Home»All my photos»2018 Railway Photos»Growling up to the Sugar Loaf 23 September 2018

The Sugar Loaf Mountaineer offered the prospect, when first advertised, of a midsummer marathon from Shrewsbury to Carmarthen and back over the Central Wales line, hauled by a Stanier Black Five. Tempting indeed, and I and many others were tempted.

How come, then, that I found myself, on a cold wet windy Autumn morning on Shrewsbury station, with the electronic boards announcing in turn the charter train to Bynea (I know, look it up!), the announcement “Regrettably today’s charter train will not be steam hauled” and the further news that the train had left Birmingham New Street 47 minutes late.

Eventually DRS No 37605 brought the handsome SRPS stock into the station and we boarded, noting quickly that the loco was not fitted with electric train heating. After it had run round we eventually left 59 minutes late. The growler gave us a lively climb in the 40s and 50s to Church Stretton, and rollicked down through Marshbrook at 76 before turning onto the Heart of Wales line at Craven Arms.

By this time the sun had come out and the fields and hills were in luscious green, lifting our mood. I did not record the speeds and gradients but we did enjoy the full growl up to the Sugar Loaf tunnel. The stations and passing loops provided railway interest and the countryside continued to impress. I passed on the offer of seeing then BBC’s Huw Edwards at Llandovery, and went right through to Bynea where the train terminated.

I caught the service train back to Shrewsbury and enjoyed the whole line again in daylight, ending with a sunset behind the Long Mynd as our 150 dmu rattled back down from Church Stretton to Shrewsbury.

I’ll stay out of the inquest into the schedule and the motive power, but would hope that one day, the chance may actually come again to ride the Heart of Wales with steam.