Walk Reminder - Brecon Forest Tramroad Part 4 – Ynyscedwyn Incline

The next part of Tudor Watkins' exploration of the Brecon Forest Tramroad, this is a walk of some six miles to explore the remains of Claypons extension tramroad. This is one of the finest examples in Wales of how a simple horse worked tramroad was later taken over by steam worked locomotives. The walk will ascend a heavily engineered section of the line including major remains of the engine house and two bridges. Meet at Gough Arms 11.30 (where hopefully the party should be able to leave their cars on a promise to the landlord of purchasing a meal upon return!). This public house is off the A4067 road. Whether coming from north or south directions follow the B4599 road and cross the river at the Claython Bridge, about a quarter of a mile south of the town centre, and the meeting place is to the right. Postal address, Heol Glantawe, Ystradgynlais, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA9 1ES. Stout comfortable footwear and appropriate waterproof clothing required including sun hat and cream! A packed lunch with adequate liquid refreshment also required. OS Outdoor Leisure Map 12 (Brecon Beacons West & Central Areas) is useful. Map Grid Reference, 785097

Forum and AGM Reminder

We look forward to seeing members and guests at the AGM and Annual Forum this coming Saturday (4 June) at Rhiwderin Community Centre. As on previous years, there will be displays and our stands selling books and photographs, and the archives will be open.

An Evening with Pete Waterman

To be held at:
UNIVERSITY OF WALES, CITY CAMPUS
USK WAY, NEWPORT
Lecture Theatre A15
FRIDAY 3 JUNE 2011 at 7.00pm
Admission: £2.00 members £5.00 non members



The Monmouthshire Rly Soc have organised a opportunity to meet and discuss railways with Pete Waterman. Pete be along to talk (in his own inimitable style) of his life long interest and experiences of railways (both 12" to the foot and those of a smaller scale!). Friday 3rd June..... this is an extra date in our speakers programme and one we've only just been able to organise, at relatively short notice, as you can see. Admission is £5, with most of the proceeds being donated in support of the G+WR Appeal, PW being the Gloucs+Warks Railway's President and having made a personal appearance on their appeal info. Doors open at 18:30, so hopefully some of you can be there on the night. Click for further details here

Workshops on Life Expectancies of Colour Photographs

To be held at:
Heritage Science Laboratory (Gordon House)
29 Gordon Street, London
WC1H 0PP

Have you ever wondered about loss of information in archives caused by material decay? Or about what makes an archival photograph fit-for-purpose? One of the questions the research project ‘Lifetime of Colour Photographs in Mixed Archival Collections’ aims to tackle is the way material degradation is linked to information content in photographic images. In particular, the point where photographs are no longer ‘fit for purpose’ is of interest. To understand this better this question will be explored with various groups of stakeholders - curators and custodians to photographic collectors, scientists and the general public - in order to capture a variety of opinions. The aim of the workshops is to define the point at which changes in information content is no longer considered to be acceptable for photographs in archives. The workshops will start with a brief introduction to the project and the exercise. The assessment exercise will consist of a classification exercise of photographs at different stages of degradation. This will be followed by a brief discussion on any issues arising from the exercise. Following the workshops and data analysis, a report on the results of the workshop will be circulated to all participants. Workshops will last approximately one hour and are taking place on the following dates:
Thursday 5th May 2011 - 4pm
Tuesday 10th May 2011 - 5pm
Friday 13th May 2011 - 1pm
Friday 13th May 2011 - 4pm
If none of these dates are appropriate, please contact Ann Fenech (a.fenech@ucl.ac.uk) as further workshops are planned for the future.

To book a place, please go to the Eventbrite website http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1438475519/efblike

Walk Knucklas Viaduct!!

The Heart of Wales Line Travellers' Association has organised with N/Rail a walk over Knucklas Viaduct in the Welsh Borders on Sunday 10th April (no trains on Sunday mornings!!). More bookings are needed to break even! The Castle Inn pub is opening early & a local community group is organising guided walks up the hill to site of Knucklas Castle. There is also a vintage bus thrown in! Details of how to book are on the media release - click here to download in pdf format.

Summer Walks Season Begins

With kind weather, the Summer Timetable of WRRC walks began today. A group of members and friends explored the Clydach Railroad from Brynmawr to Gilwern, and returned along the Llan-march Tramwroad to the Clydach Ironworks. Considering the losses incurred during the construction of the Heads of the Valleys Road in the 1960's, a remarkable amount survives. A full write-up of the walk will be available to members in the next Newsletter.

Notification of Forum and AGM

Also for the diary, the WRRC AGM and Forum will be held on Saturday 4 June at Rhiwderin Community Centre. The AGM is for members only, but the Forum is open to all and visitors are moast welcome to come and view the displays and stands. Full details for members will follow in the forthcoming AGM mailing. We hope to see you there!!

Dates for the Diary!

The new programme of walks for Summer 2011 has now been published in the newsletter. The programme starts next weekend (26 March) with a walk along the Clydach tramway led by Lee Holland. Full details in the newsletter, and for background reading, "Tramroads of the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal" by Gordon Rattenbury is to be recommended.

Saturday 4 September: More Cambrian Main Line – Oswestry to Ellesmere

Please note that the ‘More Cambrian Main Line – Oswestry to Ellesmere’ walk held on Saturday 24 July was a huge success but numbers were restricted. However Chris Parker has kindly agreed to repeat this walk on Saturday 4 September. The same programme and arrangements as previously notified in Newsletter 123. A most rewarding day in prospect! For details and booking, contact Brian Dotson - details in Newsletter

Updated Research Pages

As part of the ongoing upgrades to the website, new Research pages have been developed for the Rhymney Railway and Neath & Brecon Railway.

Last Passenger Train from Tredegar - 50th Anniversary

A day celebration of the departure of the last passengar train from Tredegar. With the support of Tredegar Town Council, this event is being held at Tredegar Library on Saturday 19 June 2010 from 10.00am. Speakers are Peter M Jones on "Early Tramroads" and Gerald Davies on "The Railway in Tredegar" and "A Journey to Newport".

Rhymney Railway Drawings

The Circle's latest publication, the first volume of Welsh Railways Records - Rhymney Railway Drawings has been published and will be avilable to members at the AGM.
Copies may also be purchased from the co-publisher and distributor, Black Dwarf Lightmoor. See publications page for details