Vale of Rheidol Railway

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LLYWELYN GOES BACK TO COAL

This Spring, historic steam locomotive No 8, Llywelyn will be re-launched into traffic as a coal burner. This will be the first time a coal fired engine was worked the steeply graded Vale of Rheidol line for 30 years.

All three steam locomotives were converted by British Rail to burn gas oil however the rising cost of oil over recent years has dramatically increased railway running costs.

"We are delighted to be converting this historic locomotive back onto coal," said VoR spokesman Will Smith, "we think it will be popular with the both our passengers and the engine crews."

The work is being carried out in the workshops at Aberystwyth and the first fire is expected to be lit in a few weeks time.

Keep an eye on Vale of Rheidol Railway Official Facebook Page for further developments.

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The Vale of Rheidol Railway’s new workshop building is taking shape. Since construction work started in June 2010, a reinforced concrete base has been cast and the steel framing and cladding erected. The 1,000 sq metre building which will include a machine shop, restoration workshop and locomotive running shed is scheduled for completion towards the end of 2012. This will allow the railway to launch an engineering apprenticeship scheme. Once completed all of the locomotive renovation work will be carried out in the new building. The front third of the will be used as a loco running shed.The existing Great Western Railway shed will continue to house the carriage fleet.

The £1.1m project has benefited from grant money from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust.