Gallivanting

The Easter holidays meant a return to Tywyn for the first time since October half term. Was great to be back as I always enjoy being beside the sea and it meant catching up with friends that I’d not seen for a while. 

It also meant a few days of steam engine therapy. Easter Monday saw me driving No 2 ‘Dolgoch’ on the first train of the day. It was a crisp sunny day after some overnight rain, ‘Dolgoch’ made light work of its load and I was able to enjoy the valley scenery at its best.

The daffodils are dying back and the bluebells are taking over as ‘Dolgoch’ pauses at Rhydyronen.

The fields are full of lambs, we chased a Hare near Tynllwyn and the daffodils have gone over and been replaced by carpets of bluebells in the woods. A red kite has chosen a stout tree over the track to build a nest in one of the woods and would fly off every time we passed, swooping down low over the loco. Magical.

Arriving first for the crossing at Pendre. 

Photo courtesy Nathan Spence.

The other Fletcher Jennings ‘Talyllyn’ was also driven and a day as Shedman enabled my diesel competence to be updated as well as spending the day with some of the trainees we’ve got coming through. Though everyone is on a learning curve as the demise (again) of Welsh steam coal means using imported coal that acts very differently to the Welsh.

Arriving at Rhydyronen on ‘Talyllyn’.

Photo courtesy Nick Brown.

‘Midlander’ down on the Wharf edge. Having lapsed during the pandemic, I’m back passed competent again on our two historic diesels.

The Talyllyn lineside is in superb condition, with two decent stretches of relaid track being done over the winter and a lengthy expanse of freshly laid hedges as well.

The biggest impact was caused by Storm Darragh just before Christmas on the line above Abergynolwyn. The upended stumps of trees being a lasting tribute to the power of the wind and a testament to the hard work involved in clearing it up.

The view along the Nant Gwernol will bear the scars for a long time.

The walk through the Gwernol also meant that we enjoyed lunch in the sunshine outside one of my favourite pubs.

The walk back to the station from the pub was pretty picturesque too.

The weather was very changeable so no pretty sunsets, but was good enough for eating fish and chips on the prom. 

We did visit one other railway, with a trip to Bala on Easter Sunday where a trio of Quarry Hunslets were in use. My interest in Quarry Hunslets has seen a resurgence since that introduction of the Bachmann NG7 versions, and ‘Alice’ is very popular with my daughter.

’Alice’ bringing a service train in to Llanuwchllyn. 

‘Maid Marion’ awaits departure time at Bala.

Seeing a cabless loco on passenger work looks a bit incongruous to me, maybe due to my childhood memories being of a time with only the cabbed ones running. But it’s good see the railway maintaining the historical look of the original build on some as well as making them look a little different to each other.