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Weekend of 12/13th March
This weekend saw the railway operate a photo charter; in preparation for this, No. 4 was turned to face west for the photographers, thus giving them a different shot and the crews a different experience on the footplate. Normally, locos face east (uphill).
On the Saturday, Nos. 2 and 4 were out on the line at various spots running up and down several times to provide the photographers with opportunities; it was a fine day for photography with periods of long sunshine. No. 4 spent the morning at Pendre but later was seen at Brynglas and Brynerwest in the early afternoon. Later in the day, No. 4 was spotted at Dolgoch and Brynglas bank for lengthy periods. No. 2 had been up the line earlier in the day.
On Sunday, the normal one train service (two round trips) ran with No. 2 being the chosen locomotive.
In the works, No. 6 is still up on the blocks and No. 7 is awaiting completion of its retubing. No. 1 remains a kit of parts.
In the paintshop, work continued on carriages 16 and 23. On No. 23, silicone was applied to the window openings (and the openings measured up) ready for putting the glass back, and more paint was applied. No. 16 saw further rubbing down, more paint applied, and beading fitted. Work was also undertaken on the catch arrangement for the new gate at Rhydyronen.
On Sunday, a hen was found wandering round the yard at Pendre; it was eventually caught and locked in the gas bottle cage to wait until it could be fetched.
Next weekend, 19/20 March, is "Clean the Railway Weekend". A steam-hauled train will run on both days, departing from Pendre at 9 a.m. for tasks including cleaning windows, wiping down paintwork, sweeping platforms, checking the bins, gardening, cleaning out gutters, and identifying future painting tasks.
Many thanks to Neil Scott, John Burton and Keith Theobald for the material in this report.