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The main achievement since last October has been the completion of the construction of the two storey Stores block within the Train Shed. The upper storey is now fully insulated and lined; the windows and door are fitted and it is planned to apply a skim coat to the internal walls once the weather dries up and the temperature rises.
Volunteers worked hard to finish the building in cold conditions and their efforts are appreciated. We are grateful to the Awards for All Funding grant for the materials and to Promac Windows of Rugby for their sponsorship of the windows.
The next priorities are to finish installing the electrical power and lighting; fit the lower floor doors, line and insulate the ground floor ceiling and put the sink in. Yes, we do know the soffit board has yet to be fitted !
As can be seen from the picture below, the 5m x 5m building is spacious and will provide excellent storage facilities for archive materials, tools and working gear in a dry and secure area. Access to the upper storey will be by a steel staircase for which regulatory approval has been received.
In other directions, the work on Planet 4006 has continued and the electrical wiring renewal is now complete. The control panel has been fitted with additional switching to minimise the potential for accidental starting of the engine. The fuel system has been drained prior to steam cleaning the fuel tank, and work is in hand to renew the fuel lift pump. Cab doors have new locks, and the cab window liners have been replaced.
A trial has been undertaken to utilise a small digger to lift concrete sleepers from the lines adjacent to the Train Shed as a precursor to lifting all the rails and sleepers. This will make way for the start of the land engineering to prepare the levels for the new platform, platform track and run round loop.
Further work has continued to 'winter-proof' the water supply pipework and generally tidy up the various waste building materials. The effects of the recent very wet spell have been to cause river bank damage further down the line as well as blockage of streams due to fallen trees. These have been removed where it was possible, but a significant land slip due to the scouring effect of raised river levels following a large tree fall has undermined the Community Path near Llangeinor and could affect the railway. The relevant authorities are aware of the situation and, hopefully, will be able to make repairs as soon as possble.
The Xmas Raffle raised over £1000 and distribution of the various prizes is almost complete. |
The Garw Valley Railway is based on the former Pontycymer to Tondu branch to the north of Bridgend which was curtailed to Pontycymer after 1997. Most of the track remains “in situ”, with two short lengths having been lifted. The line is single track, with potential station sites at Pontycymer, Pontyrhyl, Llangeinor and Brynmenyn. The closest national rail station is Tondu on the Maesteg Branch. Pontycymer is a 15 minute drive from the M4 at junction 36.
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