Two views of The Cymdeithas Teithwyr Heart of Wales Line Rheilffordd Canol Travellers’ Heart of Wales Cymru Association Explorer HoWLTA NEWSLETTER Autumn 2015 A little bit of history was made on 26 August 2015 The photo, taken on 26 August 2015 depicts Number 134 when DBS 66187 hauled the first train of HTAs 66187 heading 6G05, the 0833 from Margam PRICE (bogie hopper wagons) to Gwaun cae Gurwen Yard, leaving the Heart of Wales Line at (GCG) to load coal destined for Aberthaw Power Pantyffynnon and onto the GCG branch where it £1.50 Station. The normal coal flow from GCG is in will soon be facing the steeply graded line Free to Members MEA box wagons to Onllwyn, where it is blended including one section of 1 in 40 at Garnant. before onward transit to Aberthaw Power Station. [Photo © Stephen Miles] The `Heart of Wales Meanderer`, headed by diesels 37612 and 37611, tackling the Sugar Loaf on 21st April 2014. [Photo © Stephen Miles] Loughor Viaduct [Photo © Stephen Miles] Along the Line ... ... ... 7 In This Issue... HoWL Forum Update... 10 150 Years from Knighton to Unusual Places for a Day Llandrindod ... ... ... ... 3 Out No.1 ... ... ... ... ... 16 Memories of George Membership Matters! ... 17 Scarfe... ... ... ... ... ... 4 New Chairman’s Letter... 18 28 Printed by PostDatum, Llandovery From the Editor’s Desktop Clippings Many readers will, benefit from more volunteers - particularly to like me I suspect, be fill the still-vacant posts of Secretary and relieved to know Minutes Secretary). Please Note that HoWLTA Of necessity this issue is largely devoted to The views expressed in this Newsletter are not seems to have domestic matters - the AGM Minutes, reports necessarily those of the HoWLTA committee. weathered the from several individual stations, news of the emergency that important work of the HoWLF, our new arose during the summer with the imminent Chairman’s first letter and, several items HoWLTA Subscription Rates loss of several officers and committee referring to one of our longest standing Individual membership ... £8 Overseas membership ... £15 members. As you can read elsewhere in this members, the late George Scarfe. Family membership ... £10 Corporate membership ... £12 issue our members rallied at the AGM and But there’s still room for drawing attention The above rates apply from 1st March 2015. Renewal date is 1st March each year. since, and we are now well on the way to to some of the joys of our line. Something 50% discount if joining after 1st September having a full committee again (although, also that I am sure George would share. as you will read elsewhere, we could still Peter Berry HoWLTA NEWSLETTER Advertising Rates (Black & white adverts only - colour rates on request) HoWLTA Annual Draw FRONT COVER One issue 1 year (4 issues) Thank you to everybody who entered the draw HALF PAGE (128mm x 90mm) ... ... ... ... £80 £200 which is an important generator of income for QUARTER PAGE (61mm x 90mm) ... ... ... £45 £120 PICTURE# HoWLTA. More than 1,400 tickets were EIGHTH PAGE (61mm x 43mm) ... ... ... ... £25 £70 bought and the lucky winners are: Taken at low tide on 27th June SIXTEENTH PAGE (61mm x 22mm) ... ... ... £15 £40 £100 No.2396 Mrs Emma Carmichael, Llandrindod 2015 the photograph shows a £75 No.533 Mr. P. Sutton, Llanwrtyd Class 150/2 unit forming the HoWLTA NEWSLETTER Copy Dates £50 No.732 D.S. & C.A. Gwynne, 0900 (SO) Shrewsbury to Cardiff Rhandirmwyn Winter 2016 (pub. mid-February Copy by 25th January 2016 £25 No.3316 Anne Smith, Llanelli Central service (via the Heart of Spring 2016 (pub. mid-May) Copy by 25th April 2016 £25 No.2984 Mr. C. Lloyd, London E2 Wales Line) as it crosses the Summer 2016 (pub. mid-August) Copy by 25th July 2016 £15 No.255 Mr. J.L. Davies, Deal, Kent Loughor viaduct between Llanelli Autumn 2016 (pub. mid-November) Copy by 24th October 2016 £15 No.1742 Miss J. Price, Knighton £10 No.14 Mr. William Francis, and Swansea. Llandrindod [Photo (c) Stephen Miles] CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ON MEMBERS £10 No.2365I. Greaves, Bucknell HoWLTA uses the personal information that members provide to us for internal administration purposes including £10 No.478 Mr. David Collett, Studley, maintenance of a membership database, sending out the HoWLTA Newsletter through the postal system and to Warks notify details of any other relevant HoWLTA activities. No information is, or ever will be, passed to any person or organisation outside of HoWLTA without your personal and specific permission. HoWLTA CONTACT DETAILS If you wish to place any additional restrictions on the use of your personal information, please contact the The address for general correspondence and all HoWLTA membership matters is Membership Secretary. HoWLTA, c/o Llandovery Station, Llandovery SA20 0BG Letters relating to the HoWLTA Newsletter should either be posted to Important Notice HoWLTA members are reminded that under no circumstances should they write or The Editor, Twin Oaks, Castle Close, Llangadog SA19 9AH speak on behalf of HoWLTA unless they have specific authorisation from the or emailed to [email protected] committee to do so. Any deviation from this ruling will be acted on immediately, as it is important that all matters which carry the HoWLTA tag should have the approval Contact details for other officers and committee members are given on p. 17 of the committee. 2 HoWLTA Newsletter HoWLTA Newsletter 27 Line Representatives & Station Adopters 150 Years from Knighton to Llandrindod Shrewsbury John Creswell On October 10th, the Mayors of Llandrindod place is the Heart of Wales as it winds its Church Stretton Church Stretton Rail User Group Craven Arms Richard Watkins and Knighton opened the curtains on a way through cuttings and along embankments Broome Alan Belcher plaque commemorating the 150th into the borderlands of the Mynd Hills and Hopton Heath Paula Tucker Anniversary of the Central Wales Railway Shropshire. Bucknell Beryl Starr; Bucknell WI; Ray Davies reaching Llandrindod. The band played, the See you on the train! Gill Wright Knighton Shauna Davies & Platform Pals crowd gathered, the Town Criers from both Knucklas Steve Crump; Jim Penser Towns shouted and Queen Victoria came out Llangynllo Anne Deakins; George Scarfe (unofficial adopters) of retirement to celebrate. It was a fitting Llanbister Road John & Lynda Morris tribute to our old friend, George Scarfe, whose Dolau Steve Vipond; Dolau Action Group meticulous attention to detail which made Penybont Sue & Tony Cooke Llandrindod Llandrindod Wells (Cefnllys) CP School possible the task of taking over from him Builth Road Sara Poulson when he became too ill to carry on, and his Cilmeri Ann & Stephen Frodsham many friends who wanted to give something Garth Joasephine Lewis; Janet Williams back, turned a quiet celebration into a special Llangammarch Ron Birchell; Llangammarch Community Council occasion. Llanwrtyd Wells John Price; Ainsley Jones; Station Action Group It gave me an insight into what needs to be Sugar Loaf Peter & Margaret Joyce Cynghordy Gill Wright done to make things like this work. It takes ^ The plaque unveiled to record the 150th Llandovery Llandovery Town Council; Friends of Llandovery Station time and effort so now must begin the work Anniversary. [Photo Brian Dotson] Llanwrda Richard Rees; Hywel Jones for the big one in 2018 when it will be 150 © Llangadog Dennis Harrison; Marion Lomax years from the time the whole line came Llandeilo Ros Bellamy together at Llandovery. There will of course Ffairfach David Rimmer be one big event but the idea is to have things Llandybie Gwyn Irving going on throughout the year at all the v A much reduced reproduction of the Ammanford Ammanford Lions stations to make it really local to the poster used to publicise the 150th Pantyffynnon Mike Smith, Amman Valley Railway communities that the Line serves and to do Anniversary. [Artwork © P Reynolds] Pontarddulais Pontardulais Partnership Llangennech Llangennech Community Council; David Edwards this I will need your Bynea Friends of Bynea Station, Deryk Cundy help. Bring me your Llanelli Friends of Llanelli Station ideas; help me to Gowerton vacancy engage with all the Swansea Felicity Cobley towns and villages and most import- antly the people who make your Useful Telephone Numbers / Web Sites communities tick. Llandrindod Station Ticket Office (Kelsham Hanna) ... ... 01597-822053 National Rail Enquiries ... ... ... ... ... ... 08457-484950 At the same time Arriva Trains Wales (Customer Services) ... ... ... 08456-061660 the new franchise HoWLTA web site... ... ... ... ... ... www.howlta.org.uk will be nearly due – HoWL Forum web site ... ... ... ... ... www.heart-of-wales.co.uk a n o t h e r British Transport Police (24 hours National Freephone No.) ... 0800-405040 opportunity to Network Rail National Helpline... ... ... ... ... 08457-114141 show the world what a wonderful 26 HoWLTA Newsletter HoWLTA Newsletter 3 MEMORIES OF GEORGE SCARFE News from the Association As many of you will be aware, George stations helped to co-ordinate station Membership Matters 2016 Annual General Meeting passed away on September 22th. A adoption groups at the northern end of the 200 Club : HoWLTA’s Monthly Draw The next AGM will start at 11.30am on memorial service was held at Holy Trinity line. He had very high standards, which we Saturday, 17th September 2016 at the The latest winners of the monthly draw are: Church, Llandrindod, on October 17th, must do our best to maintain, not least as a Victoria Hall, Llanwrtyd Wells. attended by at least 250 people, many of tribute to him. August 2015 £20 R G Davies, Bucknell Non-Committee Members them being HoWLTA members. George re-joined the HoWLTA Committee £15 C B James, Swansea All members are entitled to attend the AGM George got to know the Central Wales Line in 2014 with the express purpose of £10 R Lloyd, Swansea of course.