Preparations at an advanced stage for first post Covid running day

The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway are pleased to announce that preparations are now at an advanced stage for the first public running day at Cynheidre since the Santa Specials in 2019! Thanks to a lot of hard work by the lines volunteers the railway hopes to welcome the public for pre-booked and socially distanced rides on its recently acquired Pacer Railcar on the last Saturday of June.

Subject to the ever changing restrictions, volunteers have been working very hard during lock down to ensure that visitors can return to Cynheidre. Much work has been completed to ensure that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable time at the railway. Staff training is now nearly complete, track maintenance and vegetation clearance completed and the Pacer Railcar made ready to provide socially distanced rides. Towards the end of May the Pacer Railcar ventured to the very end of the extension as part of operational training and test running in advance of the Open Day.

One of our assessors Mark was re-certified on our Class 142 after a refresher session and all of our railway operations staff also underwent their medical examinations. Other volunteers have also been busy cutting back vegetation to clear the route from obstructions and also de-weeded our platform and approach walkway. The railway will now operate a test event for members only, in order to assess the effectiveness of their procedures, including their Covid-19 Recovery Plan. Subject to the member event being a success, a public event will then be announced in due course for June 2021.

The railway has also been fortunate to obtain a number of new volunteers post-lockdown and all new members have received their inductions and safety training to allow them to start working safely at the railway.

For this initial running day all tickets must be pre-booked and you will be allocated a specific time slot to ride on the line. Please check and book via our website at www.llanellirailway.co.uk . The Heritage Centre and picnic areas should also be availabon the day.

The railway is a charity run totally by volunteers. It is hoping to grow into a major tourist attraction for the Llanelli district and in order to reach our goals we need more volunteer help in all departments including operational, maintenance and restoration, and administration. If you could spare a few hours for what is a most enjoyable pastime and worthwhile cause do not hesitate to get in touch. For more information or to volunteer please visit our website at https://www.llanellirailway.co.uk or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/llanellirailway