As regular readers of this thread will be aware, the (Windmill Hill) Welsh Highland has fallen on hard times. Track and stations are in such a poor state of repair that only goods trains are permitted to run - and as photographs here have illustrated, recent attempts to carry slate and coal seem to have resulted only in rakes of empties being trundled pointlessly along the line. Fortunately however, the good weather has seen a bumper plum crop (Snowdonia, of course, being well known for its soft fruit harvest) and the line spent a busy day yesterday bringing home the goods...
Usual suspects Daisy and Margaret were prepared in the siding at Clarach.
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Margaret arranged most of the line's available open wagons into two rakes...
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...before heading down the line with the first. Penlan's new station building can be seen under construction in the background.
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The train was halted on Leach's Curve for the fruit to be loaded - some quirk of perspective makes that picker's hand look awfully large...
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Rolling on down to Trefechan, the the train was shunted into a siding, with the guards van switched to the other end.
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Margaret returned to Clarach to bring the second rake of empties down - the apples will be harvested later in September, if the creepy-crawlies don't eat 'em all first...
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Here's the second rake loaded and heading into Trefechan Tunnel
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Margaret was deemed insufficiently powerful to pull the heavy loaded trains back up the hill, so steam was raised and Daisy sent down to do the job...
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...and soon headed back up with the first train...
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Here she is again, passing under the now de-nuded plum tree with the second train...
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Naturally, the only disaster occurred with a fully-laden train at the least accessible part of the line, under the deck...
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Back on the track, Daisy and train completed the journey up to Clarach, where the plums were unloaded for onward transportation...
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While down at Trefechan, Margaret rested in the peace and quiet after the busiest day the (WH)WHR has seen in some years...
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The management sincerely hopes to be able to invest the revenue from these services into improvements that will see the line declared fit for passenger traffic in the near future. And in the meantime, there are eight jars of delicious looking plum chutney on the kitchen table...
Cheers,
Andrew.