NEWS 2004
SNOW BRINGS THE SEASON TO AN END
The railway's running year came to an end with its Santa Specials, with the
final trains on Sunday 19th December. Heavy overnight snow added a seasonal
touch to the final day's running, as our photos below (taken by the railways
ace photographer Alistair Grieve) shows. One of our more important passengers
on the final day was the Assembly Minister for Torfaen, Lynne Neagle .
Passenger numbers during the Santa Specials were up by almost 20% over last
year, whilst the overall 2004 figures increased by more than 15% over those of
2003.
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Rime
cold in the mountains ! At almost 1300 feet above sea level, the exhaust from
loco 104 'Llanwern' shatters the still air whilst it propels its two coaches
up the steep incline to Whistle Inn Halt on CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
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Later
on the same day the train creeps down the 1 in 37 bank to Furnace Sidings,
whilst some rather chilly horses keep the cold at bay by feeding on plentiful
hay supplies brought in earlier that day. In the background, the flanks of
the Blorenge mountain, have 200 years of past industrial activity largely
hidden by deep snow. Photos
by Alistair Grieve CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE |
BIG GRANT AWARDED
The railway has just obtained a £25000 grant to help secure the Transport and
Works Act Order and possibly some infrastructure improvement works. The text
below was released to the railway enthusiast press on 2 December...
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A TWAO IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS....... Volunteers
on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway have received an early Christmas
present via their local authority, Torfaen County Borough Council, in the
shape of a £25000 grant from their Regional Key Fund which draws money from
Europe under Objective 2. It is planned that the Grant will underpin legal
costs associated with securing a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) for the
2.1km (1.3 mile) stretch of line from Furnace Sidings south to Blaenavon
(High Level), to give a running length from Whistle Inn to High Level of a
whisker under two miles. Work on the TWAO is expected to start immediately
with a planned completion date before September 2005. For
volunteers the TWAO means that a real start can be made clearing brush and
scrub, and preparing the trackbed and bridges for inspection by HMRI. John Down, the railway's Operations Manager said: 'We have been more than pleased to have the opportunity of working with Torfaen to secure this grant. It is great news for our volunteers and the people of Blaenavon. The town, having attracted World Heritage Status, is slowly dragging itself back from industrial dereliction to become a key player in the Welsh Tourism Industry. After 21 years of unbroken passenger operations we now have the potential to build a railway that befits a town such as Blaenavon. We are the only operating heritage railway in 'the valleys', valleys that once teemed with railways, and rang with the sound of heavy trains. We will need substantial help to underwrite our expansion plans, and the TWAO is a small but crucial first step towards that aim'. |
PBR CARRIES A HUNDRED THOUSAND
PASSENGERS.......
The 2.30 ex-Furnace Sidings on Saturday 11 December was an important train for
the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, carrying, as it did, its 100 000th
passenger since it began carrying passengers in 1983. The all-important
passenger was Martin Doe of Cardiff. Martin hails from Llanelli and is an
activist on the fledgeling Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway. He was presented
with a framed certificate by Councillor Yvonne Warren, Mayor of Torfaen, who,
with other county council members and officials, 'just happened' to be on the
train, partaking in their annual glass of Santa Special sherry and a few mince
pies.
THE BEE GEE
Almost a year since an agreement to purchase was agreed, the railway finally
took delivery of a Gangwayed Full Brake (coded BG) from Riviera Trains, and
finished in Parcels Sector livery on Friday 24 September. After a bit of a clean-up,
a repaint into our customary maroon livery, and some refit work, she'll enter
service next year in order to allow our Brake Second Composite coach (coded
BSK) to take a well-earned overhaul. Passengers weary of our darned seats will
be pleased to hear that they are to be re-upholstered.
BUTTERFLIES
It must be something to do with our
dirty engines polluting the environment, but the local authority ecologists
report that we have become home to the incredibly rare Small Pearl Bordered
Fritillary, the 57th rarest species of butterfly of the 58 native in the UK.
LEASE SIGNED
The Company has now signed a twenty-five year lease with National Museums and
Galleries of Wales which will result in the trackbed and track from the Whistle
Inn to 300m south of Blaenavon (High Level) station, and the Furnace Sidings
yard demised to the Company. This critical step paves the way for the extension
southwards and volunteers have already started to hack down the undergrowth to
reveal the track again. More importantly it permits the railway to seek the
Transport and Works Act order for the first major step in enlarging the
railway.
