Owing to continued interest in our new services, it has been decided to continue running until the end of September. Better than expected passenger figures have enabled us to timetable services on September 3rd./4th., 10th./11th., 17th./18th. and 24th./25th.

At the start of our low key season, we set ourselves a target of carrying 300 passengers in total. This target was reached on 28th August, when we had carried 322 passengers. If you add the opening day figures and one special run, our total for the season exceeds over 500 passengers.

With an extended run, and completion of onsite facilities, we will aim to get a larger figure next season.

As mentioned earlier, volunteers have continued to work on the length of the line. Services over the Bank Holiday weekend were able to run over the latest extension of around 250yds. past Ty-Coch Farm. Hopefully further extensions will be available by the end of the season.

Work on our other stock has been continuing during the normal services. Our second two car DMU set has not been forgotten, and much of the internal ceiling has been replaced due to damage caused by a leaking roof, and the walls which had been damaged due to a previous check for the possible use of asbestos (none found, all insulation had been replaced by rock-wool during BR days) has also been replaced

The first day of scheduled services occurred on Saturday 23rd July, when the 2-car DMU set ran services every half-an-hour from 11:00 am to 15:30. A further un-timetabled service ran at 16:00 due to a customer request, which allowed us to gain further experience of the motive power. You’d never get this type of service on the National Network !!

On the previous Wednesday, 20th. July, specially invited guests saw Owen Paterson M.P., the member of Parliament for North Shropshire, officially open the line for the first services. After a brief speech regarding the aims of the Heritage Railway Project, Owen declared the railway open for business, and multiple runs along our line were performed.

All the time these services were being run, volunteers were busy at the end of the line working on the next extension. Hopefully, sometime in August, we will have a service that is much longer than the opening length of line. This will enable the train to disappear out of site of the station, and giving a much longer run for the paying public.

The day we have been working towards for the last few years will come about on Saturday 23rd July, when the first scheduled passenger services are due to start.

This will mark the first running of a scheduled passenger train on the line since 1965, although freight services continued until 1971.

The first train will depart from Llynclys South station at approximately 11:00 a.m. following a short ceremony to commemorate the event starting at 10:30. Trains will run at regular intervals until 15:30 on Saturdays and Sundays. A full timetable will be included on this website as soon as possible.

For details of how to get to our site see the instructions here.

With passenger services arriving soon (see announcement), training has commenced for both Drivers and Guards. As well as continuing the general refurbishment of the both the interior and exterior of our 2-car set, 51205/51512, the units were used to train staff for these vital roles.

At one point an emergency stop and evacuation were performed between Llynclys South Station and Ty-Coch farm. Here you can see ‘passengers’ exiting the train following the emergency stop.

Trainee Drivers and Guards, as well as maintenance crew, pose in front of the DMU set following the successful evacuation following the emergency stop. It was then a return to Llynclys where refurbishment of the set continued.

Further crew training occurred the following day, and will now be a regular feature until the official opening of the line. Further training following this will obviously continue whenever possible.

xxxxXXXXxxxx