Author Archives: Simon Lomax

August Bank Holiday – always a weekend of mixed emotions; nearly time to go back to school, and the Christmas trees have appeared in Woolworths (for younger readers, that used to be a sort of shop). But why not lighten the atmosphere and enjoy what promises to be a big weekend at Apedale. We are […]

A wide variety of projects progressing at the moment at Apedale. To describe two….at rather opposite ends of the spectrum. The first is a fun project by a couple of the younger members to produce a “rail chair” – the risk assessment may be entertaining, and they can’t wait for the invite to the Ffestiniog […]

Just a quick reminder that this weekend – August 11 & 12 – we are once again running the popular Teddy Bear Outing event on the Apedale Valley Light Railway. Kids with furry friends (of all types – bears, unicorns, meerkats….) travel for free and there’s a simple quiz to make the journey fly by. […]

Well folks, a holiday immediately after Tracks to the Trenches rather interrupted regular updates…apologies for that. It was a wonderful three days, and hopefully the blisters/sunburn have eased by now. As is traditional and good manners, we must express our sincere thanks to many people. In no order, as they say, to all our exhibitors, […]

It would appear that Football’s not coming home after all, but lots of things have come home to Apedale instead. The Hunslet 4-6-0, no.1215, has now arrived andis being tested. New build Edgar has been seen on the main line. The Brush battery electric, used in a Mustard Gas works has impressed everyone who’s seen […]

Big reminder time – next weekend, July 13, 14 & 15 is Tracks to the Trenches at Apedale – our big World War One event. It will be the last in the series of events commemorating the role which light railways played serving the fighting men of all nations. Adults £9, Children £4, family ticket […]

Thank you to all those who pre-ordered tickets for Tracks to the Trenches – we greatly value your support and hope you enjoy the show. Your tickets are being dispatched as we speak (now he’s stopped watching the football…..).

B y now, the entire railway world is aware that the War Office Loco Trust’s Hunslet 4-6-0 was, very sadly, unable to participate in the Hunslet125 weekend at the Ffestiniog Railway. As is often the case when dealing with vintage machinery, there just weren’t hours in the day to complete the loco. However, we are confident […]

Work continues at Apedale in preparation for Tracks to the Trenches 2018 (July 13-15, as if you didn’t know). Two WW1 bogies are having a featherlight overhaul as part of a wagon project. This project is part of the scope of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant we recently secured. The exact nature of the project […]

With less than two months to go until Tracks to the Trenches, most activity on site is now focussing on preparations. One of these activities is extracting the various WW1 wagons from their various hidey-holes around the railway system, giving them a good clean and making them fit-to-run. This includes things like checking brakes and […]