Last year seemed to end with a mad dash around the country, which of course dried up over Christmas with little prospect of a programme of events beginning until now. Thus, eager to snap up any opportunity of a trip early in the year, I booked myself onto a number of tours the moment they were announced. Today's excursion was one of them - and from it's inception it sounded like a fairly good prospect. Eschewing the early start down south, a respectable time off New Street, a trundle down into South Wales and up the elusive Gwaun-cae-Gurwen branch, then up the Heart of Wales line back to the Midlands - with a brief break at Llandrindod Wells for good measure. However, the snow and rain which began the year soon put paid to the GCG routing, with the track now in poor condition thanks to the weather. It also seems like the trip had proved popular with the normals, as Pathfinder kept the remainder of the timings with a much longer break at Llandrindod. Cancelling wasn't a smart financial move, so I found myself making an uncharacteristically late start from the usual digs in Birmingham this morning. Time enough for a relaxing coffee and some contemplation of the busy scenes in the station before getting some breakfast and heading down to the platform for our train, which arrived on time despite it's long journey up from Eastleigh.

Once on board, noted that there were only a handful of familiar faces, and plenty of rather troubled looking normal folk who seemed to find the chatter among the enthusiasts distasteful. Contrasted this with last weeks equally mixed trip which seemed a little more temperate by comparison. Contented myself with quaffing the free coffee and getting warm again after the chill of New Street's platforms. Once out of the tunnels and past a bottleneck at Kings Norton, we gathered pace via the Lickey Incline and pressed on towards Gloucester and then Newport via the Severn Estuary. The morning was alternating between threatening clouds and pleasant bright spells, and it was good to be skirting the river with 66031 at the front as we headed for South Wales.

After passing through both Newport and Cardiff on non-platform lines we again gathered speed along the South Wales mainline towards Port Talbot. At Court Sart Junction we turned for the Swansea District Line, skirting the city and taking a curve north to Dynevor Junction, now in glorious sunshine. With the GCG branch out of the plan, the one little section of new track for me was the few chains between Grovesend Colliery Loop Junction and Hendy Junction - in other words, the curve from the District Line onto the Heart of Wales. I'm actually certain it must have been in the plan for a previous tour - but since it wasn't inked it was worth considering as new! From here we began the slow stagger up the Heart of Wales, passing increasingly rugged scenery outside the window until we reached the summit at Sugar Loaf among mountains still capped with snow. From here it was a short descent to Llandrindod, which we reached under some fairly bleak skies and dark clouds.

Once off the train, I joined a small bunch of keen types who were walking along the road out of town in order to get a picture of the loco. Despite the bushes being aggressively flailed, there was no clear shot until the train drew forward into the siding north of the platform. Watched as the Fire Tender arrived to water the coaching stock, then walked to the level crossing and finally got a respectable view. Turned back towards town, and skirted the other side of the track, where opportunities for pictures were even more sparse. The next couple of hours in Llandrindod passed very slowly and coldly. It is, I confess, an attractive little town. However, most of it seemed closed today. The only cafes open seemed to be of the rather twee variety, and a decent coffee was out of the question. Circled the town, and found the entrance to the spa and Y Gwalia offices which occupy an impressive former hotel building. The history of tourism here was evident, and persisted in a stream of coaches which seemed to be arriving for a break on their scenic progress through the Elan Valley. Sought refuge in Somerfield, before heading back to the station where half of the train seemed to be waiting, having come to the same conclusion that Llandrindod on a March Saturday afternoon wasn't a great prospect. Noted that the Fish and Chip shop which had done a huge trade on my last visit was already closed. Waited for the train, cold and a bit confused by the purpose of the trip.

The train finally arrived in a complicated flurry of manoeuvres to satisfy the RETB signalling - first passing through the platform and going beyond the stop board, then pulling in again, before drawing up further to let the rest of the train board. It was all managed rather well, but it still angered an elderly chap who expressed his lack of understanding and unhappiness to Mr Paget in no uncertain terms! Once back on board, settled in for more free coffee and the rest of the line to Shrewsbury. Hung from the window a little here before the light finally failed, noting 97302 on the new depot at Sutton Bridge. Soon away into the gloom, around the curve at Abbey Foregate, and back to Birmingham via Bescot. A rather short day by my standards once again, but a pleasant enough trip which kept to time.

I don't want to sound ungrateful or elitist - but I'm still not sure what this trip was for. Over two hours in Llandrindod seemed to alienate more punters than it pleased, although they were happy enough on board the train, watching the scenery go by. The lack of a replacement for the GCG branch seemed to alienate the 'crank' element too. I enjoyed my day - it's a rare event for me to travel the Heart of Wales line, and interesting to see the changes over the past few years - but, it was an expensive way of doing the trip for sure. The year seems to be picking up now, and the dark days of December with it's desperate bookings is a distant enough memory. An outing with the Western beckons, and that's always an interesting experience!

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