Fun for all on Llanfair Ginny

Following a successful gala at the start of the month, the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway is looking forward to offering special days out for all ages in September.

This Saturday and Sunday, furry friends of all shapes and sizes will be very much in evidence when the railway stages its Teddy Bears Weekend.

Younger visitors to the line will be encouraged to bring their favourite teddy with them, and every child that arrives with a bear and a paying grown-up will travel for free.

Along the line, meanwhile, there will be teddy bears to spot, while the railway’s own big ted will also be on hand to meet children and their teddies, and to pose for pictures.

Over the following weekend, enthusiasts will have their last chance in 2018 to travel back in time on the Llanfair Line’s Vintage Train.

The popular Vintage Trains are mixed workings, combining one of the railway’s original Beyer Peacock 0-6-0T locomotives with superbly recreated Pickering bogie carriages and heritage freight stock.

These trains provide much interest for visitors as at each end of the line quite a lot of shunting of the stock has to take place to ensure the vacuum-brake fitted passenger vehicles are rostered next to the locomotive. This is particularly important due to the line’s steep gradients.

Mixed trains travelling to Welshpool have to stop at Sylfaen summit, around two miles from their destination, to have their brakes pinned down before descending the challenging Golfa Bank, where the ruling gradient is 1 in 29.

“These two events in September are very different,” said Llanfair Line spokesman Andrew Charman. “The Teddy Bear weekend is all about the railway’s many family visitors and we are looking forward to seeing many young visitors to the line, with their teddy bears of course!

“The Vintage Trains, meanwhile, offer an opportunity to really experience the railway as it would heve been in its earliest Edwardian times, while the shunting operations at each end of the journey provides much of interest to railway enthusiasts.”

During Teddy Bear Weekend round trips depart from Welshpool station at 11.15am and 2.05pm on both days, and from Llanfair Caereinion at 10am, 1pm and 3.30pm.

The Vintage Trains run on 22nd-23rd September, with one round trip from Welshpool departing at 13.05, and two from Llanfair Caereinion at 11.10 and 14.45. Normal service trains also operate on these days – the railway is operating throughout September except on Mondays and Fridays, while the tearoom at Llanfair Caereinion is open every day.

Ticket prices and online ordering facilities can be found on the railway’s website, www.wllr.org.uk, or for more details intending travellers can call 01938 810441.