My Idea of bliss !

[Chuffer]

Hope all you forum followers had a great Christmas and looking forward to a Happy Corvetteing New Year . I have retreated to our regular hideaway in North Wales for Christmas / New Year week in a remote 18th Century farm house . Total peace and solitude and finally a chance to sit down in the evening in front of a roaring log fire and read my recently acquired ` Corvette - A Piece of the Action ` with a glass or two of wine .
What better way to round things off are after a wild and windy day in the mountains ! Needless to say there is no Corvette outside but the V8 Jeep is in its element up here .

 

[phild]

That looks idyllic. Whereabouts is that, I'm from that part of the world originally? I'll bet its not too far from one of the heritage steam railways.

 

[Vetman]

Hope all you forum followers had a great Christmas and looking forward to a Happy Corvetteing New Year . I have retreated to our regular hideaway in North Wales for Christmas / New Year week in a remote 18th Century farm house . Total peace and solitude and finally a chance to sit down in the evening in front of a roaring log fire and read my recently acquired ` Corvette - A Piece of the Action ` with a glass or two of wine .
What better way to round things off are after a wild and windy day in the mountains ! Needless to say there is no Corvette outside but the V8 Jeep is in its element up here .View attachment 25101

You must be the only ‘Corvette owner’ in the village!

 

[Chuffer]

That looks idyllic. Whereabouts is that, I'm from that part of the world originally? I'll bet its not too far from one of the heritage steam railways.

Sorry I have only just been able to reply . We had a thunderstorm that fried the Wi Fi hub so we were cut off from the outside world for the remainder of the week . You can only get a weak mobile signal too by standing in one precise spot outside the cottage on the hillside !!! The lightning display over the mountains was entertaining though .
We were a couple of miles up into the mountains from Dolgellau . Stunning location with the peaks of the Cadair Idris looming behind us and great views across the valley towards the southern end of the Rhinogyth mountain range . I had two bottles of Penderyn Welsh whisky as Christmas presents so double bliss all round !
The Talyllyn Narrow Gauge Railway is in the next valley over behind Cadair Idris and the Ffestioniog Railway is not too far north but I managed to resist the temptation to visit them !!
Bleddyn Newydd Dda as they say in Wales ( Happy New Year ) to you and all CCCUK members .

 

[phild]

Sounds like a perfect Christmas. I know the area quite well its glorious countryside and handy for the heritage railways you mention.

 

[Chuffer]

Sounds like a perfect Christmas. I know the area quite well its glorious countryside and handy for the heritage railways you mention.

It sure is stunning in that area and I never get tired of the scenery . I am totally with poet William Wordsworth who waxed lyrical about the scenery around the Mawddach Estuary . He wrote - " The only journey in all the world that surpasses the one from Dolgellau to Barmouth is the journey from Barmouth to Dolgellau " .
The little Fairbourne Railway that runs from Fairbourne to Penrhyn Point at the mouth of the estuary often gets overlooked and has a long history . It was built in 1895 as a 2 foot gauge horse drawn tramway to haul materials from the ferry from Barmouth at Penrhyn Point to Fairbourne village and later converted to 15 inch gauge with steam locos We walk around Penrhyn Point and along the superb sandy beach many times . The views up the estuary are spectacular .

 

[Chuffer]

I thought that photo would appeal to you CaptainK . I took the shot in summer 2022 . The loco is a recreation of one of the Lynton & Barnstable Railways original locos named `Yeo` that`s in your part of the world .

 

[phild]

One of the engines on the Welshpool Llanfair line where I'm from originally.

 

[Chuffer]

One of the engines on the Welshpool Llanfair line where I'm from originally.


View attachment 25121

Fabulous photo Phil The Llanfair & Welshpool Light Railway is a cracking little railway that still retains its rural charm from the good old days . Lovey scenery along the Banwy Valley too . I always drive through Welshpool and Llanfair Caereinion on the way up to Dolgellau . Nothing going on when we passed by as the railway usually shuts down this time of year . Amazing to think that it originally ran through the streets of Welshpool prior to preservation days where it now terminates at Raven Square.

 

[CaptainK]

I thought that photo would appeal to you CaptainK . I took the shot in summer 2022 . The loco is a recreation of one of the Lynton & Barnstable Railways original locos named `Yeo` that`s in your part of the world .

You know me - anything steam related generally gets my attention. I've yet to pop over to the L&B railway yet, but do follow its activities though and reading how they are hoping to extend the line over time.

 

[phild]

Fabulous photo Phil The Llanfair & Welshpool Light Railway is a cracking little railway that still retains its rural charm from the good old days . Lovey scenery along the Banwy Valley too . I always drive through Welshpool and Llanfair Caereinion on the way up to Dolgellau . Nothing going on when we passed by as the railway usually shuts down this time of year . Amazing to think that it originally ran through the streets of Welshpool prior to preservation days where it now terminates at Raven Square.

I must confess I pinched the picture from the railway website. I am of an age where I actually remember it as a working railway running through the town to Raven Square, and onwards, from the goods yard near the cattle market in Welshpool, as was.

I lived in an old tollgate cottage on the Guilsfield Road just a few hundred yards from Raven Square. One of my earliest childhood memories was of the train making the crossing before the roundabout and other redevelopment work was in existence. Happy days.

 

[Vetman]

You know me - anything steam related generally gets my attention. I've yet to pop over to the L&B railway yet, but do follow its activities though and reading how they are hoping to extend the line over time.

How about this?

 

[Chuffer]

I must confess I pinched the picture from the railway website. I am of an age where I actually remember it as a working railway running through the town to Raven Square, and onwards, from the goods yard near the cattle market in Welshpool, as was.

I lived in an old tollgate cottage on the Guilsfield Road just a few hundred yards from Raven Square. One of my earliest childhood memories was of the train making the crossing before the roundabout and other redevelopment work was in existence. Happy days.

Wow ! That`s amazing . I have never met anyone with first hand knowledge of the early years of the Llanfair & Welshpool . It`s amazing to to think that a narrow gauge steam railway was operated by British Railways into the 1950`s !! (BR also operated the Vale of Rheidol Railway too ). I came across this old photo of one of the two original locos ( either` Earl `or `Countess `) running through the streets of Welshpool in the narrow gap between the buildings . As a matter of interest one of the locos acquired by the railway in it`s preservation era is named `Joan ` and was built in Stoke on Trent by Kerr Stewart for a sugar plantation railway in Antigua . I visited the plantation whilst on holiday in Antigua last July . It is now a museum site and still has some old wagons on display . Small world innit ???

 

[Chuffer]

You know me - anything steam related generally gets my attention. I've yet to pop over to the L&B railway yet, but do follow its activities though and reading how they are hoping to extend the line over time.

The L&B is well worth a visit , stunning scenery too ! I took these shots in 2017 whilst on holiday down that way .

 

[Chuffer]

How about this?
View attachment 25133

Is that vertical boiler version of the streamlined Silver Jubilee A4 pacific ??

 

[phild]

Wow ! That`s amazing . I have never met anyone with first hand knowledge of the early years of the Llanfair & Welshpool . It`s amazing to to think that a narrow gauge steam railway was operated by British Railways into the 1950`s !! (BR also operated the Vale of Rheidol Railway too ). I came across this old photo of one of the two original locos ( either` Earl `or `Countess `) running through the streets of Welshpool in the narrow gap between the buildings . As a matter of interest one of the locos acquired by the railway in it`s preservation era is named `Joan ` and was built in Stoke on Trent by Kerr Stewart for a sugar plantation railway in Antigua . I visited the plantation whilst on holiday in Antigua last July . It is now a museum site and still has some old wagons on display . Small world innit ???

Just reading a history of the Welshpool & Llanfair, very interesting. I now live in East Sussex very near to the Bluebell Line and Lavender line. By the way, if you ever want to be me (probably best not) and 'borrow' my membership card for the L&W give me a shout.

 

[Chuffer]

Just reading a history of the Welshpool & Llanfair, very interesting. I now live in East Sussex very near to the Bluebell Line and Lavender line. By the way, if you ever want to be me (probably best not) and 'borrow' my membership card for the L&W give me a shout.

Hi Phild , thanks for the offer of `borrowing ` membership card . I have never actually travelled on the L&W , only ever stopped by for a nose around and take photos when on holiday in the area . Haven`t been to the Bluebell in years now , must pay a visit if I get down that way sometime .

 

[CaptainK]

How about this?
View attachment 25133

Thanks, great for quickly making hot water for boiling veg or rice etc. Also handy to warm up some water for my little steam engine so I don't have to waste fuel boiling the water in the boiler from cold.

You'd probably expected me to mention tea or coffee - neither of which are drunk in my household as neither wife nor I like them.

 

[Chuffer]

Thanks, great for quickly making hot water for boiling veg or rice etc. Also handy to warm up some water for my little steam engine so I don't have to waste fuel boiling the water in the boiler from cold.

You'd probably expected me to mention tea or coffee - neither of which are drunk in my household as neither wife nor I like them.

I hope you are not averse to alcohol too ?? There would be no point living !!!

 

[CaptainK]

I hope you are not averse to alcohol too ?? There would be no point living !!!

Sadly I can't drink it for medical reasons. So I've not drunk alcohol in about 10 years now. Wife doesn't drink alcohol either - she can drink it (aka no medical reason), but isn't interested.

I can however sniff super unleaded and "steam engine smells", so I'm still good there