It looks like the end for Thornbury Castle
WESTERN REGION 4-6-0 No. 7027 Thornbury Castle is to sacrifice its boiler to aid the construction of new-build ‘Night Owl’ 2-8-0 No. 4709, it was announced on April 24. Richard Croucher of the 4709 group, purchaser of the part-restored ‘Castle’ said: “After a six month wait to establish whether there was a potential for a different future for Thornbury Castle, we now have approval to use the boiler to expedite the build of No. 4709. “We are no longer planning to have a new boiler fabricated and as a result, expecting to save around £500,000 and probably five years of work in getting No. 4709 finished.”
Bala Lake’s extension plans turned down
THE extension of the Bala Lake Railway from its current Pen-y-Bont terminus to a new station in the town centre was dealt a blow on April 19 when members of the planning committee of Eryri (formerly Snowdonia) National Park agreed with an officer’s recommendation for refusal. Chairman of the BLR Trust Julian Birley said: “We are going to apply again and the town of Bala will get its railway.”