanks
    regards
    Noel
     
  8. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Carmarthen Xtn- As you may have seen elsewhere the new crossing gates are now operational. Physical work in the form of tracklaying is expected to recommence this summer with the installation of a turnout at the end of the present track, construction of a siding and extension of the main line. The end of track is currently just over 3/4 mile from the site of the new station at Carmarthen. We have enough track to reach the site thanks to the Swansea Vale Railway, it's just a question of how soon we can lay it! (We tend to complete extensions in streches of a few hundred yards at a time).
     
  9. steamdream

    steamdream Member

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    thanks a lot Matt! I believed that progess was more important(that project started a decade I think)
    regards
    Noel
     
  10. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Yes the project has been ongoing "behind the scenes" since the last extension in 2001. Physical work has only been ongoing since 2006 however. It is as ever a question of money, the major expense being the ballast and the development of the station site. (as stated above we have all track materials required which is in itself a significant part of the project). As well as this we have the existing railway to run, which in itself needs investment, work and attention. We hope this this year we will mark a new chapter with paid staff and a much increased timetable, but of course the unexpected (locomotive failures etc) always come along to throw a spanner in the works. However we hope that overall springboard for the railway will be much improved so that we can contemplate financing at least some of the required work.
     
  11. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Jennifer's debut is going to be Friday (tomorrow) and likely to be out Sunday as well. No public service on Saturday as there is a Driver Experience.
    Regards
    Matt
     
  12. jamesd

    jamesd Member

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    Thanks Matt. I'll probably be down in Sunday for a ride. I'll be down again for the 14 too when that's runing. If there's any chance you could publicise it a earlier that would be great.
     
  13. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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  14. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Ok, here is the plan for the next few weeks.

    Jennifer was out today and will be out on Sunday. From Monday a patched up Haulwen will take over. We aim to use Haulwen in the early part of the season. A reminder that services are daily, apart from this Saturday and next Saturday.

    Jennier will, assuming all is well with Haulwen, be covering washouts etc (i.e. odd days) until probably late July/August. Jennifer is booked to be used for 40 days at least, and we also hope that Olwen will make a return later on in the year. So unless I do post otherwise, it can be assumed that the service engine is Haulwen for the forseeable future. If you wish to see a particular engine, steam or diesel, it is best to ring the friendly booking line on 01267 238213 before you travel.
    Fingers crossed!
    Regards,
    Matt
     
  15. svr-rodgers

    svr-rodgers Member

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    Sounds like i'll be having Haulwen for my turn in June then! but might be lucky in August and get Jennifer for a week :D :D :D :D :D
     
  16. jamesd

    jamesd Member

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    No Jennifer or 14901 working when I popped in today unfortunately, hope it's nothing too serious.
     
  17. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Haulwen failed steam test yesterday unfortunatley- so out for the season.
    Jennifer also failed, this problem being of a more minor nature and should be fixed asap.
    Class 14 will be out today (Mon) and Tuesday- the plan for the rest of the year will now be revised and will include a fair bit of Cl 14 haulage I would imagine.
    Regards
    Matt
     
  18. Phil_Guard

    Phil_Guard Member

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    It's "Thunderbirds Are Go" at the Gwili...

    To confirm for the diesel enthusiasts: 14901 (D9524) will be working trains today (Mon 9th May) and tomorrow (Tues 10th May). Departures from Bronwydd Arms are at 1030, 1150, 1320, 1450 and 1605, an adult rover is £8 and children travel for just £1 (valid all day).

    Remember if you're travelling a long distance for the cl.14, then it's probably best to give the railway a ring (01267 238 213) to doublecheck that the plan is happening as booked.

    Thanks for your support, James. To explain...14901 (D9524) has been hired specifically as a 'stand-by' locomotive for the next two seasons, to act as back-up to the steam fleet as required. Because of this, its workings will always be of a 'short notice' nature I'm afraid, as (I'm sure most people on here will agree with this!), plans on preserved railways change by the hour.

    14901/D9524 should (in theory) only come out when there is no steam available, or being related to shunting/engineering works trains etc.

    To ensure that enthusiasts don't miss out however, we always publicise its 'short notice' workings. I always post its workings on the 'PresGen' Yahoo Group (google 'Presgen' to find it), which specializes in publishing short-notice pres-line diesel workings (vice failed steam locos etc). It's also usually on the PresGen website, the 'Latest News' page of PLEG (www.pleg.org.uk), on the wnxx site (www.wnxx.com) and on here. Keep an eye on these (PresGen group being the best bet, as it is so frequently updated), and you should have a fair idea of whats going on with 14901. We'll always try and give you as much notice as we can!

    In the long-term, we hope to try and get 14901 (D9524) onto a booked passenger train at some point during its stay at the Gwili (if we can guarantee enough support for it to happen) - to make sure that those who can't come down 'at the drop of a hat' can get their chance to ride.

    Hmm. Maybe we should be doing an online loco roster (with caveats etc), for this season...?

    Cheers,

    Phil.
     
  19. svr-rodgers

    svr-rodgers Member

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    Such a shame to hear about Haulwen, hopefully Olwen will be back soon :) strangely like firing that engine :)
     
  20. Respite

    Respite Member

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    Please could someone explain exactly what is wrong with Haulwen?

    Thanks
     

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