NEWS
2009 – page 1
News 2009 –
page 1 | News 2009 -
page 2 | News 2009 -
page 3 | News Archive (for news from previous years)
A PRETTY KETTLE OF FISH (added 16 February, updated
They say beauty is as beauty
does, and whilst these pair of new arrivals won’t win any prizes in the glamour
stakes, their capacity- literally – to carry 20 tons of ballast to where it is
needed - makes them, to our PWay team at least, beautiful indeed. We had already secured an air-braked model,
but to have a pair fitted with vacuum brakes gives us a far greater ability to ballast the lengthening railway
that we are generating. We have been
after some of these for several years and as soon as we heard on ‘prune’ (the
preservation rumour network) that our pals down the road at the
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‘Dogfish’ wagon No. DB983607, the first to arrive
on 17 January img_1858rr |
‘Dogfish’ wagon No. DB993415, which arrived shortly
afterwards img1856rr |
Now whilst we have been
aware for some years that putting ballast in was going to need special wagons,
we had rather underestimated the amount of spoil and rubbish we were going to
take out, and the need for special wagons to remove it. As a result we have secured a pair of even
less glamorous specimens – the Grampus – on loan for a year or two. These are the ugly ducklings that are never
going to become swans. They were built
to carry sleepers and ballast – and this normally meant old recovered
material. These invariably battered
denizens were built to be utility wagons, and are just that – useful – and to a
tee. Of all the spoil-carriers (and
there were many designs) the diagram 1/572 Grampus was, by far, the most
successful, with 4781 built. The last
722 were built with vacuum brakes to diagram 1/574, and our two are of this
latter type. With both sides and ends
that drop down they are just what we need to carry old bricks and builders
rubble up from Blaenavon (High Level), and before you ask, the plural of
Grampus ( a kind of whale) is Grampuses.
They quietly arrived on Friday 20 February.
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The first to arrive, 1958 Pressed Steel built DB991773,
clearly shows the end arrangement. The
plans can be removed and stowed underneath the wagon in special receptacles,
whilst the lower half drops down over the buffers. img_2041rr |
Here is DB988433, built at Shildon in 1959, and
which arrived immediately afterwards.
Like it’s mate, the side comprises three drop-down doors, and even the
stanchions between them (but not the corner stanchions) can be unplugged from
the body sides. This allows long items
like signal posts to be loaded. img_2040rr |
SNOW (added 27 February 2009)
Snow fell copiously in
England on 1 February, and it began to look as if South Wales might be spared,
but on the 3 February there was a fall of about nine inches in Blaenavon. It that was not enough three days later, with
almost no intervening melt, a further six inches fell. For a few days it was impossible to get down
to site, but ‘the boys’ soon managed to release machinery and plough a narrow
channel through our access road and up to the main road. Cold weather in January had already brought
construction work to a halt for several weekends, and since water supplies were
frozen solid, laying concrete was out of the question. The heavy snow not only brought construction
to a halt, but also stopped track renewal work, but within a week trains were
out, and despite lying snow (and there are still flecks remaining in the
hilltops), work restarted very quickly on both concrete laying and track
renewal work
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On 3 February, falling snow brings work to a halt at
Blaenavon (High Level) station. Here
is the view looking southwards from the south end of the station across the img_1945rr |
After more snow the day before, Furnace Sidings
station is seen on 7 February. Here’s
the scene looking north towards the Whistle Inn. The incomplete tower of the forthcoming footbridge
dominates the scene. The ticket office
is soon to be moved to provide space for the new station building. img_1958rr |
WORK STARTS ON THE BRIDGES (added
We can scarcely believe it,
but it’s finally come true:
– press HERE for details of
work on Bridge 17
– press HERE for details of
work on Bridge 16
– press HERE for details of
work on Bridge 14
– press HERE for details of
work on Bridge 13
A HAPPY NEW YEAR -2009 (added
Welcome to 2009, which
promises to be our most exciting year to date.
Last year was a year of historic firsts, but if the webmaster’s crystal
ball is at all accurate, 2009 shows all the portents of surpassing it. It has been customary to announce the
previous year’s passenger figures early in the new year. Our resident bean counters have been really
quick of the mark this time and let us have the numbers before the new year
begins. We cannot say we are not a
little proud to present them:
- Summer
Season – 6496 – 20% up on last year
- Santa
Season – 2239 – 15% up on last year
- Overall
– 8735 - 18% up on last year
We are pleased to say that
our Christmas season in 2008 broke all records, and the overall figures were
tantalisingly close to our all time record – but can we look forward to over
10,000 passengers in 2009?
News 2009 –
page 1 | News 2009 -
page 2 | News 2009 -
page 3 | News Archive (for news from previous years)
