FAMILIES flocked to Torfaen to spend the Bank Holiday weekend reminiscing back to the golden age of steam at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway.

While there was a noticeable absentee, Big Ted who was feeling under the weather despite the sun and hot temperatures, the operators of the volunteer-run heritage railway were pleased with the turnout.

“The weekend went well considering Big Pit is still closed,” said Alex Hinshelwood, one of the volunteers at the railway.

“We carried 399 passengers, despite the absence of Big Ted as he was feeling under the weather, all of our passenger enjoyed themselves.”

Earlier this year, the railway featured on the South Wales edition of the Hairy Bikers’ Pubs That Built Britain TV show, where Dave Myers drove the train and cooked the volunteers’ breakfast while on board.

Mr Hinshelwood added that the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway will be holding its annual gala weekend from Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26.

“We have two visiting engines and in total we will have five in steam over the gala,” he said.

“We will be running freight and passenger trains on an intensive timetable and the trains are set to arrive with us on Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21. One of the engines worked in Newport during the early sixties.”