tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44231805645426293232024-02-07T05:44:29.894+00:00Joys of Life RailwayRegular updates on the revival processUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-57333549440065361162012-03-04T12:30:00.003+00:002012-03-04T12:33:09.427+00:00DefunctJust a much delayed quick note to say that due to expansion of the Joys of Life Railway volunteer team this blog has long since been defunct. Progress can now be tracked in the gallery <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/104325845028981777132">HERE</a> or on our website <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/joflrailway/">HERE</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-65899584726673845662010-04-23T18:17:00.002+01:002010-04-23T18:25:24.961+01:00Terry Robinson R.I.PI report with great sadness the death of Terry Robinson, the man who built the Joys of Life Railway from scratch with the help of his friends.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">All though</span> I never met him properly his wonderful little railway influenced my childhood, and thanks to the his high standard of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">original construction work we have been able to return the railway to operational condition.</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Thank You Terry, I hope you enjoy watching your railway flourish from the great workshop in the sky.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-89204988686338191922010-04-21T20:13:00.003+01:002010-04-21T20:31:49.141+01:00The Joys of Life Model Railway ClubRecently Ieuan & Wendy Jones have taken out Public Liability Insurance on the Joys of Life Railway, the cheapest way of insuring the railway was with a club policy, so a club has been set up, the name of which is The Joys of Life Model Railway Club. Membership of the club is open to all, whether you wish to participate in the club's activities or just make a contribution towards the cost of the insurance and enjoy the railway at the various running days held throughout the year.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Further details are available </span><a href="http://www.joflrailway.webs.com/theclub.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;">HERE</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-14779843428841147182009-11-03T19:27:00.008+00:002009-11-05T17:34:48.836+00:00Productive Halloween Working Party - 31/10/09<strong>Paul Wood reports:</strong><br />Despite this working party being on Halloween, there were no unpleasant surprises found in the “woods”.<br />We concentrated our efforts on re-ballasting and packing majority of the remaining sections of track that haven’t already been done on the balloon loop.<br /><br />Over half the gang were driving up from the Porthmadog area and took the opportunity to watch the slightly larger 2ft gauge engines cross Britannia Bridge in Porthmadog first thing, before heading for Bethesda. We had the benefit of our largest working party gang so far of 8 people, this enabled us to get a lot of work done.<br /><strong>The train we watched in Porthmadog</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscR3GTpQiiu9o9qSzeJUODDQT2T5UYTwiQ_en-_aElbVBSpmpWiO8pRnXSiQdbBSHmyDYEe-wThsGlLa2j3nt2SKcdUxjbxkSQFfxFuJKFB0qKfV5xhKMJ-QY-y1CqmmnOmTPeFXvGx_a/s1600-h/Welsh+Highland+Railway+2009+422.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667151689315074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscR3GTpQiiu9o9qSzeJUODDQT2T5UYTwiQ_en-_aElbVBSpmpWiO8pRnXSiQdbBSHmyDYEe-wThsGlLa2j3nt2SKcdUxjbxkSQFfxFuJKFB0qKfV5xhKMJ-QY-y1CqmmnOmTPeFXvGx_a/s320/Welsh+Highland+Railway+2009+422.jpg" /></a><br />Having arrived we gathered the tools we knew we’d require, assembled a train consisting of Meg, RoR panelled coach and two of the open bogie coaches which we would use to carry the ballast filled wheel barrows to the work site from the car park where the trailer which was situated (it’s a long way to Highfield with a heavy wheelbarrow!).<br /><strong>Works Train at Highfield, judging by the expressions, a bag of ballast has just dropped it's bottom!</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRDnHBcVtrwUpFaorzZmsnfV8Ua7hwzka0xT_83ZGAO7xjGcw3Ffxr8K0PeezcqrFd3HPkVL9-3zEtztw6bMrxVmLbdJ4TcSLYKCWTARN-WXXzwTbceAotAebkzRmT7i7TjYth8BCb7S1/s1600-h/IMG_7717.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667163301083810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRDnHBcVtrwUpFaorzZmsnfV8Ua7hwzka0xT_83ZGAO7xjGcw3Ffxr8K0PeezcqrFd3HPkVL9-3zEtztw6bMrxVmLbdJ4TcSLYKCWTARN-WXXzwTbceAotAebkzRmT7i7TjYth8BCb7S1/s320/IMG_7717.JPG" /></a><br />Work began with lifting the track on the ‘up’ side of the balloon loop between Highfield & the first bridge, the formation was then levelled off and track was drilled for the attachment of wooden batons in the same fashion that we have done in places such as Moles Hill cutting. Fresh ballast was then brought up by train and laid onto the formation. The track was then re-laid and packed appropriately to take out some negative cant that had been there previously.<br /><strong>Track lifted on the 'Up' side of the Balloon loop</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiN1AYuwmZYNqX-s-YonKkWB-kPVa8UoBWQR8UcMYN_GrVUX2nfLJfpTwHfPwAi4ae7Whr_7hRvruLRA9LNRVWagy3zP22MP36KkiaEeT5AJIMWkXmbOXIDAbJa7iDmJeaZy9E87xlb_Wg/s1600-h/IMG_7716.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667167443066498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiN1AYuwmZYNqX-s-YonKkWB-kPVa8UoBWQR8UcMYN_GrVUX2nfLJfpTwHfPwAi4ae7Whr_7hRvruLRA9LNRVWagy3zP22MP36KkiaEeT5AJIMWkXmbOXIDAbJa7iDmJeaZy9E87xlb_Wg/s320/IMG_7716.JPG" /></a><br />By the end of the day we had also managed to do the same work on the ‘down’ side of the loop between the second bridge and Highfield with only a little packing work left to perfect the cant and supporting of the track, already a significant improvement is visible.<br /><strong>'Pete's Paving' and 'Bill's Boulders' before...</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCzJfAE3oqV3D6ZfhcZIZA8uwKQ3T1BNoDmpfxr1sb_Vg8yEGE2LKhF8cNcLJk7NhYVrVt948RpbO8BdqtgIhn6u3IMDSI3HTYdzH3YpFkicQae-CjlmvYI7iRVVVqPCIXHSJEhali2UP/s1600-h/IMG_7730.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400667168754093906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCzJfAE3oqV3D6ZfhcZIZA8uwKQ3T1BNoDmpfxr1sb_Vg8yEGE2LKhF8cNcLJk7NhYVrVt948RpbO8BdqtgIhn6u3IMDSI3HTYdzH3YpFkicQae-CjlmvYI7iRVVVqPCIXHSJEhali2UP/s320/IMG_7730.JPG" /></a><br />Whilst this was takeing place Bill and Pete started work on constructing a retaining wall after noticing that we were losing a large amount of ballast down the side of the embankment shortly after Highfield ‘Up’ Platform were there had been a collapse in the past. By the end of the day their work stretched from just after the beginning of the embankment to almost halfway between the balloon loop point and the footpath crossing. A job very well done indeed, and it was thought that we could name these features “Bill’s Boulders” and “Pete’s Paving”.<br /><strong>'Pete's Paving' and 'Bill's Boulders' after!</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCt8KCBoZYoS_jw-AmWivvEiDO_vCuWxDS7shF_kDunBRDLDWs5l-KjizSV0r1a-tS6eAA8ykXRolEz42SilOkZ99OZ63QFVqvc-VFmdcBuA9Xcyp1wHQX0J3bN5-0SIhamBrvjGbt0EG9/s1600-h/IMG_7731.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400670811732114066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCt8KCBoZYoS_jw-AmWivvEiDO_vCuWxDS7shF_kDunBRDLDWs5l-KjizSV0r1a-tS6eAA8ykXRolEz42SilOkZ99OZ63QFVqvc-VFmdcBuA9Xcyp1wHQX0J3bN5-0SIhamBrvjGbt0EG9/s320/IMG_7731.JPG" /></a><br />If the work we do sounds like fun to you, please do get in contact and we will try and arrange more regular working parties. The more people that get involved the better the railway will become and together we can restore this wonderful railway to its former glory. Please contact William High at <a href="mailto:williamchigh@gmail.com">williamchigh@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnlH0iDhUfdeQy7_Dl8SIkVHPQ0cHGSpq8s8wdG0wtLtQT13pNt_dQMnG9QySVjn4hr8SbaSHFsJ4FJvDzwnaVeyNOnwP6ExyoVe2EBuJ5ZDvlMRX1_HRIazlhlI9NXz7lGvmcPo-kIRM/s1600-h/IMG_7736.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400669102207412498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnlH0iDhUfdeQy7_Dl8SIkVHPQ0cHGSpq8s8wdG0wtLtQT13pNt_dQMnG9QySVjn4hr8SbaSHFsJ4FJvDzwnaVeyNOnwP6ExyoVe2EBuJ5ZDvlMRX1_HRIazlhlI9NXz7lGvmcPo-kIRM/s320/IMG_7736.JPG" /></a><br />Many thanks to Pete Etchells for most of the photos.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-28593880598568524802009-11-02T13:55:00.005+00:002009-11-02T16:15:03.285+00:00Attila - An UpdateOn the 10/10/09 'Attila' the railway's new resident steam loco passed it's first boiler steam test under it's current ownership at the <a href="http://www.nwmes.org.uk/">NWMES</a> track in Llandudno, we then spent the day racing around the circuit learning about how to run it, and I am very pleased to report that it runs beautifelly.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAh2xiBbLLPN_zTxzcQY20j2F_05Ty8meYTf1ewYl9FdMkglmrOlHISHzaI2M6ltTf5Ai34TpWvhp5DzQnSwol-8dgAKLOJ2GlsCNTRcbpmzINHfnFyrC3R1O9fQEXuD_mYaYgjcaCkDM/s1600-h/At+I.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 260px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399537028848058594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAh2xiBbLLPN_zTxzcQY20j2F_05Ty8meYTf1ewYl9FdMkglmrOlHISHzaI2M6ltTf5Ai34TpWvhp5DzQnSwol-8dgAKLOJ2GlsCNTRcbpmzINHfnFyrC3R1O9fQEXuD_mYaYgjcaCkDM/s320/At+I.jpg" /></a><br />I couldn't wait to take it to Bethesda so the following day (11/10/09) 'Attila' arrived at its new home line for the very first time. We spent a very enjoyable day pottering around the track not only learning driving and firing techniques, but also that a few parts of the railway need the angle grinder takeing to them! So 2 1/2 years after I first began the revival of the railway, we finally have a steam loco permanently back on the roster! Thank you very much to Paul Wood for attending all the way from St. Helens just so we could lift it out of the car because my dad did his back in lifitng it the previous day.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWpJaFCY_SlxDQ4lIy4GnuU9WDXjhxTDdsBdTxig_eVYRpyySL-i0AW9zXghM_YKqBjB1yPPwJUQm07MG6gSIm_2UQUtt_WR9ijxB47UJ7BIhP7XArrkkmpa48sBk0q0phrFNj0F2dUBz/s1600-h/IMG_1525a.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399539120908111314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWpJaFCY_SlxDQ4lIy4GnuU9WDXjhxTDdsBdTxig_eVYRpyySL-i0AW9zXghM_YKqBjB1yPPwJUQm07MG6gSIm_2UQUtt_WR9ijxB47UJ7BIhP7XArrkkmpa48sBk0q0phrFNj0F2dUBz/s320/IMG_1525a.jpg" /></a><br />More photos can be found <a href="http://www.joflrailway.fpic.co.uk/c1775216.html">HERE</a>.<br />Videos from:<br />Dave Mills<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lg8qRrKkq2w&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lg8qRrKkq2w&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />and Paul Wood<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WiMYzVc2McQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WiMYzVc2McQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-64175728988996739292009-09-26T19:33:00.003+01:002009-09-26T19:47:58.514+01:00'Attila' the Hun(slet)<div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHe-zXk1Ybo9NuTj_EImOu0OW2LHdVVWSLEsiSXxeI9mFlDkIADjSh_L4sGQJ9fa7x9wcMldCgafqNpjTYR4PDLFwiYt7kbtnw-fGgJkHrr_zyd9SDK5Nb3FLLr9_zdcZ99aIq1vbH63p/s1600-h/Attila+the+Hunslet+013.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385848661860057010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHe-zXk1Ybo9NuTj_EImOu0OW2LHdVVWSLEsiSXxeI9mFlDkIADjSh_L4sGQJ9fa7x9wcMldCgafqNpjTYR4PDLFwiYt7kbtnw-fGgJkHrr_zyd9SDK5Nb3FLLr9_zdcZ99aIq1vbH63p/s320/Attila+the+Hunslet+013.jpg" /></a> </div><div>I am delighted to announce that the Joys of Life Railway is one step closer to getting a resident steam locomotive. On Saturday 12/09/09 I obtained a virtually complete 5in gauge 0-4-0ST Quarry Hunslet, this has been thanks to the generosity of the loco’s builder, who has my assurance that the loco will be very much cherished. The loco named ‘Attila’ has not run for 9 years, but following some minor dismantling work on the 26/09/09 the boiler passed its 120psi hydraulic test at the North Wales Model Engineering Society track in Llandudno. I now need to reassemble the loco before the steam test is carried out hopefully in a fortnight.<br /><br />My thanks go to Gordon for allowing me to obtain his delightful loco, Paul for putting us in touch with Gordon, and my dad for driving half way down the country to pick it up!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGUX48Q6yjhiWcvbaEyZAMSg6GEsf6iRAsp-iHJqGlD1n1De9nyb0w165Via05sH3-bAavGu0fPrNHA6ACW7f3KzwAIRLaUzAOi2Mbs8irMQs5V-1cZaRI7mRG4uJiqFb6VVqekmmC3Cc/s1600-h/Attila+the+Hunslet+016.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385849012617326642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGUX48Q6yjhiWcvbaEyZAMSg6GEsf6iRAsp-iHJqGlD1n1De9nyb0w165Via05sH3-bAavGu0fPrNHA6ACW7f3KzwAIRLaUzAOi2Mbs8irMQs5V-1cZaRI7mRG4uJiqFb6VVqekmmC3Cc/s320/Attila+the+Hunslet+016.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qFM5uy3Dkcl4-IYVvVNtzJIcy-I6ejEzAUiSG3EA_hWyfKi0WpUuRi5wTUvPaTgMja-jrSFydN95fJyi6XT4KydQ_vK8pybD5iwTdXr2yFUghNknpR2nrS02gcIyJK2jOr-T264KWmDG/s1600-h/Attila+the+Hunslet+009.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385849021247857378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qFM5uy3Dkcl4-IYVvVNtzJIcy-I6ejEzAUiSG3EA_hWyfKi0WpUuRi5wTUvPaTgMja-jrSFydN95fJyi6XT4KydQ_vK8pybD5iwTdXr2yFUghNknpR2nrS02gcIyJK2jOr-T264KWmDG/s320/Attila+the+Hunslet+009.jpg" /></a> </div><div>'Attila' with a Ffestiniog Railway No.10 look-a-like which I'm currently borrowing</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-291234730682403832009-08-19T19:08:00.002+01:002009-08-19T19:25:40.297+01:002009 Open Day<strong>Paul Wood reports:</strong><br />Once Again, I was the first to arrive (apart from those who had stayed over) and straight away we were unpacking the various visiting locomotives. Firstly I had to unpack and reassemble the latest addition to the fleet, ‘Uproar Castle’, which was undergoing trials. This 4 motor version of the Ride on Railways ‘Jasper’ chassis is part owned by myself and Will High and still has some work to finish it off (a body), but I can report it runs very well.<br /><br />On the Saturday a brand new Maxitrak ‘Alice’ owned by Mike Poole had been on test around the railway running in, it remained on the line for the Open Day. Simon and his friend Stephen who arrived the night before and began to unpack the locos which they had brought, a Abbots Model Engineering railcar, the petrol-hydraulic loco and of course, ‘Tinker’ the 0-4-2ST Sweet Pea. Then at around 10am, the loco we were all so excited to see arrived, a beautiful model of the ex-Penrhyn Railway loco ‘Charles’. It soon made use of the recently modified unloading ramp and we had Charles sitting on shed in Bethesda for the first time in many years, even if it was on a different gauge!<br /><br />I then took ‘Uproar Castle’ on its first test run to collect the ECS from Moles Hill Tunnel (once we had found the keys that is!). As soon as the stock was back at Stokerton it was organized into 3 sets. Two Passenger sets, one for Tinker, one for Charles and the goods set ‘Alice’ to look after up on the recently re-activated Quarry Siding where it would be undergoing further trials for the day. The major success of the 2009 open day was a frequent passenger train service, with one leaving Stokerton every 5 or 10 minutes when possible. This meant that there was only a short wait for the train waiting to pass it at Moles Hill, trains were able to pass at Moles Hill without requiring a signalman thanks to the hard and well spent efforts of volunteers Mike & Jilly(staying on the Caravan Site) who spent much of their holiday springing the points at Moles Hill so that they were trailable, not only did they do this but they also freed up the Quarry Siding point, helped Dave Mills reinstate parts of Stokerton signal box as well as completing various tasks around the railway. Yours truly acted as Control for part of the day and John Austin the other, this role is especially important now that majority of the points are connected up to the Signal Box (many thanks to Dave Mills for most of this), it’s a long walk for the driver if he needs to do it!<br /><br />The Highlight of the day for me was a ride behind ‘Charles’, listening to it charge to the top of Moles Hill bank even just on 2 carrs was fantastic.<br />Not only did the 2009 Open Day have the most locomotives but it was also the most train intensive. It most certainly was the best so far. Most people who came along commented on how enjoyable it was and all I can do is agree with them. I am already looking forward to the next Running day!<br /><br /><strong>William High would like to thank:<br /></strong>Ieuan & Wendy Jones – For allowing us to open their railway<br />All the people who brought locos<br />All the Operating Staff<br />Mike & Jilly – Who spent lots of their holiday preparing for the event<br />Everyone who attended – For making running the trains worthwhile<br /><br />Photographs can be found <a href="http://www.joflrailway.fpic.co.uk/c1742932.html">HERE</a> & <a href="http://ben-evans.fotopic.net/c1741920.html">HERE</a>.<br />A video will appear shortly, we are currently gathering footageUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-63463478550156436652009-05-30T11:16:00.002+01:002009-05-30T11:52:00.335+01:00Going Down the TwistOn 26/o5/09 Paul Wood and I set out to take the twist out of the track between Bangor Road LC and Moles Hill bottom end point this involved cutting foot long sections of 2x1 then drilling through the steel sleepers every so often and screwing the sleepers to them. We do this because the steel strip sleepers have proven to be too thin to pack. We finished installing sleepers along the whole cutting by the end of the day but had no time to begin packing it this will take place in the near future. Once this has been completed we aim to dig out the old ballast on the road side on the balloon loop, fit batons to the track there then relay it with new ballast, we aim for this to take place June/July in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">preparation</span> for the main 2009 running day to take place in August, which should also include the operation of a new electric loco <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">addition</span> to the fleet, with drawings on show of the future bodywork.<br /><br />So with the main 2009 running day on the horizon (and I have some very exciting locos in mind, hopefully something which'll excite every Penrhyn Railway enthusiast) you may be interested in attending? Well the easiest way to attend is to give us a day or so of your time to help reballast the section of the balloon loop, the more there is of us the quicker we can get it done, and perhaps even have people on other jobs such as Moles Hill points which with a little machineing could be getting close to being linked up with the lever frame. So e-mail me on williamchigh(at)gmail.com replace the (at) with an @, to register interest.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-49313634310250830402009-04-28T17:24:00.006+01:002009-08-13T18:51:03.786+01:00Signalbox Working PartyA pre preservation volunteer was staying at the caravan site this past weekend so the decision was taken to run some trains for him to relive happy memories, it also marked Dave Mills' 'Welsh Pony's entry to traffic following the running in last weekend, I'm hoping that perhaps one day we'll see an official naming ceremony. During the course of the day he and a few others took the opportunity to begin dismantling Stokerton Signal box, we would have worked at Moles Hill as it is smaller, has been dismantled and new parts all ready machined, but the need for a milling bit prevented this. all parts needed labelling so this was done, and the lever frame had to come out which was most impressive.<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfas9SIg8B2Jq04PD5ntvm2ck2bPSRP5vDgjgKA5ZhRpA-QBE8geEBl1yB1l6iKnjffSgAg_QA9ARQK1zcfAJ7QYzWb-44Qt36-JN1IkWLGKzUO4-9x8ePQhSHQ3UryD26aXiYJbHilgrp/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+2009+029.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329782639025587938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfas9SIg8B2Jq04PD5ntvm2ck2bPSRP5vDgjgKA5ZhRpA-QBE8geEBl1yB1l6iKnjffSgAg_QA9ARQK1zcfAJ7QYzWb-44Qt36-JN1IkWLGKzUO4-9x8ePQhSHQ3UryD26aXiYJbHilgrp/s320/Joys+of+Life+2009+029.jpg" /></a><br />Lever Frame</div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4mF_nV6c7kMHf4_1JxIlfkJNShCiLDYdu7cgewo904BmzTOROIjxhGw0Tv_OfkO04IXlDrOojJWCYQZnQDUgVNDVVaVTp4zXjyh72un6T7S2e82ZH2_ljawILtvtGFMz-bQD1L9x8gUF/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+2009+015.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329783138246792418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4mF_nV6c7kMHf4_1JxIlfkJNShCiLDYdu7cgewo904BmzTOROIjxhGw0Tv_OfkO04IXlDrOojJWCYQZnQDUgVNDVVaVTp4zXjyh72un6T7S2e82ZH2_ljawILtvtGFMz-bQD1L9x8gUF/s320/Joys+of+Life+2009+015.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-Qsh6_rdQ-l_2fPxPmrD0bEIeWU9yEP82xUq3j9zeQ6T2SINpD0CvwaT76IcFH3ZP14h24F_ut-cyj-4xXBzd0GUDbo0EFZHg34Oc2BubJTQlzIFm-8iAr0vfIoME1AGehstgCTC4EXR/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+2009+027.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329783486775247362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-Qsh6_rdQ-l_2fPxPmrD0bEIeWU9yEP82xUq3j9zeQ6T2SINpD0CvwaT76IcFH3ZP14h24F_ut-cyj-4xXBzd0GUDbo0EFZHg34Oc2BubJTQlzIFm-8iAr0vfIoME1AGehstgCTC4EXR/s320/Joys+of+Life+2009+027.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Welsh Pony at Work<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M29kENtOSCE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M29kENtOSCE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-7082328393373621952009-04-27T18:02:00.000+01:002009-04-27T18:03:27.118+01:00Easter Running Day<strong>Paul Wood</strong> reports:<br />Well, where to start? What a busy day 18/04/09 was. I was the first to arrive at Bethesda, the sun was shining and everything was quiet, but not for long. It soon became 11am and we had to start getting ready. I went up to the tunnel above Moles Hill with Meg to get the empty coaching stock. Once back at Stokerton, we briefed all the drivers on how to use my walkie talkies and Harry’s temporary signalling scheme, very similar to that of the F&WHRs. I can report that the signalling worked very well, but the walkie talkies could be a tad annoying at times. It was hoped that two steamers would visit the line, however only arrived and it was soon discovered that the Tich’s springs hung too low and caught on the check rails, meaning it couldn’t run. So with no steam we turned to the petrol, finally after many days of trying Dave Mills’ Welsh Pony burst in to life, it attempted a couple of laps but as it was the first proper run some bits vibrated loose but following some tweaking it completed its first true lap of the line, a loco designed and built for the railway about 10years ago finally doing the job. And doing that job incredibly well what a sight, smell and sound (something for the senses!), riding behind it was incredible but being allowed to drive it was even better. You could hear it working hard on the gradients near Highfield from Stokerton. With the reliability of Welsh pony much improved, we started a two train service with Meg on the other set. Trains crossed at Moles Hill for the first time in preservation so there was plenty of action. I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a very enjoyable day. Thanks to everyone involved, sadly though as we were so busy not many photos were taken, but check back soon as I may have some.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-78385587409397187142009-04-24T22:31:00.002+01:002009-04-24T22:42:29.386+01:00Dydd Gwyl Dewi 09On the 28/02 & 01/03/09 <a href="http://www.1smr.co.uk/">Simon's Miniature Railway</a> came back to the railway with Tinker and their Trojan to celebrate St. David's Day (or Dydd Gwyl Dewi). A nice relaxed couple of days playing with fine trains on a fine miniature railway. As well as night running we also saw Dave Mills' fine petrol loco roar in to life for a lap, but sadly failing with carburetor troubles, but he's getting there. Photos here <a href="http://www.joflrailway.fpic.co.uk/c1662373.html">www.joflrailway.fpic.co.uk/c1662373.html</a> and a video:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ao5SepgaXlg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ao5SepgaXlg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-88773257868587452212009-04-24T22:04:00.002+01:002009-04-24T22:09:51.781+01:00East Anglian's Running DayOn Wednesday 18th of February we had some 16mm East Anglian modellers come over for an afternoon, one of whom brought a 3 1/2" loco, it wasn't putting the power down well enough so the solution was to sit on it creating a ride on 3 1/2" loco, perhaps a first?<br />Paul Sherwood produced this fine video:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/766hpFw3yDk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/766hpFw3yDk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-59001940747636988852009-02-14T14:42:00.002+00:002009-02-14T14:45:49.307+00:00Waggon Under ConstructionI'm currently building myself a 5in gauge wagon as part of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GCSE</span> in Resistant Materials, it is likely that it'll spend most of its time at the railway so I thought it would be relevant to this blog, below is a photo of it in its current state, a rolling chassis.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc51A3lyMqOsNJJt20Mkjr8QveMM4AFAONRNs4DrZg31EK1VJFQonFmhTOTbtIlrrH3Cf-aDHi6qIWVzI8h2uX3O_HNNDeGoBc6Vm8Gt_lMOJvxoDvJ72olabtFghR7oSy90q6Sur0tl4S/s1600-h/S4016322.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302664197674221426" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc51A3lyMqOsNJJt20Mkjr8QveMM4AFAONRNs4DrZg31EK1VJFQonFmhTOTbtIlrrH3Cf-aDHi6qIWVzI8h2uX3O_HNNDeGoBc6Vm8Gt_lMOJvxoDvJ72olabtFghR7oSy90q6Sur0tl4S/s320/S4016322.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-17949087252552074712009-02-09T22:18:00.003+00:002009-02-09T22:25:17.914+00:00The Stokerton Snowman<div>Yesterday the smallest working party I've ever organised took place, there was one happy soul, me, I'll be honest in saying that I got so excited by the snow that the only work I did was oil the points for the East Anglians who are visiting during half term. This was after I'd cleared the track of snow and made sure all the track was willing to work, which it was, so I played trains! My photos are available <a href="http://joflrailway.fpic.co.uk/c1650953.html">HERE</a>.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB_I2nAyokdbSav42azc_pM5IICRSo8JY7ZxUw_LcmDhcW6pEIQpquyOtfIZcaKFLG5hSvxhsiVRNR82q0dPzuSVY7fx2yskfhJmsgqVcA-2E3ebHlNjkCHFk6-Vlce1x5OXxTMynTDiT/s1600-h/S4016286.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300926836935163666" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB_I2nAyokdbSav42azc_pM5IICRSo8JY7ZxUw_LcmDhcW6pEIQpquyOtfIZcaKFLG5hSvxhsiVRNR82q0dPzuSVY7fx2yskfhJmsgqVcA-2E3ebHlNjkCHFk6-Vlce1x5OXxTMynTDiT/s320/S4016286.JPG" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-9605734986969911992009-02-01T16:50:00.020+00:002009-02-01T19:02:38.838+00:00Better PackingPrior to the 08 Open Day <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ieuan</span> one of the railway's owners spent days clearing back vegetation along the whole railway, this meant that with a little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">feteling</span> the full length of the railway could be used. While majority of the Moles Hill - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Highfield</span> section ran remarkably well for a railway that hadn't seen intense service for 7-8 years there were a couple locations which some stock disagreed with, the decision was therefore taken to re-ballast the section of the furthest section of the balloon loop where some rail joints were nearing on an inch between the rails. Luckily on this section the track panels were removable so we were able to lift them and dig out the ballast, pegs had been fitted when the railway was built to keep the track alignment true, but in order to realign the panels and thus removing the rail joint gaps the pegs were taken out, should the track not keep its alignment it is likely we will reinstate them.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZviD2t3hJbs2n3xqXPzCc_jhpqwQgnzEusZT5_M0WFxgjuU5z1nWb7i0EF8LKgXPAAkBfIuo8fH46ZGsOQ4XalM3zV3r7ePR4dFfjdDtf3gVeNiz4pODbzxdl5TAq8tmCd_tR74xkMFZ/s1600-h/newbaloast.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297883668305850978" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZviD2t3hJbs2n3xqXPzCc_jhpqwQgnzEusZT5_M0WFxgjuU5z1nWb7i0EF8LKgXPAAkBfIuo8fH46ZGsOQ4XalM3zV3r7ePR4dFfjdDtf3gVeNiz4pODbzxdl5TAq8tmCd_tR74xkMFZ/s320/newbaloast.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">geotextile</span> needs trimming back</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkapNWVNY7t1_ovzmbehu5ZgTz7BefsjkT461AhdHP8ZFzgH8a6WTljzjkVOBEJ5OrHADrGlEIAYvB8jau3hSA145QdjzcO-NZIRMqw-irVpW343r-vTH2PHgIoEhbTrhcHSn1-DxeMJS-/s1600-h/packbaton.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297879108236252658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 237px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkapNWVNY7t1_ovzmbehu5ZgTz7BefsjkT461AhdHP8ZFzgH8a6WTljzjkVOBEJ5OrHADrGlEIAYvB8jau3hSA145QdjzcO-NZIRMqw-irVpW343r-vTH2PHgIoEhbTrhcHSn1-DxeMJS-/s320/packbaton.jpg" border="0" /></a>We have been having problems with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ridgety</span> of the track panels and as the sleepers are not very deep a twist in the panels has become apparent, my idea (seriously mine!!) to solve this was to screw batons of 2x1 wood to the underside of a few of the sleepers in order to give more of an area to pack. We have trialled this on the balloon loop and it looks as though it will work, when the new ballast was first put in there was a obvious reverse cant which was almost impossible to pack out, however now with the batons in place it appears the packing will now hold. It is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">proposed</span> that we shall now work on using this system in the Bangor Road LC - Moles Hill cutting as the twist is very evident there. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">During a break from all of this the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">opportunity</span> was taken to beat back some of the brambles on the outside of the loop so access could be gained to some new photographic vantage points. Such as these:</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1lDh8rv5GpW0uBKA-X5eUbga8oyxgeLJSF0X8u7igrg_e_geiU2oaWVY1piT2Ajfzgh8BXByyc4F4ON9qkM14aHfte6n5-pSUytKlRQ7d3cQ9WPSmwFzNhOd4gO_Gq_Q-uKWDfOT0TG2/s1600-h/Embankmentclearlil.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297880671140763346" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1lDh8rv5GpW0uBKA-X5eUbga8oyxgeLJSF0X8u7igrg_e_geiU2oaWVY1piT2Ajfzgh8BXByyc4F4ON9qkM14aHfte6n5-pSUytKlRQ7d3cQ9WPSmwFzNhOd4gO_Gq_Q-uKWDfOT0TG2/s320/Embankmentclearlil.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>I feel it'd be nice to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">strip</span> back some of the moss as the walling is rather <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">beautiful</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZrXAmkhilAsiZ8iqB85unaaIzEgnR1BNEwi_OaAK0GjYtdTPh9qSyaOhPw6lS94SXkEHLoxoOqAjYBAFjmZP5D9Pr36nMJybDYcQw2GrOxXEHbrCKx3Vm0kQZBC7p5U3ljP2zRD-GmuL/s1600-h/bridglowd.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297882060242680770" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZrXAmkhilAsiZ8iqB85unaaIzEgnR1BNEwi_OaAK0GjYtdTPh9qSyaOhPw6lS94SXkEHLoxoOqAjYBAFjmZP5D9Pr36nMJybDYcQw2GrOxXEHbrCKx3Vm0kQZBC7p5U3ljP2zRD-GmuL/s320/bridglowd.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>Thanks go to Ellis Morey for these photos</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-49409242356925027292009-02-01T14:18:00.003+00:002009-02-01T15:06:37.902+00:00MEG - A New LocoPrior to the 2008 Open Day the railway's owners purchased a new loco for operation on their line, it's a <a href="http://www.rideonrailways.co.uk/products/page32.html">Ride on Railway 'Hercules' Class</a> it is to be named 'Meg' after one of the owners previous dogs. 'Meg' is very well suited to the railway as there is a motor for each wheel set making it a powerful beast!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297840867306664498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYDo4-WDehjBxnqlOXaXzFq__Uu2dt-x_yx3XRYvGvPz97mqpaEayHMr1YHP-h6ceTe6S0HDO4_2g8y5JdIRYOmg73DXTyTIeor1ilmWnSiAq93Mc66Ai9XtZuhmlWRY1lvqUcF3j6oia/s320/meg+blog.jpg" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-88723420273287433622009-02-01T13:24:00.003+00:002009-02-01T13:46:25.051+00:00Open Day 2008 - How it WentI cannot believe it has taken me so long to report back on the 2008 Open Day, well it has and I'm sure that really there is no point in a long report as it was so long ago, instead I shall just post the video and the link to the photo gallery encase you've missed them. I shall say however that it went very well, 'Tinker' showed it's true strength hauling roughly 6 adults at a time up our somewhat steep gradients, there was inevitably quite a large amount of derailments, mainly on the balloon loop, and given that it had received only a minimum of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">feteling</span> before the heaviest service it had seen for about 8 years was run it was to be expected. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who made the day so special, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ieuan</span> & Wendy for allowing the event to take place and clearing the shrubbery, Simon Pugh of <a href="http://www.1smr.co.uk/">Simon's Miniature Railway</a> for bringing his stock, the guests for making the running of trains more worthwhile, but most of all to our group of volunteers who have got the railway up to scratch. Photos are <a href="http://joflrailway.fpic.co.uk/">HERE</a>. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Coincidentally</span>, if the 1998 leaflet for the railway is to be believed 2008 marked the 25<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> year since Terry Robinson began construction of the railway, lets hope it sees another 25 years!<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lw-7Cw04IDw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lw-7Cw04IDw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-47465876120285222062008-08-12T21:24:00.003+01:002008-08-12T21:29:52.759+01:00The Countdown has Begun!Train services from Stokerton will be resumed at this weekend's invitation only open day, trains will be hauled by visting the visiting Sweet Pea and the railway's latest edition to the fleet a Ride on Railways 'Hercules'! Photos during the course of next week!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-64362239513153634982008-06-14T21:12:00.003+01:002008-12-09T06:40:12.815+00:00Stokerton - Re-opening Soon!Today was a very productive day in Bethesda, while engineering work was scheduled to take place on the turnouts at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stokerton</span> this did not happen due to the vast growth of vegetation over the past month (it seems <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">every time</span> we are getting <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">somewhere</span> we end up taking steps backwards). The first job therefore was to trim back the various branches along the mainline between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Stokerton</span> & Bangor Road LC, The trimming will be completed to Moles Hill by local volunteer Ellis when he fancies. At <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Stokerton</span> a large amount of vegetation was trimmed back & some of the ivy was removed from the roof of the shed (more to come). Meanwhile the pressure washer was in action cleaning the steps that lead up to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Stokerton</span>, this exercise also took place on the waiting area and platforms (see photo below). It is hoped the whole of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Stokerton</span> will be sprayed with weedkiller in the next couple of weeks to kill off the plants growing on trackbed.<br />We are pleased to announce that we will have an 0-4-2T Sweet Pea from <a href="http://www.1smr.co.uk/">Simon's Miniature Railway</a> visiting in August, this is an invitation only event which will mark a significant milestone in the railway's preservation history.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUl1VH_w7DDkGMaRTaHu2SGPbQCQueYR9_JWcwbJkEs804zG4Uz4YPrTDxO-5vt-_aMP4bDJbgWN9annCgjnYBmBbCZHsksk_HoJbnQQ_uOhSz4X8SefEUGQLfLc07xNf4Fb5J0OP3WtK/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+101.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211833096782663890" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 358px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 278px" height="266" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUl1VH_w7DDkGMaRTaHu2SGPbQCQueYR9_JWcwbJkEs804zG4Uz4YPrTDxO-5vt-_aMP4bDJbgWN9annCgjnYBmBbCZHsksk_HoJbnQQ_uOhSz4X8SefEUGQLfLc07xNf4Fb5J0OP3WtK/s320/Joys+of+Life+101.jpg" width="342" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Clean!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-73036253190724724372008-04-23T23:06:00.010+01:002008-12-09T06:40:13.093+00:00Almost There!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Moles Hill is now in sight! On 19/04/08 we completed the replacement of ballast between Bangor Road LC and Moles Hill, a little more shovel packing is required on the curve, but that is all. Other jobs completed were the freeing off of more points at Stokerton & Moles Hill, along with yet more leaf clearance.<br /></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Photos depicting a high-speed run from Bangor Road LC to Stokerton have been compiled in to a video and uploaded to the popular website YouTube to genereate publicity for the website.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><object style="WIDTH: 315px; HEIGHT: 266px" height="266" width="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1SXuWvxO1a8&hl=en&rel=0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1SXuWvxO1a8&hl=en&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdwuvPAGP2YiD4oQNLMBhCrkk6K15WnzatxGdO1zoquelE3NEIGmLFuXAqWw6d-cIfny0-RsJcU1gMD7cUi9KsKHmnb-Mv9ydrlP_pe0_9zuwc2h0o4jqNWOxxnlWjlG69jIDEN_TqY75/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+092.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192568427237919378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" height="281" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdwuvPAGP2YiD4oQNLMBhCrkk6K15WnzatxGdO1zoquelE3NEIGmLFuXAqWw6d-cIfny0-RsJcU1gMD7cUi9KsKHmnb-Mv9ydrlP_pe0_9zuwc2h0o4jqNWOxxnlWjlG69jIDEN_TqY75/s320/Joys+of+Life+092.jpg" width="223" border="0" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15AQ24x7Ly4gE_mii3GnzZpCnp5f5U0cwPG26U3DBw5Vc4n47hBTvA1iaSGXuvNtR5LPVVk7uO-oXR-8Zw9h4xxWWsyPExUmA-5EB_QTrkYYrPwbtbn1UZIOtt0mtPMSd5yBYPtruFcDI/s1600-h/P4190231.JPG"></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdwuvPAGP2YiD4oQNLMBhCrkk6K15WnzatxGdO1zoquelE3NEIGmLFuXAqWw6d-cIfny0-RsJcU1gMD7cUi9KsKHmnb-Mv9ydrlP_pe0_9zuwc2h0o4jqNWOxxnlWjlG69jIDEN_TqY75/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+092.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdwuvPAGP2YiD4oQNLMBhCrkk6K15WnzatxGdO1zoquelE3NEIGmLFuXAqWw6d-cIfny0-RsJcU1gMD7cUi9KsKHmnb-Mv9ydrlP_pe0_9zuwc2h0o4jqNWOxxnlWjlG69jIDEN_TqY75/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+092.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15AQ24x7Ly4gE_mii3GnzZpCnp5f5U0cwPG26U3DBw5Vc4n47hBTvA1iaSGXuvNtR5LPVVk7uO-oXR-8Zw9h4xxWWsyPExUmA-5EB_QTrkYYrPwbtbn1UZIOtt0mtPMSd5yBYPtruFcDI/s1600-h/P4190231.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdwuvPAGP2YiD4oQNLMBhCrkk6K15WnzatxGdO1zoquelE3NEIGmLFuXAqWw6d-cIfny0-RsJcU1gMD7cUi9KsKHmnb-Mv9ydrlP_pe0_9zuwc2h0o4jqNWOxxnlWjlG69jIDEN_TqY75/s1600-h/Joys+of+Life+092.jpg"></a><br /><br /></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ballast removal well underway<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15AQ24x7Ly4gE_mii3GnzZpCnp5f5U0cwPG26U3DBw5Vc4n47hBTvA1iaSGXuvNtR5LPVVk7uO-oXR-8Zw9h4xxWWsyPExUmA-5EB_QTrkYYrPwbtbn1UZIOtt0mtPMSd5yBYPtruFcDI/s1600-h/P4190231.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192568435827853986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 328px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 237px" height="272" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15AQ24x7Ly4gE_mii3GnzZpCnp5f5U0cwPG26U3DBw5Vc4n47hBTvA1iaSGXuvNtR5LPVVk7uO-oXR-8Zw9h4xxWWsyPExUmA-5EB_QTrkYYrPwbtbn1UZIOtt0mtPMSd5yBYPtruFcDI/s320/P4190231.JPG" width="357" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Track work now fit for running (in fact the photo was taken from a waggon, sadly human powered, as Harry forgot his loco)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-50671770055699614422008-02-18T12:43:00.003+00:002009-02-01T13:37:06.954+00:001989 Video appears on YouTube<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Recently a video shot in 1989 of the railway has been uploaded to YouTube, at this stage the railway was around half way through the construction process as it is only running up to Moles Hill. Thanks are due Nick Tozer for uploading this video.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cUjgk48PSdA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cUjgk48PSdA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-64105145898277269522008-02-13T23:33:00.004+00:002008-02-13T23:41:06.974+00:00Ballast, Ballast, Ballast!<span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >On Saturday the 9th a team of three set out for Bethesda with a hope of shifting majority of the two and a half tons of ballast delivered to the railway earlier in the week. After clearing up yet more leaves, we managed to shift around two thrids of the ballast and complete ballasting a large portion of the section dug out a fortnight ago, hopfully before easter the line between Stokerton and Moles Hill will be ready for trains, Watch This Space!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-9007246767597299652008-01-29T21:44:00.001+00:002008-12-09T06:40:13.393+00:00Miniature Railway Magazine<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">An article on the railway written by myself has been recently published in the Miniature Railway Magazine (Issue 6, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">February</span> 2008), it is priced at £2.50 and available from many railway shops or by subscription, their website is available <a href="http://www.miniature-railway.com/">HERE</a>.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n2pV8g6aCi93giw65qzbSI0zv4mmZGfeV2MDQ20MJdUbXbkqsrx4xJ0EbDogA2iJnSGhnDTJ6aEZ8CvfA7OoXJr-oMott58iSdCmN2BTrbWlNJnkjQsbYjEhM9oLgzk2lPLPLURkr354/s1600-h/MinRly6cover.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n2pV8g6aCi93giw65qzbSI0zv4mmZGfeV2MDQ20MJdUbXbkqsrx4xJ0EbDogA2iJnSGhnDTJ6aEZ8CvfA7OoXJr-oMott58iSdCmN2BTrbWlNJnkjQsbYjEhM9oLgzk2lPLPLURkr354/s320/MinRly6cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161305275020235074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />Image (C) Miniature Railway Magazine</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423180564542629323.post-33599983041978034812008-01-28T22:55:00.000+00:002008-01-28T23:07:43.713+00:00Digging Ballast<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">We dug out yet more ballast on 26/01/08, between the section already replaced below Moles Hill all the way to the curve prior to Bangor Road Level Crossing. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hopefully</span> during the next working party we shall complete the removal of the ballast there and begin replacing it with new.<br /><br />Elsewhere at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Stokerton</span> a start was made on clearing up the area a great start was made and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hopefully</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">further</span> work will be carried out during the next working party.<br /><br />As always we welcome people to join us by contacting me (William High) on the e-mail address provided <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/joflrailway/contactoperatingdetails.htm">here</a>.<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0