News in brief for staff, volunteers and supporters of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways January 2014

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1 News in brief for staff, volunteers and supporters of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways January 2014 Introduction This monthly newsletter is distributed to those who request it by and it will also be accessible from the main website at Diary and event information will remain on the online site. Feel free to print this document in order that people without web access can read it. Contributions, details of group meetings etc to or Terabash and the state of Harbour Station building Eileen Clayton The FR has spent a couple of years and over a million pounds designing and building a new track layout for Harbour Station together with a brand new signal box and relay room. This ambitious venture will be open for daily trains on March 22nd, followed by an official opening. Invited are many well known people, politicians and staff from other railways. In 2014 alone it will attract people from all over the world. On the right are some of the first things they may see: In short, Harbour Station looks run down and uncared for, with peeling paint, crumbling mortar, rotten woodwork and broken guttering. Will this be the image which is photographed and shown to the world? A group of us hope not; we believe that we can transform the station with lots of help from people who, like us, want to be proud of our railway. And we have less than less than 8 weeks to do so. Two weeks ago we listed jobs which need to be done. Already, we are getting quite remarkable backing, but we need more. We intend to run a large working party in the middle weekend in March, but before then there is a mountain of preparation work to be done. There s woodwork to be washed and sanded, rotten woodwork to be replaced, guttering to be mended, bent fences and ladders to be straightened, lights fittings to be changed, faulty toilet doors to be repaired, the list goes on and on. Unless we carry out this preparation work, then the transformation will not occur. We need many individuals to come for a day or several to make their contribution to this effort. We need many of our regular folks together with lots of people from other departments who usually work on the trains, in the café, booking office or marketing. The railway belongs to all of us and it s going to take a concerted effort to make sure it looks clean and cared for. We are running an additional working party over the weekend of Feb 14th 15th and are happy to have folks come a day earlier or stay an extra day. For those of you who could help at other times,

2 we can organise mini job lists, tools and materials. 6 folks have already volunteered to give time between now and Terabash, we probably need 60. Between us we have the chance in the next eight weeks to make a massive difference. If you want to talk about any aspect of this, here are some folks to talk to: Clare Britton cbritton@ffwhr.com Eileen Clayton eileen@eileenclayton.net Sam Hughes shughes@ffwhr.com Whiz Shrives r.shrives@btinternet.com Howard Wilson howard@quarrylane.net Working Party Dates Terabash March 15th & 16th book with Howard March 1st & 2nd book with Sam Feb 15th & 16th book with Eileen For working at any time, see any one of those listed above. We are in urgent need of a project PA to carry out a variety of tasks such as picking up items from local suppliers and from the stores in Minffordd, meeting with volunteers to give them tools, equipment and job sheets etc. This is certainly not a full time job and could be shared by more than one person. Living locally would probably be better and obviously having transport is necessary, although those with a clean driving licence can be authorised to drive the company vehicles. Alongside Terabash are a number of smaller projects. We need a lot of individuals to do many small set up jobs such woodworking boxing in pipes, splicing in rotten woodwork, fixing door frames, replacing cracked rendering in door revels, filing holes in woodwork, sanding down. We ask folks to give us half a day, a day, a series of days. If this happens, then we will between us transform the appearance of Harbour station in the limited time we have available. We have an almost unique opportunity, with no trains and therefore no passengers Eight weeks today and it s all over! Paul Lewin adds: I just wanted to offer a brief note of thanks to everyone who has come forward so far to help with Harbour Station. We are making very good progress with the construction work but I was really worried that the harbour station s buildings would not match up to the standards set by the new works on the track and the platform. As we start making arrangements for special guests to visit the station for the opening in May, on top of all the usual winter work to get ready for the season, I think we were all beginning to wonder how on earth we could get Harbour Station looking ship shape. Thanks to Eileen, Howard and the many members of the Terabash team a plan is in hand. The list they have is very long indeed and I know they are keen to encourage the biggest turnout possible both for the Terabash weekend and the days either side of it. Also the list of little jobs soon stack up and materials and small bits of specialist work have added a bill of more than 5,000 to our already stretched winter maintenance budget. Can you help us? Your support be it as a volunteer, with supporting donations via the FR Society, or simply by telling others what we are doing is really appreciated. Your railway needs YOU!

3 Inter Rail Pass (Heritage Railway Association) Jo Vincent We are pleased to announce that the Heritage Rail Association InterRail Pass scheme will be going ahead in The scheme is open to directors, managers, paid staff and volunteers working on a railway which participates in the Inter Rail Pass scheme. For 25 you receive a 2 person Pass allowing you and another person to travel at free or reduced rates on railways participating in the scheme subject to travel restrictions set by each railway. The passes generally cannot be used on Santa specials, some gala days and other special occasions. A list of participating railways and the restrictions is provided with the pass. The 2014/2015 pass will be valid from 1 st March 2014 to 28 th February If you would like to purchase a 2014/2015 pass please send a cheque for 25 per pass, made payable to 'Heritage Railway Association', together with a stamped addressed envelope, to Joanna Vincent, Ffestiniog Railway, Harbour Station, Porthmadog, Gwynedd, LL49 9NF. If you are not able to pay by cheque please contact me to arrange an alternative method of payment. In order to receive your pass by the start date please ensure your cheque reaches me by Monday 17 th February. Mared Elfyn's Half Marathon Rosie Young On December the 13th, Llan Ffestiniog lost a young, vibrant and loving member of its community. Mared Elfyn had spent her school, college and working years living at the heart of Llan's community. No words can describe the devastation her loss has caused. Mared's sister, brother, father, boyfriend and closest friends came together to form 'Tîm Mared'. They signed up to the Anglesey Half Marathon and their mission is to run the 13.1miles on Sunday 2nd March in support of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity Fund which provides an invaluable service for saving lives across the country. On December 11th, a Wales Air Ambulance helicopter had made its way to assist at the scene of a serious car accident near Machynlleth. In spite of their tremendous efforts that day, Mared was unable to survive her injuries. In memory of a friend, sister, girlfriend and daughter, Tîm Mared have raised over 2,600 so far. To support them in the challenges they face and to help save lives across Wales, please donate via the Tîm Mared fundraising page Mared Elfyn Thank you for taking a minute to visit our page. We greatly appreciate every penny of support. Roy s Bench Clare Britton As a pleasant and welcoming station, Blaenau is sadly lacking, I am sure you would all agree. Someone who was acutely aware of its faults was Roy Woods who worked there every summer but who sadly died suddenly at the end of October. Roy s wife Jan is raising money to put bench or benches on the platform in memory of Roy. We have commissioned local artist and former FR employee Howard Bowcott to create up to three benches similar to those in the town centre. These will not only be a very fitting tribute to Roy but will be a noteworthy piece of art and very useful for our passengers. If you would like to make a donation to this appeal, please download the gift aid form and send with a cheque, to Clare Britton at Harbour Station. The form can be downloaded from

4 Carriage news Norman Bond 2022 is being modified the same as 2021 was last year, with a semi enclosed glazed centre section. The carriage is shown on its way to the paint shop on its roller bearing bogies. Car 116 is in for a repaint and is progressing OK. Glaslyn is in for maintenance including changing the curved glass which cracked during the first winter. We are getting good support from volunteers for which we are very grateful. The Glasgow tram is also progressing well. New owner at the Sportsman One of the FR&WHR's closest working partner businesses in Porthmadog is under new ownership and management. Businessman Aby Quddus bought The Royal Sportsman from Louis and Viorica Naudi last summer. Aby took on the 3 star hotel when Louis Naudi retired from the High Street hotel last September after 15 years. Married with a young daughter, Aby says he chose The Sportsman from a dozen others on sale around the UK because of his connections with Wales: "When I saw the huge improvements the Naudis had made to the hotel and realised what a fantastic place Porthmadog is to trade, I was determined to buy. I have also inheriting a talented team of 20 staff who continue to take us forward. "I have family and friends who live and work in South Wales and I know Snowdonia and the Llyn have lots of tourism potential. I believe I can positively add to this business and to the local economy because of my experience in hospitality, media and marketing."

5 Drains up Ian Andrew The Gigabash Weekend working party at the end of last year went fairly well despite appalling weather. The old concrete drain pipes have now been replaced all the way from Lottie's Crossing down to Loc Meurig. This is a favourite site for Megabash/Gigabash Weekends as it is not too far away from other work sites at Boston Lodge/Minffordd so we shall probably return there again in March this year. There is about another 180 yards of old pipes to replace. The farmer excavated a ditch on the adjacent land last year causing water to run down to the railway more rapidly so it IS important. Over the December working party weekend we successfully lifted 57 concrete drainage troughs out of the ground at Hafod y Llyn. These are now stored on pallets for use at Valve House Cutting probably next winter now however there was insufficient time to install new plastic pipe in place of the troughs so this work is still outstanding. Sadly a couple of working party weekends were cancelled last year due to lack of support. Although we may now be close to the end of replacing old concrete pipes and installing new plastic pipe, recent heavy rainfall has shown that even the most infrequently used drains are important. There are outstanding work sites at Pen y bryn (Penrhyn), Leadmine Curve, Hafod y llyn, Pen y bryn (Garnedd) and Two Trees. We need your help to close some of these sites. Future Working Parties are scheduled for: 8th/9th February 15th/16th March (Megabash) 18th 21st April (Easter) These working parties will not happen without your support. Please contact Rodney Thorp now by telephone or by e mail rodthedrain@googl .com and copy to me at ian.andrew.58@gmail.com Job vacancy: Carriage Cleaner Seasonal Vacancy from 15th March 2014 until 7th November Hours: 40 hours per week, any 5 days out of 7 as rostered. Carriage Cleaners are part of the team responsible for the presentation of passenger trains on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways, with particular responsibility for cleaning the inside of windows and the exterior of carriages. They are usually based at Porthmadog Harbour Station, but sometimes also work at locations such as the depots at Boston Lodge and Dinas. For Further details or an application form please contact Hazel Prent telephone or hprent@ffwhr.com

6 Job vacancy: Customer Service Manager As the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways build on the success of recent years, the importance of outstanding customer service is foremost in our minds. As a leading tourist attraction, our customers expect the highest standards of attention and care, therefore, sustaining our income from them relies heavily on delivering excellent service. We are creating a new post of Customer Service Manager to work across the organisation to strengthen these standards. Applications are sought from highly motivated individuals who have a demonstrable track record in developing customer service standards. Educated to degree level and preferably with experience in a railway or major tourist attraction environment, the successful candidate will need to demonstrate strong abilities in terms of training, leadership and motivation. A full understanding of the motivation of volunteers, the ability to work with people of all abilities and to communicate at all levels is pivotal to the role. The role is a full time post based in Porthmadog. A full driving licence is required and the ability to speak Welsh would be an advantage. The salary offered will be commensurate with a senior management position in the organisation. Applications in writing clearly demonstrating a flair for persuasion should be submitted by to pholloway@ffwhr.com accompanied by a full CV. We would like to hear from potential candidates by the 5 February 2014 in order that an appointment can be made prior to the start of the 2014 operating season. Network Rail apprentices We are currently hosting our second batch of apprentices from Network Rail. Split into two teams, they are concentrating on relaying the FR main line on the Cob starting from Pen Cob and a major realignment of the WHR main line leading onto the bridge at Bryn y Felin. The Cob work is of particular interest as the FR is now the first railway in Europe to make extensive use of plastic sleepers in its main line. Many other railways are planning to move to composite sleepers SNCF plans to replace wooden and concrete sleepers on its high speed routes but once again, the FR is first with implementing new technology. The composites, manufactured in the US from recycled plastic waste, weigh roughly the same as their wooden equivalents but have a greatly increased service life well in excess of the rails laid on them. And when they do wear out, they can be returned to the manufacturers to be recycled again. The curve at Bryn y Felin has been problematic since it was first laid, the rails having a tendency to creep outwards causing the radius to decrease. Now the section has been redesigned by Fred Howes and the NR apprentices are doing a great job of making the curve look like a proper railway rather than a three penny bit.

7 Harbour Station progress Ian Hartill In the last four weeks the changes at Harbour Station have certainly been dramatic. Between Christmas and New Year over half of the new No. 5 siding was laid. There was a marvellous response for help to dismantle the old station between 2 nd to the 6 th January by the Dee & Mersey Group and other individuals, and the work went very smoothly with only the tracks around the water tower and in the haul road remaining by the Sunday night. During this time the S&T Department disconnected and removed all the old equipment, some for re use in the new layout, others back to store and a few items disposed of to good homes. The contract to complete the final stage of the civil engineering work has been awarded to Gelli Civil Engineering Cyf. from Llanfrothen who have got off to a flying start, thanks to a combination of good weather (for January) and having a mostly clear site to work on. So far the last remains of the old wave wall have been removed and the platform edge kerbs extended down to a point close to the haul road. The level between the platform kerbs has been raised to the height required for paving. This paving work will begin next week using porous bricks, to reduce the pooling of rain water. S&T work continues with cables being pulled into the various cabinets at the Welsh Highland point beside Spooner's, point detectors have been fitted to all the new point motors and the linkages connected on two out of five points, which are now ready for setting and testing. The formal inspection and testing of the new system will also begin soon. To this end, many cable labels have been attached in both the relay room and signal box, and reams of cable testing documentation have already been compiled while the wiring work was carried out. The signal box has had a major clear out of all the remaining construction materials to enable the tester to work un hindered, and to allow the final floor covering to be installed during February.

8 The last few days have seen further dramatic progress with the track layout, beginning on Tuesday when the old haul road was removed. The contractor broke up the tarmac and the rails were lifted by the Rest of the World Gang. On the Welsh Highland side of the station the ballast formation has been spread and rolled, followed almost immediately with new track being laid from the old main line towards the points. This will become the WHR loop line. Meanwhile in the new yard area another group from the Rest of the World Gang reassembled the turnout for No. 4 road using the new plastic composite sleepers. Progress toward completing the station has been very dramatic, but all involved with the project know there is a great deal still to be achieved to complete the station and reopen for traffic. If you want to get involved there is plenty to do. The remaining work involves relaying track and building and installing signals. Don t be put off by the weather, it s been lovely (for January) and Spooner's is nearby (no distance for the after worker) During February the Boston Lodge weekends start, where loco crews come and have a go at laying track. If you haven t put your name down already get in touch with either Julie jstirland@ffwhr.com at the Lodge or myself to add your names to the list. Tim Prent tprent@ffwhr.com is also looking for more help on the S&T side. There are parts of the signalling system still to be made and installed, some cables still to be pulled in, and yard points to be connected to levers. So if you want to help out and build your new station ready for 2014 please get in touch. ihartill@ffwhr.com

9 And finally A Page from Quality Wales detailing the F&WHR being awarded the title of North Wales' Top Tourist Attraction