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The Point as it was originally. There was a shelter but that was about it.
Each morning, the water tank and the generator van was bought up the line and parked in the siding.
On the other siding in the background is the canteen wagon selling ice creams, snacks and drinks.
During 1984, Rachel was the engine primarily used to bring up the canteen wagon.
Penrhyn Point is literally translated as Headland Point. It reminds me of a place in Colorado called Table Mesa which translates to Table Table in Spanish!
The original signal box colours were green.
Despite the relatively ugly village of Fairbourne, the Point oversees one of the most spectacular spots in the country. I hope I’m not offending any of the locals with that comment, but sorry folks, pebbledash isn’t my scene!
New colours for the signal cabin and a brand new water tower painted in black solignum and oasis-coloured wall paint. Pretty much everything was oasis and black.
The timber piles supporting the Barmouth Bridge in the background was infected by a type of marine woodworm which threatened its closure. Many of the piles were replaced and the bridge was re-opened for heavy traffic once again.
Porth Penrhyn: the restaurant under construction, with the old shelter still in-situ and the snack bar serving Breton pancakes.
I remember the endless painting. Black solignum (a coloured wood preservative) for the vertical timber strips, white for the valance and oasis for the concrete and masonry walls.
The restaurant was beautifully designed sporting fancy-looking windows which, no doubt, cost a great deal of money.
The restuarant completed
The temporary snack bar serving pancakes, tea and coffee in the early part of the 1986 season. Ex Reseau Guerledan, converted there from a box car. Replaced by restaurant.
Inside the restaurant. Annoyingly, one thing we forgot to exclude from the sale of the railway was the painting hanging on the wall done by Irene Fuller of Sherpa on the Réseau Guerlédan Railway in France. But oddly enough, we took the commercial microwave instead which is still in use at John’s current house.
Not sure what the restaurant looks like now, but we had a full menu. We also had the famous Ba Ba Roast which is basically Welsh lamb in a bap. It proved rather popular but it was not the easiest to prepare and to serve. We had very high standards for the restaurant; perhaps too high. Most of the punters simply wanted a cup of tea or an ice cream. We also hosted a variety of evening events hauled by night trains. These proved to be quite eventful. I remember I was the night driver for Number 24 on one of these occasions. There was something a little special about driving a steam loco in the dark.
A triple-header with Sherpa, Beddgelert and Russell!
Everybody rushing to get to the ferries!
Or maybe not!