Hunting the Large Logo logs…

Last winter I chased the log train, the infamous Colas Rail working from Aberystwyth to Chirk. One of those never can be repeated experiences yet I tried, yesterday…

It’s not that I had a terrible time, or the whole thing was an anti-climax - just that I’d done it before, it was familiar and hence less exciting. Things started about 8am when I was up, walking the dog, having breakfast and making a pack lunch and flask of hot coffee - on the road shortly after 9am, I pointed the little Up! west, us both eager to hunt out some open road.

The weather was dry, overcast, the light dead, dull but driving the little car is always a great deal of fun. The keen exhaust note when you urge things along, only encourages more of the same. Climbing up and over into Bala, then on to Dolgellau before turning off for Brithdir, the valleys beginning to be side lit by the sun rising over the mountains. Beautiful shafts of warm light, the greenest grass you’d ever see flanked by dark brooding slopes and peppered with wonderfully black twisted wire armature trees and long shadow.  

The climb up from Dolgellau to the pass that drops onto Dinas Mawddwy isn’t that much from the north but the drop down is incredible, and always takes my breath away. A complete transformation in landscape, that largely continues through to the old chapel carpark at Llanbrynmair. I arrived early, and the down train to Aber was late - two two car 158s rolled by as I was sipping the first of my coffee so I got out a book, ‘The Great Railway Bazaar’ by Paul Theroux and read a chapter. Still before time, I flicked through another new railway book, the latest from Tom Heavyside by Stenlake, about the route from Glasgow to Oban… and within its pages a photo of 37424 at Crianlarich on the logs…

Part of the reason I made this trip a second time was because I’d learnt that 37424, one of several mainline registered 37s in large logo, was the supporting act for the Cambrian’s 97/3… here I was enjoying a photo of her freshly converted to a 37/4, 40 odd years ago whilst shortly I’d be enjoying seeing her over 60 years old doing the same thing, a rather lovely realisation that there is a steadying force in our love of trains, railways, locomotives and the ribbons they roam.

Time ticked on, as it does. The wind was blowing out to the coast, there was no audio build up to enjoy, by the time I was stood on the bridge I didn’t have long to wait. None of the wondrous noise, or anticipation of last winter, that first experience. This was an instantaneous injection of English Electric noise as they rounded the curve pulling hard towards us… a young chap stood alongside me had his digital camera and it was annoying me, click click click, I could here him urging it to capture the image, hundreds of times as if there was any chance that a shot might not work. Digital technology, so wasteful. I took a short video and three stills before legging it across the road to catch the train roar past… wondrous stuff, of course, but without the build up, without the wonder of ‘what it would be like’ something almost like disappointment. 

I wandered back to the car. My pack lunch warmly greeted me and one of my stock of out of date mince pies was enjoyed with another cup of coffee. I read another chapter of my book, waiting to see another 158 - for it is these fine machines I’m going to miss most when they’re retired from Transport for Wales service, possibly in the next 12-18 months… I drove home, retracing my steps. Tired, happy I made the trip, but wondering if I’d do the same thing again or try a new location if I were to travel this far again.

Later in the day, Social media informed me that the 37s would stay on to Chirk, so a trip out to the supermarket included a detour to Ruabon to watch them climbing Cefn bank didn’t disappoint - and a chance to share this experience with my partner too - not something always easy to weave into modern life… the results of the average video footage are stitched together below - if nothing else it’s a rather wonderful noise. As always, I found myself looking for suitable Farish donor models upon my return home but I’ve been here before. Without a layout there is no point nor any real way of recreating this sensory stimulation in miniature. 

A quieter day ahead, and back to my current muse - a pair of Farish 08s becoming 08202 and 09001. The dogs are snoring and I must make a coffee now I’ve written this, have a great day and until next time, more soon…

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