NEWS ‘Skipper’ makes a welcome Devon return The extension of the Bala Lake Railway along the eastern shore of the lake can revolutionise CLASS 142 ‘Pacer’ No. 142023 has Bala town centre’s fortunes. BLR been bought for preservation by the Plym Valley Railway (PVR), returning a ‘Skipper’ to the West Country. Now is the time to back It was unloaded at the line’s Marsh Mills headquarters in Plymouth on January 26 after a long journey from Heaton Bala railway extension depot, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The two car set is one of the original ‘Skippers’ which By Robin Jones Bala is no different. also ongoing. worked services in Devon and “The attractive High Street is “With the coming of the visitors will Cornwall during the 1980s. THE Bala Lake Railway’s £2.5 million deserted and one expects to see come their requirements for other In common with many other town extension could hold a vital key to tumbleweed blowing across the facilities, such as shops, restaurants, heritage lines, the PVR said the post-lockdown revival of the tourist road. Residents and business owners pubs, hotels and B&Bs. the acquisition of the ‘Pacer’ sector in central Wales, chairman Julian are putting on brave faces, but we “Heritage railways, having been will allow it to operate low- Birley believes. all know we are in unprecedented first established down the road from cost passenger services on Bringing the 2ft gauge line into times and are uncertain as to what the us at the Tallyllyn for almost 70 years, off-peak days. Bala would regenerate the town as future holds. and with 160 of us now all over the Meanwhile, it has emerged a time when holidaymakers will be “What we do know is that one day UK, are a tried and tested attraction that a solitary Welsh Class deterred from travelling abroad in the soon things will improve. We will be which pumps vast sums of money into 142 has been secured for aftermath of the pandemic. able to travel again and the sun will local economies in visitor incremental preservation. Details of the new To help facilitate the extension, by come out over this part of Snowdonia, spend. owner of No. 142006 remained the end of February the Bala Lake and with that sunrise will come the to be confirmed as we closed Railway Trust needs to raise the final visitors – of that, we have no doubt. Boost for press. The final Welsh Class £50,000 of the £276,000 required by “Foreign travel is going to take “We have recently had a market survey 142 for disposal, No. 142085, Natural Resources Wales to carry out a long time to recover from its carried out to judge the effect of the was despatched from Swansea’s additional civil engineering works current desperate situation. People’s railway being extended into the town Landore depot for scrapping on the town’s flood defences, which confidence of going abroad knowing centre of Bala, and the conclusion is at Sims Metals in Newport on will enable the construction of the that there will be places to go and that there will be an additional spend of February 4. trackbed for a third of the extension. airlines to get them there, and be safe £1.25 million each and every year in to If the money is not raised to allow in the knowledge they will not be the businesses of the high street. the work to be undertaken as part stranded abroad is going to take some “We all hope that when the UK of the £6.5 million flood defence years to return. Government look for safe ways to upgrade scheme, the railway will be “However, the desire to have a invest in to kick-start those desperate Barry Cordell: left with significant costs to complete holiday, get away and try and put the local economies, they will deem its extension project, placing the winter behind us will be stronger than heritage railways as a safe, sound and an apology whole sheme at risk. ever. Therefore the tourist industry of sustainable industry to support. the UK can look forward to very busy “While we are all locked down, the IN ISSUE 275, due to a Vital times. This was borne out with the days are short and the weather is misunderstanding, a news story Julian said: “It is absolutely crucial we short season we enjoyed last summer. pretty miserable. Take heart that sun wrongly referred to the former do not miss this opportunity for Natural Each day on the Bala Lake Railway will come out again and these times joint owner of GWR No. 1450, Barry Resources Wales to do this work for was like a bank holiday for the very will become a distant memory.” Cordell, as deceased. Unknown us. Once done, it is done forever. Any reasons mentioned. ➜ To support the extension appeal, to us, Mr Cordell had sold his donation, no matter how small or large, “We have been very fortunate in visit www.balalakerailwaytrust.org.uk shares in the locomotive to the is most welcome. carefully managing the resources Donations are also being accepted late Mr Tom Jones, and it was the “In every crisis there are we have and as such are investing in with PayPal, by bank transfer at CAF latter whose widow in America opportunities and horrendous though additional coaching stock to carry Bank (sort code 40-52-40, account: had inherited them as a sleeping this pandemic is, I firmly believe it is more people, socially distanced. 00023507), or by cheque to: Bala partner, not as reported. We no exception. “Undercover picnic areas are being Lake Railway Trust, c/o The Station, apologise for the error. “Like all parts of the UK, businesses built for visitors to picnic in safety and Llanuwchllyn, Bala, Gwynedd, LL23 have been absolutely decimated by shelter. General maintenance on the 7DD. Gift Aid forms are available from restrictions inflicted upon all of us. station building and loco shed are the website. Are you a user of online Steam pioneers ‘back together again’ professional networking HACKWORTH and Pease have joined Stockton & Darlington Railway, Locomotion museum complex. website LinkedIn? forces again, two centuries after playing while Jane Hackworth-Young, the Friends chairman Niall Hammond If so, follow the recently launched key roles in developing the Stockton great-great-granddaughter of said: “We are delighted that two Heritage Railway magazine page & Darlington Railway, the world’s first superintendent engineer Timothy people bearing such famous railway on LinkedIn at www.linkedin. steam-operated public line. Hackworth, is now the group’s names, who also have a deep interest com/company/heritage-railway- Architect Matthew Pease, the vice president. in the line’s achievements, have come magazine/ great-great-great-great-grandson on board at this crucial time as we of Quaker woollen manufacturer Achievements seek to preserve and promote the Follow us Edward Pease, the main protagonist In 1975, Jane Hackworth-Young Stockton & Darlington in the build-up @HeritageRailMag behind the line, has been appointed helped get her ancestor’s Shildon to its 200th anniversary, which is just as president of the Friends of the home restored, and it is now part of the four years away.” 16 Heritagerailway.co.uk Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway 016 News_277.indd 16 09/02/2021 10:17:18.