Austro-Hungarian action at Welshpool as on-hire No. 2 Zillertal pulls away from Raven Square station with an ex-Hungarian MAV bogie carriage and two ex-Zillertalbahn four-wheelers on September 3.
CLIFF THOMAS
WELSHPOOL & Llanfair Light Railway’s (W&LLR) September 1-3 Steam Gala featured U-class 0-6-2T No. 2 Zillertal, S FBelge 0-8-0T (ex-No. 699.01) No. 10 Sir Drefaldwyn, Beyer, Peacock 0-6-0T No. 822 The Earl, and Diema 6wDH No.TSC175 working passenger services.
The billed public debut in operation of on-loan Alishan Forest Railway’s Mitsubishi diesel locomotive DL-34 did not occur, the loco remaining in the Llanfair workshop awaiting fitting of suitable W&LLR-compatible couplings. The anticipated operation of a goods train behind DL-34 was also dropped, this timetable slot being filled by trips between Llanfair Caereinion and Cyfronydd by demonstrations of the Wickham inspection trolley.
Six non-operational steam locos were displayed atWelshpool Raven Square station; Barclay 0-4-0T Dougal, Kerr Stuart 0-6-2T Joan, Beyer Peacock 0-6-0T Countess and Hunslet 2-6-2T 3815/1954 No. 14 (Sierra Leone Railway No. 85) being in the bay platform with Bagnall 0-4-4-0T Monarch and recently arrived Sentinel 4wVBT Nutty (7701/1927) outside the display shed, which was in use for a model railway exhibition.