Robert Bettley-Smith posted these on the Unofficial Llangollen Railway Facebook Group: “Santa Specials are getting ready for their day: Friday 22 December 2017. But less snow than when I was rostered on them last time!”
Saturday 23rd
The first GWSR train pulls into Broadway station!
See this on YouTube
Congratulations to P-Way Dept on their splendid achievement! Supported (in a small way) by boot scraper sales (they receive £5 for each one sold).
Sunday 24th
Busy afternoon: Message from Café on Winchcombe station - they’d only two boot scrapers left! So, I dashed off to Todders to pick up four to restock them. But as I was carrying them from car to café, they sold two more! Back to Todders … decided to pick up two plus two more (just on case). Sure enough, back at the café they had only two left again! Selling faster than hot mince pies.
Monday 25th
Four of us lit up two locos ready for Boxing Day services.
Wednesday 27th
Heavy snowfall plus power outage at Toddington caused the railway to close … and I couldn’t get the car out of my road because no grip on compacted snow.
Thursday 28th
Railway still closed because the car park was like a skating rink!
Saturday 30th
Those of us who failed to avoid Andrew Marshall ended up cleaning the bits of spring gear that we had helped the P&O guys remove recently.
Bruce managed to do a little more prep work on the guard irons that we hope to fit to the tender.
The most important task of the day was to repair a broken wheel on the radiator in the van. Bruce had modified a castor to suit, and is here drilling out the broken one.
I had two boot scraper orders to progress, so I managed to avoid P&O cleaning, too!
Timetable of events
2807 should be leaving Llangollen on Monday 8th Jan and arriving back at Todders on Tuesday 9th. Winter maintenance commences then, and she has to be fit for service by end of February.
Roger