Llangollen Railway

 

Address: Abbey Road, Llangollen, Denbighshire
Telephone: 01978 860979  Email: llangollen.railway@btinternet.com
Line length: 7½ miles  Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Llangollen to Carrog  Journey Time: 31 minutes
Service: Saturday & Sunday - February, March / Fridays - March / every day 26 March - 31 October / some days - Nivember / Saturday, Sunday - December / every day 18 December - 2 January
Tickets: Adult £10.00, Child £5.00, Family £22.00 (2 adults and 2 children) unlimited travel on day of issue
Parking: Llangollen car park LL20 8SN
Website: www.llangollen-railway.co.uk    YouTubevideo    location map

Llangollen Station: Refreshments, souvenirs, gifts

Carrog Station: Refreshments

 

There were a number of plans to build a railway to Llangollen but none succeeded until the Vale of Llangollen Railway Company gained permission in 1859. Track was laid from Ruabon to Llangollen and on 1 December 1861 it opened for freight traffic with a passenger service following six months later. The line from Ruabon to Barmouth was completed in 1869. From the late 1930s the railway was in decline and closure came on 1 April 1968.

 

The Flint & Deeside Railway Preservation Society was formed to find a disused line in North Wales suitable for a steam railway. After looking at a number of lines, the decision was made to go ahead with the railway at Llangollen with group being based there from 1975. Two compelling reasons for choosing Llangollen were the delightful scenery and the fact the town was already an established tourist centre.

 

The council had purchased the track and stations from British Rail after closure. They offered the preservation group a five year lease on three miles of track with the condition that they should lay at least one mile of track within that time.

 

The Llangollen Railway (LR) ran its first passenger carrying train on 26 July 1981 over a length of line a just over a ¼ mile to Fford Junction. A major push was made to the next station at Berwyn, this section was opened in December 1985. A further extension to Deeside Hault was officially approved on 2 March 1990. Glynyfrdwy was reached in 1992 and the track to the present terminus at Carrog was officially re-opened on 2 May 1996. In future the LR plans to lengthen the line to Corwen. A long term aim is an extension in the other direction to Ruabon and the mainline.

 

There are seven operational steam locomotives located at the LR No.5643 GWR 0-6-2T, No.5199 GWR 2-6-2T, No.6430 GWR 0-6-0PT, Hudswell Clarke 'Jennifer' 0-6-0T, No.4486 LMS 'Kenneth Aldcroft' 4-6-0, Hunslet 'Dartfield No.1' 0-6-0ST and No.80072 BR 2-6-4T. As an established railway, preference is given to engines that would have worked previously on the line in the steam era. Diesel locomotives and railcars are used in conjunction with steam.

 

Further photos of the Llangollen Railway can be found in the Photo Gallery 

 


Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway

  

Address: The Station, Llanfair Caereinion, Welshpool, Powys SY21 0SF
Telephone: 01938 810441  Email: info@wllr.org.uk
Line Length: 8½ miles  Gauge: 2ft 6 inches
Route: Llanfair Caereinion to Welshpool  Journey Time: 50 minutes
Service: April 1 - 11 / Saturday & Sunday - may, October / every day except some Fridays - June, July / every day - August
Tickets: Adult £11.80 one child free with an adult, Child £5.90
Parking: Welshpool Raven Square Station SY21 7LT and Llanfair Caereinion Station SY21 0SF free parking at both stations, no parking at intermediate stations
Website: www.wllr.org.uk    YouTubevideo    location map

Llanfair Caereinion Station: Refreshments, shop, picnic area


Work commenced on the Weshpool and Llanfair Railway (WLR) in 1901, the aim was to transport goods as well as passengers to the main line station at Welshpool. To keep cost low a narrow gauge of 2ft 6 inches was used. Funds for the line came from the public and local landowners but even so the company had to loan a large sum of money. The first passenger train ran on 4 April 1903.


 From the start the railway was not very busy, though the 1914 -18 War saw an increase in usage. Originally operated by Cambrian Railways it was taken over by Great Western Railway in 1923. There was a further decline in the number of passengers and in 1931 it was decided to carry goods only. World War II saw an increase in freight traffic but afterwards it deteriorated again A major disadvantage was the fact that goods had to be transfered from narrow gauge WLR line to the standard gauge main line railway, adding to transport costs. British Railways owned the railway after the War with the last train being run on 3 November 1956. 


When closure came there were already plans to preserve the line, by 1959 the negotiations with British Railways were at such an advanced stage that volunteers began clearing the track. The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Preservation Company was formed in 1960 with the lease for the line signed at the end of 1962.

 

On 6 April the first passenger train for over six years went from Llanfair to Castle Caereinion. Unfortunately the Welshpool Borough Council had decided to build a road and car park in the way of the original station at Welshpool. So the railway had to have its terminus at Raven Square which was reached on 18 July 1981.

 

In the beginning the WLR had two steam engines built by Beyer Peacock in 1902, No.1'The Earl' 0-6-0T and No.2 'The Countess' 0-6-0T, other operational engines are No.8 'Dougal' 0-4-0T, No.14 Hunslet 2-6-2T and No.19 'Resita' 0-8-0T. Carriages have come from Austria, Seirra Leone and Hungary.

 


Vale of Rheidol Railway

 

 

Address: Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 1PG
Telephone: 01970 625819  Email: vor@rheidolrailway.co.uk
Line Length: 11¾ miles  Gauge: 1ft 11¾ inches
Route: Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge  Journey Time: 1 hour
Service: Every day except most Fridays & Sundays - April, May, September, October / every day except Sunday - June / every day - July, August
Tickets: Adult £14.00, Child £3.50 return fare
Parking: Aberystwyth Station SY23 1PG
Website: www.rheidolrailway.co.uk    YouTubevideo     location map

 

Devil's Bridge Station: Refreshments, shop, picnic area


 The Vale of Rheidol Railway (VOR) was built mainly to transport iron ore to the coast at Aberyswyth. To keep costs under control a narrow gauge was chosen. Permission for the railway was granted in 1897, it finally opened on 22 December 1902 after some difficulty in raising the capital required.

 

Built to a 1ft 11¾ inch gauge the line went from  Devil's Bridge to Aberstwyth where it connected with the mainline. An extra length of track went to the harbour were freight was delivered to be transported on by sea. Goods carried included lead ore and wood which was used in South Wales coal fields for pit props.

 

From the beginning the VOR carried passengers, it managed to build a healthy traffic in tourists wishing to see the Devil's Bridge waterfalls. The Cambrian Railway originally ran the line, they were taken over in 1923 by Great Western Railway who stopped the goods service. In 1931 the winter passenger service ended, though trains continued in the summer. During World War II the VOR was closed but in 1948 it became the only narrow gauge railway to be nationalised.

 

British Railways ran the line up to 1989, it was the last narrow gauge steam railway in BR ownership. A charitable trust now runs the VOR. They have made considerable improvements to the railway which was neglected in the later BR days.

 

There are three steam locomotives on the line all are 2-6-2T No.7 'Owain Glyndwr', No.8 'Llwelyn' and No.9 'Prince of Wales' . They are powerful engines weighing 25 tons capable of pulling train up the steep gradients which are as high as 1:40.


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