Llangollen Railway: End of the season...

I have been lucky twice this week, catching a train on the railway at a moment I didn't expect - yet had perhaps secretly hoped for...

The last train of the day, the last service train of the year, in the dark at my village station was a wonderful surprise... I jumped out of my car after a long journey from South Wales visiting my Mum to savour that last breath of steam, hot oil and coal smoke as 3802 sat simmering in the glow of the station platform lamps and signal box glow. Absolutely magical and in that moment I was transported 60 years previous to imagine the same scene on a cold winters night in 1961 as trains routinely plied the rails between Ruabon and Barmouth.

As the line now rests ahead of the myriad of Santa Specials and Mince Pie trains the permanent way crew work hard to tackle jobs that perhaps are harder to fit in at other times in the year. That said, the conditions are more challenging with damp and cold, plus shorter days, but if it wasn't for the hard work of these dedicated volunteers the wheels would literally fall off... 

On my return from an errand, dropping off some post at the letter box I heard a whistle... 'surely not' I thought, but hopes were pricked never the less. As I turned the corner to the level crossing there was the black 08 with a rake of ballast wagons. A quick conversation with the second man whilst he was unlocking the gates and I learnt it was off to Llangollen with 50 tons of ballast (the train has been up at Corwen for ballasting the new station there) for the replacement track work in the platform. 

I grabbed a short video from the park and a few photos, savouring the sight of a rare 'freight' working on the line. The crew were operating with permission, so the signals were all set at danger, before any wag points that out in the video. Lovely to see both trains, two sides, both very necessary of running a preserved railway in the UK. More soon...