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Train a Vapeur du Lac de Rillé |
For This Years Special Events please click HERE
Entente Cordiale! At the Annual General Meeting on 17th March, WLLR members voted unanimously in favour of a proposed partnership with a railway in France. The partnership came into effect immediately, because our French colleagues had already approved the proposal at their Assemblée Générale on 19th October. Our partnershiop is with the Train a Vapeur du Lac de Rillé, operated by a group called the Association d'Exploitation du Chemin de fer du réseau de Marcilly (AECFM). Marcilly is north of Tours, in the Indre-et-Loire Department. The partnership has come about because AECFM has a longstanding English member who also happens to be familiar with the West Lancs Light Railway and realised that the two railways are ideal partners. Founded in 1977, the AECFM has about 130 members. They operate a short (2.5km) 600mm gauge line. Like the WLLR, they have an interesting collection of locos, most if not all owned by members, including several industrial diesels (a Billard, a Weitz, a Comessa Gmeinder, and four Decauvilles). They have two operational steame locos - a Henschel 0-8-0 and an O&K 0-4-0 – both ex-DFB and acquired from Poland. Two other steam locos are undergoing restoration – a Decauville 0-4-0 and a Romanian 0-8-0. They also have some interesting and historic rolling stock. The AECFM is based on two sites. The original site is still their headquarters, but the running line is elsewhere. In 1990 it was moved to a leisure complex - a kind of country park - next to an artificial lake, not very far from Marcilly. AECFM run steam trains on Sundays from the beginning of May to the end of September, and diesel-hauled trains on Wednesdays and Saturdays, mid-July - mid-August. They also offer 'drive an engine' sessions. The partnership does not commit either partner to anything, except to exchange news and to publicise each other's railway. More may be possible – we will see. Meanwhile, WLLR members who visit the Rillé railway can expect to be made very welcome, and of course we look forward to welcoming members of the AECFM (the Président, Jean David, has already been). More information is available on AECFM's excellent web site
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Photos: Neil McMurdy and Andy Lether |
Irish Mail at Carrog The West Lancashire Light Railway's 'flagship' locomotive Irish Mail was in action at the 'Steel, Steam and Stars' event on the Llangollen Railway, organised by the Bretton Grange Society, 18th-26th April. WLLR members laid a short 2' gauge temporary track at Carrog and were on hand to steam up and run the locomotive every day. Pete Waterman, 'pop mogul and railway buff', opened the event and was welcomed onto the footplate of Irish Mail.
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