Santa Special beats the snow on railway

Transport systems across the UK ground to a halt again under the heavy snow at the weekend but not the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway.

The Mid-Wales heritage line ran its full weekend service – using a 108-year-old steam locomotive.

Staff at the railway arrived on Saturday morning to find their stations and track buried under nine inches of snow. But determined not to disappoint the many children expected for the railway’s weekend of Santa Special trains, the staff, most of whom are volunteers running the railway as a weekend hobby, set to work.

Despite further snow falls stations at both ends of the three-mile Santa train route between Llanfair Caereinion and Cyfronydd were dug out of the snow and essential infrastructure – such as the water supply for 108-year old Beyer Peacock steam locomotive ‘Countess’, unfrozen. At one point a flame-thrower had to be employed to melt ice jamming point mechanisms on the track.

The first train of the day on Saturday left half an hour late, but services for the rest of the day ran to time, delighting hundreds of children and their families who had fought their way along still treacherous roads to enjoy their journey to meet Santa.

On Sunday the railway was again able to run a full service, all trains running to time, despite temperatures dropping below minus 10deg C at one point.

“Everyone on the railway pulled together to make sure the trains ran,” said W&LLR spokesman Andrew Charman. “We were determined not to let down our passengers.

“In return we received a great deal of praise from the many visitors that managed to get to us. The smiles on the faces of the children returning from meeting Santa down the line made all the efforts we put in more than worthwhile.”