Now for something completely different: Met 1-gatex-73118 at barry

[Perseverance]

The 0-4-4 Metropolitan MET 1 Tank loco is coming to the Barry Tourist Railway this week and we plan to use it on our passenger scheduled services this coming weekend on Sunday (24th) and Monday (25th) between Barry Island and Woodham Halt. Vintage Diesel Railcar set, IRIS II will operate our services on Saturday (23rd). Trains depart Barry Island at 11.45, 13.30, 14.30 and 15.30hrs for a 45 minute round trip including a guided shed tour of our Barry Main depot.

More interestingly, for our BARRY AT WAR weekend on Sat/Sun 30/31st August, we plan to top and tail our GATEX set with Class 73 electro diesel 73118 and 0-4-4 steam loco MET 1 …….and using the air braking system to boot! The consist will operate a continuous shuttle service between the Waterfront station & car park and Barry Island helping visitors to get to Barry Island including the BARRY AT WAR EVENT and avoid the inevitable traffic queues to get on and off the island.

….and for aviation fans, there's more reasons to visit our BARRY AT WAR event …… for on the Saturday (30th) at 12.30hrs, we have booked the Red Arrows to display at Barry Island….and on the Sunday (31st) we have a 'fly past' by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Dakota (in D-Day colours) at 14.30hrs.

Our BARRY AT WAR event commemorates the centenary of the start of the First World War and the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

Come along and indulge yourself in this nostalgic event and pay your respects for those who sacrificed so much in war so that we in the UK can be be free people in a democracy…..and so can the rest of Europe.

For more information, see our website (www.barrytouristrailway.co.uk) and the Barry at War website (www.barryatwar.info/wartime-weekend).

John Buxton
Director
Barry Tourist Railway

 

[Perseverance]

An Update….

We will be running the GATEX Stock this Saturday with MET 1 and the Class 73 topping and tailing. There will be a continuous shuttle service from the Waterfront Station at Hood Road Barry to Barry Island Station departing every 15/20 minutes from 10.00hrs until 12.15hrs (this being the last train to get you to Barry Island in time to see the Red Arrows whose display starts 12.30hrs).

If you're planning to come to our event and to see the Red Arrows, we recommend that you come to the Waterfront site and park at the car park there or the overflow car park at the nearby Innovation Quarter and catch the shuttle train. The only road to the Island, Harbour Road is likely to be jammed. Park and ride on the train costs £5 for a car with up to 4 passengers and £10 for a car / MPV with 5- 10 passengers….not much more than the car parking charge at the car parks on the Island………..and this must be the cheapest steam haulage per person in the country to boot!

The next service after the Red Arrows display from Barry Island will depart at 13.05hrs and arrive at the Waterfront at 13.10hrs. The shuttle service will then recommence from the Waterfront to Barry Island at 13.15hrs with a 15/20 minute shuttle service to/from the Island which will operate until the last train - the 17.00hrs departure from Barry Island to the Waterfront.

We have decided to run MET 1 on its own on Sunday hauling IRIS II stock. We will again be running a regular service but at half hourly intervals as we have to allow for the run-round moves. This service will again commence at 10.00hrs and the last train will depart from Barry island at 16.30hrs for the Waterfront.

The Dakota fly past will now be at 14.40hrs and the plane will fly over both the Hood site and Barry Island Station. Again there will be a short break in the train service whilst the fly past takes place.

As for Saturday, the event is likely to be very busy so park at the Waterfront and ride the steam train. Park and 'ride fares are the same as for Saturday.

For more information, see our website (http://www.barrytouristrailway.co.uk) and the linked Barry at War website (http://www.barryatwar.info/wartime-weekend).

John Buxton
Director
Barry Tourist Railway