INTERNET SENSATION VISITS THE RAILWAY

The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway was delighted to welcome viral internet sensation and rail enthusiast Francis Bourgeois and his friends Ryan and Kyle to Cynheidre on Tuesday 25^th January 2022. With over 2.2 million followers the social media personality is most well known for his videos posted on Instagram and TikTok on a wide variety of train related topics. He has also featured on television including the popular ITV magazine programme This Morning. Although studying Engineering at university he recently gave up his job to concentrate on trainspotting and online media full time.

Francis and his party arrived at the railway’s base at Cynheidre near Llanelli late morning and following a short safety brief were given a guided tour of the railway’s main stock shed and heritage centre. After walking through the shed the party were greeted by the sight of the LMMR’s complete fleet of operational rolling stock comprising the Sentinel 0-4-0 DM Shunter, Dutch 0-6-0 Shunter, class 142 and 143 Pacer sets all under power and crewed ready to greet Francis with a pre-arranged blast on the horn. This is something of a trade mark of his videos.

Following short cab rides in both shunters the party were treated to a Pacer driving experience over the full length of the running line using the class 142 and 143 in multiple. All three driving the train over the full line and experiencing the slightly different driving cabs of the two generations of Pacer train. After a Fish and Chip lunch the party enjoyed a driving experience aboard the Sentinel Shunter. The day drew to a close with a guided tour of the recently delivered class 483 tube train by the chairman of the London Transport Traction group, owners of the unit.

Both Francis and his party and the railway volunteers present expressed delight with what was a most enjoyable visit. Keep an eye on Francis’s TikTok page at www.tiktok.com/@francis.bourgeois and Instagram account at www.instagram.com/francis_bourgeois43 for videos featuring his adventures on the day.

The railway will re-open with a gala running day on Saturday 26^th March 2022 to kick start the new summer season with regular events then following through to October.

The railway is a charity run totally by volunteers. It is hoping to grow into a major tourist attraction for the Llanelli district and in order to reach our goals we need more volunteer help in all departments including operational, maintenance and restoration, and administration. If you could spare a few hours for what is a most enjoyable pastime and worthwhile cause do not hesitate to get in touch. For more information or to volunteer please visit our website at https://www.llanellirailway.co.uk or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/llanellirailway