Travel in style on Llanfair Ginny

You can be forgiven for thinking this is first class carriage on the Orient Express!

But it is the good old Llanfair Ginny and you will have a chance to ride it while enjoying afternoon tea, as well as enjoy fish and chips in another promotion.

On the evening of Saturday, May 28, the railway is running its first Fish & Chips train which will depart Llanfair Caereinion at 6pm, and on arrival at Raven Square fish and chip suppers from Andrews will be served for passengers to enjoy during the return trip.

Weather permitting, the return train will pause at the intermediate station of Castle Caereinion for passengers to stretch their legs. Vegetarian options are available as well as a choice of large or small meals with booking closing on May 26.

But the big treat comes on June 11 and July 24 when Welsh Tea trains will be a new addition to the timetable.

Departing Llanfair Caereinion at around 1.50pm, passengers will travel in one direction in one of the line’s balcony-ended carriages built originally for the Zillertalbahn Railway in Austria, and donated to the W&LLR in 1968. These trains specially are fitted out as a buffet car. On offer will be tea, and a selection of locally-sourced Welsh tea-time treats including Caerphilly scones, bara brith and Welsh cakes.

For the journey in the other direction participants will join a select few who have enjoyed the sumptuous white leather armchairs of former Sierra Leone Government Railway carriage no 1207 (pictured). This British-built vehicle was repatriated from the West African nation by the W&LLR in 1975 and fully restored to its original condition in 2009.

In keeping with the first-class environment, a steward will be on hand to offer cooling drinks as might have been served to combat the African heat in the carriage’s former days. SLR 1207 has seen limited use since its restoration, with fewer than 100 people having travelled in it so far.

As with the Fish & Chip train, advance booking for the Welsh Tea specials will be necessary and space is very limited – full details and booking forms for both trains can be found on the events page of the railway’s website at www.wllr.org.uk

PICTURE: The W&LLR’s new Welsh Tea trains will see a return to service for the first-class Sierra Leone carriage.