WORK has started on a Bala Lake Railway steam locomotive which has been withdrawn for its 10 year overhaul.

The engine, Holy War, has to be stripped down for its 10 years boiler inspection and recertification, which will allow her to continue work for another decade. It is hoped the engine will return to service next Spring.

Holy War was supplied new to the Dinorwic Slate Quarry in 1902 and was the last steam locomotive to work in a British slate quarry finishing at Dinorwic in November 1967. She was sent for preservation to railway near Aylesbury. She eventually arrived at the Bala Lake Railway in 1975.

The railway reported a bumper September for passenger numbers up 13 per cent on September 2017.

It is anticipating a busy Autumn with bookings already up and for the half term week later this month and similarly Halloween special trains are already proving popular with the public. Similarly a great deal of interest has been expressed in the Santa Specials planned for the Christmas period.

Bala Lake Railway runs for nine miles along the southern shore of Bala Lake and is built on a section of the former standard gauge Ruabon Barmouth Great Western Railway route that closed in 1965.