Mid Wales Model Engineers

04/03/2026

A short video of Crow, the Shay loco running on the Newtown park miniature railway.
This was filmed a few years ago and the loco has now moved on to pastures new.
We have other videos on our new YouTube page .
More videos will be uploaded so keep an eye on the page.
Our fundraiser for the new boiler for Dolforwyn is still ongoing. Any donation will help.

02/03/2026

More playing last Saturday on the miniature railway in Newtown park.
Some weeding and moss removal was carried out but then playtime took over.
Here is Rosie being prepared for a run.

Opening dates will be announced shortly.

21/02/2026

Pleasant, dry and sunny in Newtown park this morning so after a bit of a tidy up and a sort out in the container, and some moss clearing on the track, we decided to have a play.
Steve got Lexi May out and much fun was had.
Meanwhile Ron was working on the drain c**k linkage for Draig Goch and also dealing with a loose regulator handle.
The new boiler for Dolforwyn has now been ordered and the deposit paid. We are still a long way from our fundraising target so any donation will be gratefully received. Help us to get the loco pulling passengers round the park track again.
https://gofund.me/831ecd204

15/02/2026

A dry but cold Saturday morning at the railway this week. Ron fitted the drain c**ks to Draig Goch. The second set of adapters fit perfectly. He then moved on to starting to mock up the operating linkages.
The rest of us spent most of our time gassing and studying the broken boiler that has returned from its stay in the midlands.
The afternoon was our AGM in Hafen Yr Afon. All the usual AGM type things discussed.
The most important thing is that the decision was made to order the new boiler for Dolforwyn. We still need to raise a little more to cover the deposit so please help us by donating to the cause.
The GoFundMe link is https://gofund.me/8f81cde6d

08/02/2026

Yesterday's maintenance session was mainly spent gassing and putting the world to rights. Normal behaviour for railway nuts.
Ron was the exception. Unlike us he did something productive. Work continued on the new drain c**ks for the dragon. Oddly the old c**ks were 26tpi. The new ones are 32tpi so adapters were made. Said adapters disappeared into the holes without touching the sides.
Much head scratching.
Turns out the holes in the cylinders are counterbored and the new adapters did not reach the thread. Back to the lathe.
Ron then measured up and planned the route for the linkage.
We will be back for more next Saturday.

The link for our ongoing boiler funding is https://gofund.me/8c705f150
We are making progress having reached £797 but still a long way to go. Any donation will help to get Dolforwyn (Jill) steaming again.

04/02/2026

We now have a thermometer sign at the miniature railway in Newtown park.
It will enable us to let folks know how our fundraising for Dolforwyn's new boiler is going.
It includes the QR code and web address for donations.
It would be great to see the red line moving steadily upwards.
We will be in the park on Saturday morning to continue with maintenance and would welcome anyone who wishes to pop along to say hello.
Rge web address for donations is https://gofund.me/0dbdbba8b

01/02/2026

We have now raised £752 of our £4500 target.
Our initial target is £1000 for the deposit on the boiler.
That is to be followed by 2 payments of £1000 each.
Then a final payment of £1200.
The extra we raise will cover fees and incidental expenses from fitting the new boiler.
Quite where GoFundMe pluck £4330 from I do not know.
Please help us raise the funds if you can.

Mid Wales Model Engineering Society promotes all forms of mod… Mid Wales Model Engineering Society Newtown Powys needs your support for Help get No.3 ‘Dolforwyn’ ("Jill") back on the tracks!

31/01/2026

Work at the Newtown miniature railway today.
Ron spent some time removing parts from Draig Goch to get it ready for replacing the drain c**ks. The new ones will be manual rather than steam operated.
Meanwhile outside it was a case of leaf blowing and moss removal from the sleepers on the track.
We will be back next Saturday for more maintenance.
Our GoFundMe fundraiser is making progress. All donations gratefully accepted. https://gofund.me/67b0366e0

24/01/2026

Today's maintenance session at the miniature railway in Newtown park was mainly planning what needs doing on Draig Goch. The tank and some pipework was removed and then the brainwork started.
Most important task of the day was to evict some unwanted squatters.
A family of mice had taken up residence in the battery box for our solar system which explains why the remote switching for our inverter had stopped working. Cute and furry though they were they had to go. Then ran off and hopefully will find somewhere else to nest.
Our next maintenance session will be next Saturday morning.

22/01/2026

A bit of progress this morning at the miniature railway in Newtown park.
The hydraulic lifting platform was returned to the container and Draig Goch was placed upon it ready for some winter maintenance and some modifications
We are planning to replace the steam operated drain c**ks with more reliable manual drain c**ks.
From now on our maintenance sessions will be on Saturday mornings. We will not be running yet but feel free to pop along to meet us and see what we do or just have a chat.
Our fundraiser for Dolforwyn's new boiler is still running and any donation will be welcomed to help towards the repairs to the loco.
The link is https://gofund.me/dc5febf70

18/01/2026

Time for an update on the fundraiser for the new boiler for Dolforwyn (nee jill).
Firstly a couple of pictures showing the loco as she sits forlorn and lonely in a shed. Yes those are blocks of wood where the boiler should be.
Thank you to those of you who have already donated. It is much appreciated.
The fundraiser is off to a good start but we have a long way to go to reach the target and afford a new boiler which will enable the loco to run again giving rides in Newtown park..
The link for donations is https://gofund.me/be90a2dcc
Every donation is valuable to us no matter how large or small.
We are a small society and sadly our finances do not run to allowing us to purchase the new boiler without significant help.
Please help us to keep this much enjoyed Newton attraction operating for the benfit of locals and visitors alike.

13/01/2026

Mid Wales Model Engineering Society promotes all forms of mod… Mid Wales Model Engineering Society Newtown Powys needs your support for Help get No.3 ‘Dolforwyn’ ("Jill") back on the tracks!