22/02/2021
Statement of PQR 2021
It has been some years now since we left Felin Fawr. The question has recently come up several times in facebook groups why we left Felin Fawr. I don’t want to go into a finger pointing game, but just to relay some facts to the best of my knowledge. In that people may understand why we had to leave, and hopefully answer some of your questions.
The Railway preservation started at Felin Fawr in earnest in 2011 with the track bed clearing. The work was done by a local team of 4-5 lads including the site owning company director who started it all off.
As the Railway was nearing a pre-set date for opening with a steam locomotive in 2012, the supporting society decided that the railway would not be finished in time for their event.
The decision was taken to have a little opening event with local people and the team that had rebuilt the railway on the Tuesday 24th July 2012 with the loco George Sholto. It was kept small as being a Tuesday the industrial estate still had to work, so flooding it with lots of people was not a viable option.
The event was successful and a break was had as the company director attended to his farm.
Work was then restarted and focused on the buildings. We had a few small open days with a couple of visiting locos from Oswestry and that was that.
Sadly in early 2015 circumstances changed and a change of directors occurred.
A decision was made with a sponsor and one or two volunteers we had, to try and continue the railway as a more separate entity to the site owners.
I started an engineering company to rent out a part of the shed and have access to the railway. This was the way to keep the railway going. With kind support from sponsors, we held a big for us event, which brought back Ogwen and Marchlyn to the railway. It was a great event as a moral boost but not financially, with the costs mainly being covered by a sponsor and the engineering company.
Into 2016, with excitement building around the railway we decided to try and extend the railway and hold a couple of open days to try and bring in some money from the railway side, as we were still doing work on the railway mostly at the engineering company and sponsor’s expense.
We held an event in June called the evolution of quarry transport and organised the loan of two bogie coaches from the STR for long term. The event again was a great success in the joy it brought people but not financially, as we also had to cover the cost of training our volunteers (me included) as official drivers, guards etc….
Another blow came when the transport bill for the STR coaches had come back higher than previously expected, (over 3 times more) as extra work was required to pick up the coaches (crane).
This is about the time things went downhill. As there were also additional unexpected costs from the event, like moving skips so the lorry could get to the unloading ramp.
We carried on through 16 looking forward to Jubilee 1897 coming into our care with the possibility of restoring her to steam. Before this came we held a September event, in some hope for me that we could make a small profit to help pay our outstanding bills.
The event again was a success in what it delivered, but I don’t think it broke even. This event also didn’t help in the way of a lot of whistling from 4 steam locomotives did not go down well with a couple of neighbours.
Again the railway continued and the engineering company was struggling to keep up with obligations.
Jubilee came and the transport was paid for from the sponsor, and the engineering company took on staff (admittedly a very premature decision) This of course added to the financial strain of the railway and the engineering company, hoping that opening the railway more would help bring back some income.
At this point I was so weighed down by everything that had gone on (a lot more than what is written here) That as a collective we decided to call it a day, (late June early July).
The following weekend we then had a robbery, where tooling was taken along with documents and the CCTV recorder, along with a 5 inch steam locomotive that was in for some work for another individual.
It reinforced to us that there was no way to continue at the site, and we had to get out as quickly as possible to avoid further losses and other detrimental effects to our team.
Thanks to sponsors and individuals the rent was paid for the building for the whole time we were there. (although some months were admittedly late)
The cost in moving everything to anywhere we could put it was huge, again mostly covered by sponsors, but we had to use any money the railway had to ensure we could get most of it out.
So in all, my engineering company was left with debts. I have kept up to a payment plan and a work in lew plan after I closed the engineering company. The collection was sent back to its owners or dispersed to other railways and storage facilities, which we are very grateful for.
As for me it emptied any money that’s was made before or during the stay there and continues to restrict my finances. It has also left a lasting impact on me.
But after all of this we have to remember the good that came from it.
For the team that restored and volunteered on the project remade history and lived an experience that may not be seen again in our lifetime. (I hope that’s not the case).
It was also amazing the amount of work achieved by the small band of volunteers and sponsors, to bring this project to life.
It was a challenging experience and it is a shame it wasn’t a different outcome.
But lot of friendships were made and continued, as a result of this project.
For the people who visited, they saw Penrhyn locos and stock back working on the Penrhyn Quarry Railway, and got to live the experience of what it could have been like 60-70 years ago.
For the future
Penrhyn has had a massive impact on my life, for years it was all I thought about night and day, weekends and all. As I’ve said it’s taken years to get to a place where I dare to look back.
Looking at possibilities over the last few years its looking unlikely to acquire PQR track bed elsewhere.
I am still paying off Penrhyn debts.
The companies involved on our side of the PQR have now been dissolved, (engineering and operating company).
I know there will still be people who think that what I write is wrong, but I was there nearly every single day from 2015-July 2017 and most of the days between 2012 and that date, As I said at the beginning this is my brief side to what happened as more and more people are asking.
Pictures: Leslie, Meical and Ellis
