Christopher Ehlke-West
Organisation: Heritage Attractions
For decades stationmasters at the top of Snowdon would prepare passengers for descent with a blow of his whistle. That was before bosses at Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR) decided a new and improved method was needed and employed two innovative students from Bangor University to install a groundbreaking PA system at the peak’s new visitor centre, Hafod Eryri.
The announcement system ensures people are alerted when the train is about to depart, as opposed to its archaic predecessor.
Chris West took on a 10 week GO Wales placement over the summer to help with the project and by the end of the placement, the final product had been installed, training given to staff and the system tested.
Chris said:
“Being able to adapt your academic skills to an industrial environment is something all students should do during their studies, it was an amazing feeling to actually be able to deliver exactly what the client needed and I am very proud to have been part of this project.”
Doug Blair, SMR Senior Engineering Manager, said the new design has been welcomed by rail users and everyone at the centre.
“We’re delighted with our new announcement system and the way the School of Computer Science and GO Wales have worked with us to deliver this project.”
“Chris not only handled the programming part of the project well he was also able to explain the system to the users in a way that was easy for us to understand.”
“We have also used Chris’s skills to put into action some other ideas which help the smooth operation and running of Hafod Eryri.”
