Corris Railway
Encyclopedia
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved
railway based in Corris
on the border between Merionethshire
(now Gwynedd
) and Montgomeryshire
(now Powys
) in Mid-Wales.
The line opened in 1859, and originally ran from Machynlleth
north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni
. Branches served the slate quarries
at Corris Uchaf
, Aberllefenni
, the isolated quarries around Ratgoed
and quarries along the length of the Dulas Valley
.
The railway closed in 1948, but a preservation society was formed in 1966, initially opening a museum; a short section of line between Corris and Maespoeth
was re-opened to passengers in 2002. The railway now operates as a tourist attraction
. A new steam locomotive was built for the railway, which was delivered in 2005. The two surviving locomotives, plus some of the original rolling stock, are preserved on the nearby Talyllyn Railway
.
The gauge
of the railway is .
quarries in the district around Corris
, Corris Uchaf
and Aberllefenni
with wharves
on the estuary of the Afon Dyfi at Derwenlas
and Morben
, south-west of Machynlleth
, first appeared around 1850 with Arthur Causton as engineer. At this time slate from the quarries was hauled by horse-drawn carts and sledges to transport their output to the river. The proposed Corris, Machynlleth & River Dovey Railway would have run along Dulas Valley to the north shore of the Dyfi at Pant Eidal. This scheme was not constructed, and was followed by two further proposals during 1850. Following the plans for a standard gauge
railway along the Dyfi valley, these early proposals were shelved.
On 12 July 1858 the Corris Machynlleth & River Dovey Tramroad (CM&RDT) was formed, and immediately began construction on a gauge railway. The first train ran on 1 April 1859. Locomotives were forbidden from use, so the railway was worked using horses and gravity.
On 3 January 1863 the standard gauge Newtown and Machynlleth Railway opened, followed on 1 July of the same year by the line from Machynlleth to Borth
of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
. These two lines had become part of the Cambrian Railways
by August 1865. The opening of the standard gauge line to Borth made the section of the CM&RDT from Machynlleth to Morben obsolete. It was much easier to transship slates to the main line at Machynlleth, so the lower section of the tramway was abandoned.
With the arrival of the standard gauge, the CM&RDT saw the chance to greatly expand their operation. They applied, on 13 November 1863 to convert the tramroad to a railway, adopt steam locomotive
s and formally close the section between Machynlleth and Derwenlas. On 25 July 1864 an Act of Parliament was passed changing the name to the Corris Railway Company and permitting the use of locomotives on the line. It appears that around this time the line was under the control of Thomas Savin
, the contractor who built the standard gauge lines in the area.
It took until the 1870s for work to begin to upgrade the Corris Railway to a standard where locomotives could be used. The original tramroad was laid with light bridge rail suitable for waggons to traverse as they were pulled by horses. These rails would not support the weight of much heavier steam locomotives. In 1878 control of the railway passed to the Imperial Tramways Company
of London. The new owners saw the potential for passenger traffic on the Corris Railway and ordered the first passenger carriages for the railway, even though the Act of 1864 did not permit passengers to be carried. They also appointed Joseph R. Dix, son of the main-line stationmaster at Machynlleth, as Manager in successor to David Owen.
In 1880 and 1883, two new Acts were obtained which adjusted the tolls on the railway and permitted the carriage of passengers. The second of these Acts was necessary because the owners of the quarries served by the railway objected that passenger trains would interfere with their mineral traffic. Initially the railway ran a test passenger service on the local roads; this proved to be so popular that they were able to pass the parliamentary act over the opposition of the quarry owners. It was also the first instance of a long history of the Corris Railway operating passenger road services in the area.
In February 1879 three new steam locomotive
s purchased from the Hughes Locomotive Company
arrived and began work. Although the carriages arrived in 1878 it was not until 1883 that the Act of Parliament was secured to allow the formal commencement of passenger services. A semi-official passenger service had been running since the early 1870s using adapted waggons to convey quarry workers and visitors.
The line was now in its settled form and began to operate a full service under Dix's energetic management. The railway was widely promoted to visitors as the best route to Tal-y-llyn Lake
and Cader Idris (ignoring the claims of the rival Talyllyn Railway). The initial passenger service ran from Machynlleth to Corris, with new stations at Esgairgeiliog and Llwyngwern opening in 1884. The track was upgraded beyond Corris so that passenger services could reach the line's northern terminus at Aberllefenni, with services starting on 25 August 1887, and in the same year stations were also opened at Ffridd Gate and Garneddwen.
The railway developed a network of horse-hauled road services, including providing a link between Corris station and Abergynolwyn station
on the Talyllyn Railway
. This was promoted as part of a circular "Grand Tour
" which took in the two narrow gauge railways and the Cambrian service between Tywyn
and Machynlleth.
In 1892 control of Imperial Tramways moved to Bristol
and George White of Bristol Tramways
became chairman and Clifton Robinson
became managing director. In the 1900s Bristol motor buses were sent by the parent company to run the road services.
). The closure of Braichgoch Quarry
in 1906 brought the railway its first loss, and although the line continued on through subsequent decades, serving the quarries around Corris
and Aberllefenni
, it never again showed a profit. As well as slate and passengers, the line hauled timber extracted from the Dyfi forest in the 1910s through 1930s. There was also a constant traffic in coal
and general goods to the quarries and communities served by the railway.
After World War I
, the decline in slate traffic continued as cheaper foreign slate and alternative roofing materials
became popular. O'Sullivan had died in office in 1917 and the new manager, Daniel J McCourt, took over after the war and was responsible for developing and extending the connecting bus services as partial compensation for the decline in rail traffic.
(who by that time were the owners of the main line serving Machynlleth) whose primary interest was taking control of the railway's bus routes. After running a bus in direct competition with the railway in 1930, the railway's passenger service was withdrawn at the beginning of 1931. In 1948 the line was nationalised along with its parent company as part of British Rail
ways. Serious erosion to the railway formation caused by the Afon Dyfi led to closure later that year, the last train running on 20 August 1948. The track was lifted by the end of 1949.
The two remaining locomotives and several goods waggons were purchased in 1951 by the newly preserved Talyllyn Railway
which shares the unusual 2 in 3 in (685.8 mm) gauge. This stock is still in operation just over the mountain at Tywyn
.
.
Other than at Aberllefenni and Braichgoch quarries, no rails remained in situ along the Corris route. Initially the Society sought to purchase Machynlleth station for its museum, but when this proved impossible it turned its sights elsewhere. The main buildings of Corris station were demolished in 1968 leaving only the adjacent railway stable block standing, and these buildings - badly in need of maintenance - were acquired, along with a short section of trackbed leading southwards. In 1970 the first part of the building was opened as the Corris Railway Museum. A short length of "demonstration" track was laid in 1971.
During the 1970s the Society undertook lengthy negotiations with the relevant authorities to establish the requirements for re-opening the line for passengers, while steadily building up funds and equipment. A new Corris Railway Company, reviving the original name, was incorporated to act as the Society's trading and operating arm, while the Society achieved charitable status. The Museum was extended as more of the building was returned to satisfactory condition.
In 1981 the line's original locomotive shed at Maespoeth was acquired and became the railway's operational base. During the 1980s light track was laid between Maespoeth and Corris, a distance of just under a mile (1.6 km). The formal "first train" back to Corris ran in 1985. In the following years the track was upgraded to passenger standards while negotiations with the authorities continued.
In the summer of 2002 passenger services resumed after a break of seventy-two years, initially diesel-hauled. The society has also built a new steam locomotive, to a design based on the Kerr Stuart
No.4. This loco arrived on the railway on 17 May 2005 and runs as No.7 (the Corris Railway never officially named its locomotives). No.7 went into service on 20 August 2005, fifty-seven years to the day since the last train on the original railway, and now hauls the regular passenger service between Corris and Maespoeth.
The railway is also actively pursuing a southwards extension towards Machynlleth
, with the initial aim of extending the line to Tan-y-Coed, midway between Esgairgeiliog
and Llwyngwern
and some two and a half miles south of Corris. As always, this is involving lengthy negotiations with the authorities, not least due to the line south of Maespoeth running immediately adjacent to the A487 trunk road. While these are continuing the railway has consolidated its facilities at Maespoeth with the construction of a new two-road carriage shed in the adjacent field (the original carriage sheds at Corris and Machynlleth having been demolished).
During 2009 the railway marked the 150th anniversary of the first train on the Corris with a series of events, including demonstration horse-worked freight trains and gravity runs of rakes of waggons.
The revived Corris Railway has maintained friendly links with the Talyllyn Railway
, which resulted in both of the original Corris locos and rolling stock returning to the railway. In 1996 ex-Corris loco No. 4 returned to celebrate its 75th anniversary. In 2003 ex-Corris loco No. 3 returned on the occasion of its 125th anniversary with a heritage train of coach No 17, brake van No 6 and two trucks. Corris No. 5 visited the Talyllyn Railway in 1983 and 1990, and No. 7 in October 2011. It hauled a few charter trains and played a vital part in the TR's Corris Weekend, when it ran with the two surviving ex Corris engines; No 4 Edward Thomas and No 3 Sir Haydn.
None of these branches were locomotive worked, instead being powered by gravity and horses.
Other temporary branches were built to aid forestry works.
The railway also served Y Magnus (Matthew's Mill), a slate enamelling works situated between Aberllefenni and Garneddwen.
The original railway had ten four-wheel, tramcar-like carriages, built at the Falcon Works, Loughborough
, and numbered from 1 to 10, with a brake van from the same source taking the number 11. The first bogie carriage, which looked like two four-wheel bodies mounted on a single chassis, received number 12, and the four-wheelers were rebuilt over a five-year period on new chassis to form five bogie vehicles. A re-numbering had the rebuilds as 1 to 5 and the former 12 becoming 6. Two all-new carriages to a similar design were built by Metropolitan and numbered 7 & 8. Nos. 1 to 6 disappeared, presumed scrapped, after 1930, but 8 was rebuilt for use on the Talyllyn Railway
as their No.17 while 7 is on display in the Corris Railway Museum. The brake van was also preserved on the Talyllyn but has been substantially rebuilt after being damaged in a fire.
So with eleven four-wheel vehicles and eight bogie vehicles having run on the railway, the Society has numbered its new carriages from 20 onwards.
Carriage 20 is similar in appearance to the bogie vehicles, but on a shorter, ex-National Coal Board
four-wheel chassis. Carriage 21 and the partially built carriage 22 have been designed to appear as similar as possible to the original 19th Century bogie vehicles, but constructed to 21st Century safety standards. There are two more carriages planned which will be numbered 23 and 24.
When carriage 22 is completed the railway will be able to run an authentic-looking "1920s" train with the "Tattoo" loco and two bogie carriages.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
railway based in Corris
Corris
Corris is a village in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround...
on the border between Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
(now Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
) and Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
(now Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
) in Mid-Wales.
The line opened in 1859, and originally ran from Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
. Branches served the slate quarries
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
at Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf , locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name is believed to be derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.The...
, Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni Slate Quarry
Aberllefenni Slate Quarry is the collective name of three slate quarries, Foel Grochan , Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu, located in Aberllefenni, Gwynedd, North Wales. It was the longest continually operated slate mine in the world until its closure in 2003...
, the isolated quarries around Ratgoed
Ratgoed
Ratgoed Quarry was the northernmost of the slate quarries served by the Corris Railway. It is located one mile north of Aberllefenni in Gwynedd, north Wales, at the head of the isolated Cwm Ceiswyn.-History:...
and quarries along the length of the Dulas Valley
Afon Dulas
The Afon Dulas is a river forming the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Powys in Wales.Prior to local government reorganisation it formed the boundary between Sir Meirionnydd/Merionethshire and Sir Drefaldwyn/Montgomeryshire.-Route:It rises from a source in the hills above Aberllefenni...
.
The railway closed in 1948, but a preservation society was formed in 1966, initially opening a museum; a short section of line between Corris and Maespoeth
Maespoeth Junction
Maespoeth Junction lies to the south of Corris in Gwynedd and was where the horse-hauled tramway from the slate quarries around Corris Uchaf met the main line of the Corris Railway coming from Aberllefenni...
was re-opened to passengers in 2002. The railway now operates as a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
. A new steam locomotive was built for the railway, which was delivered in 2005. The two surviving locomotives, plus some of the original rolling stock, are preserved on the nearby Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
.
The gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
of the railway is .
Tramroad era: 1850 to 1878
Proposals to construct a line to connect the slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarries in the district around Corris
Corris
Corris is a village in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround...
, Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf , locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name is believed to be derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.The...
and Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
with wharves
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
on the estuary of the Afon Dyfi at Derwenlas
Derwenlas
Derwenlas is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales.Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once a port serving the market town of Machynlleth....
and Morben
Morben
Morben is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales. Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once the home of a number of riverside quays, including Cei Ward and Y Bwtri. The site of Cei Ward lies alongside the A487 opposite Plas Llugwy, where the...
, south-west of Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
, first appeared around 1850 with Arthur Causton as engineer. At this time slate from the quarries was hauled by horse-drawn carts and sledges to transport their output to the river. The proposed Corris, Machynlleth & River Dovey Railway would have run along Dulas Valley to the north shore of the Dyfi at Pant Eidal. This scheme was not constructed, and was followed by two further proposals during 1850. Following the plans for a standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railway along the Dyfi valley, these early proposals were shelved.
On 12 July 1858 the Corris Machynlleth & River Dovey Tramroad (CM&RDT) was formed, and immediately began construction on a gauge railway. The first train ran on 1 April 1859. Locomotives were forbidden from use, so the railway was worked using horses and gravity.
On 3 January 1863 the standard gauge Newtown and Machynlleth Railway opened, followed on 1 July of the same year by the line from Machynlleth to Borth
Borth
Borth ) is a coastal village 7 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion, Mid Wales. The population was 1,523 in 2001.-Features and history:Borth has a sandy beach and is a popular holiday seaside resort...
of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1863 connecting major towns on the Welsh coast.- History :...
. These two lines had become part of the Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
by August 1865. The opening of the standard gauge line to Borth made the section of the CM&RDT from Machynlleth to Morben obsolete. It was much easier to transship slates to the main line at Machynlleth, so the lower section of the tramway was abandoned.
With the arrival of the standard gauge, the CM&RDT saw the chance to greatly expand their operation. They applied, on 13 November 1863 to convert the tramroad to a railway, adopt steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s and formally close the section between Machynlleth and Derwenlas. On 25 July 1864 an Act of Parliament was passed changing the name to the Corris Railway Company and permitting the use of locomotives on the line. It appears that around this time the line was under the control of Thomas Savin
Thomas Savin
Thomas Savin was a British railway engineer who was the contractor who built many railways in Wales and the Welsh borders from 1857 to 1866. He also in some cases was an investor in such schemes.- Railway contractor :...
, the contractor who built the standard gauge lines in the area.
It took until the 1870s for work to begin to upgrade the Corris Railway to a standard where locomotives could be used. The original tramroad was laid with light bridge rail suitable for waggons to traverse as they were pulled by horses. These rails would not support the weight of much heavier steam locomotives. In 1878 control of the railway passed to the Imperial Tramways Company
Imperial Tramways Company
The Imperial Tramways Company Ltd was created to bring under common management a number of street tramways. Originally based in London, its headquarters moved to Bristol in 1892 and from then on it shared its senior management with Bristol Tramways under the chairmanship of George...
of London. The new owners saw the potential for passenger traffic on the Corris Railway and ordered the first passenger carriages for the railway, even though the Act of 1864 did not permit passengers to be carried. They also appointed Joseph R. Dix, son of the main-line stationmaster at Machynlleth, as Manager in successor to David Owen.
The Dix Years: 1879 to 1906
In February 1879 three new steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s purchased from the Hughes Locomotive Company
Brush
A brush is a tool with bristles, wire or other filaments, used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools known to mankind, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties...
arrived and began work. Although the carriages arrived in 1878 it was not until 1883 that the Act of Parliament was secured to allow the formal commencement of passenger services. A semi-official passenger service had been running since the early 1870s using adapted waggons to convey quarry workers and visitors.
The line was now in its settled form and began to operate a full service under Dix's energetic management. The railway was widely promoted to visitors as the best route to Tal-y-llyn Lake
Tal-y-llyn Lake
Tal-y-llyn Lake, also known as Talyllyn Lake or Llyn Mwyngil, is a large glacial ribbon lake formed by a post-glacial massive landslip damming up the lake within the glaciated valley...
and Cader Idris (ignoring the claims of the rival Talyllyn Railway). The initial passenger service ran from Machynlleth to Corris, with new stations at Esgairgeiliog and Llwyngwern opening in 1884. The track was upgraded beyond Corris so that passenger services could reach the line's northern terminus at Aberllefenni, with services starting on 25 August 1887, and in the same year stations were also opened at Ffridd Gate and Garneddwen.
The railway developed a network of horse-hauled road services, including providing a link between Corris station and Abergynolwyn station
Abergynolwyn railway station
Abergynolwyn railway station is a station on the Talyllyn Railway at Abergynolwyn near Tywyn, Gwynedd in mid-Wales. It is 6 miles, 44 chains from ....
on the Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
. This was promoted as part of a circular "Grand Tour
Corris Railway Grand Tour
The Corris Railway's Grand Tour was a tourist service that ran between 1886 and 1930. It involved a journey on the Corris Railway, a charabanc connection to the Talyllyn Railway and a return via the Cambrian Railways line between Tywyn and Machynlleth....
" which took in the two narrow gauge railways and the Cambrian service between Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
and Machynlleth.
In 1892 control of Imperial Tramways moved to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and George White of Bristol Tramways
Bristol Omnibus Company
The Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
became chairman and Clifton Robinson
Clifton Robinson
Sir Clifton Robinson was known as the "Tramway King", having involvement in the building and operating of street tramways in New York, London, Liverpool, Dublin, Cork, Bristol, Edinburgh and Los Angeles...
became managing director. In the 1900s Bristol motor buses were sent by the parent company to run the road services.
Decline: 1907 to 1930
Following a dispute with the directors Dix was dismissed and replaced by John J O'Sullivan (formerly of the Cork, Blackrock and Passage RailwayCork, Blackrock and Passage Railway
The Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. It was originally opened in 1850 as a broad gauge railway between Cork and Passage West, but was converted to 3' gauge in 1902. An extension southwards from Passage West to Crosshaven opened in 1904...
). The closure of Braichgoch Quarry
Braichgoch Slate Mine
Braichgoch Slate Mine was a large slate mine located in Corris Uchaf, north Wales. It was worked continuously from 1787 until closure in 1970, apart from a hiatus in the 1900s...
in 1906 brought the railway its first loss, and although the line continued on through subsequent decades, serving the quarries around Corris
Corris
Corris is a village in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround...
and Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
, it never again showed a profit. As well as slate and passengers, the line hauled timber extracted from the Dyfi forest in the 1910s through 1930s. There was also a constant traffic in coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and general goods to the quarries and communities served by the railway.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the decline in slate traffic continued as cheaper foreign slate and alternative roofing materials
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
became popular. O'Sullivan had died in office in 1917 and the new manager, Daniel J McCourt, took over after the war and was responsible for developing and extending the connecting bus services as partial compensation for the decline in rail traffic.
Takeover and nationalisation: 1931 to 1948
In 1930 Imperial Tramways sold the Corris to the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(who by that time were the owners of the main line serving Machynlleth) whose primary interest was taking control of the railway's bus routes. After running a bus in direct competition with the railway in 1930, the railway's passenger service was withdrawn at the beginning of 1931. In 1948 the line was nationalised along with its parent company as part of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways. Serious erosion to the railway formation caused by the Afon Dyfi led to closure later that year, the last train running on 20 August 1948. The track was lifted by the end of 1949.
The two remaining locomotives and several goods waggons were purchased in 1951 by the newly preserved Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
which shares the unusual 2 in 3 in (685.8 mm) gauge. This stock is still in operation just over the mountain at Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
.
Preservation
In December 1966 a group of dedicated enthusiasts led by Alan Meaden, formed the Corris Railway Society with the aim of preserving what was left of the railway, opening a dedicated museum, and to explore the possibility of reviving some or all of the line. Many of the founding members of the Society were volunteers on the nearby Talyllyn RailwayTalyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
.
Other than at Aberllefenni and Braichgoch quarries, no rails remained in situ along the Corris route. Initially the Society sought to purchase Machynlleth station for its museum, but when this proved impossible it turned its sights elsewhere. The main buildings of Corris station were demolished in 1968 leaving only the adjacent railway stable block standing, and these buildings - badly in need of maintenance - were acquired, along with a short section of trackbed leading southwards. In 1970 the first part of the building was opened as the Corris Railway Museum. A short length of "demonstration" track was laid in 1971.
During the 1970s the Society undertook lengthy negotiations with the relevant authorities to establish the requirements for re-opening the line for passengers, while steadily building up funds and equipment. A new Corris Railway Company, reviving the original name, was incorporated to act as the Society's trading and operating arm, while the Society achieved charitable status. The Museum was extended as more of the building was returned to satisfactory condition.
In 1981 the line's original locomotive shed at Maespoeth was acquired and became the railway's operational base. During the 1980s light track was laid between Maespoeth and Corris, a distance of just under a mile (1.6 km). The formal "first train" back to Corris ran in 1985. In the following years the track was upgraded to passenger standards while negotiations with the authorities continued.
In the summer of 2002 passenger services resumed after a break of seventy-two years, initially diesel-hauled. The society has also built a new steam locomotive, to a design based on the Kerr Stuart
Kerr Stuart
Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner...
No.4. This loco arrived on the railway on 17 May 2005 and runs as No.7 (the Corris Railway never officially named its locomotives). No.7 went into service on 20 August 2005, fifty-seven years to the day since the last train on the original railway, and now hauls the regular passenger service between Corris and Maespoeth.
The railway is also actively pursuing a southwards extension towards Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
, with the initial aim of extending the line to Tan-y-Coed, midway between Esgairgeiliog
Esgairgeiliog
Esgairgeiliog is a village in the valley of the Afon Dulas in Powys, Wales. From 1536 until 1974 the village lay in the historic county of Montgomeryshire ....
and Llwyngwern
Llwyngwern
Llwyngwern was a station on the Corris Railway in Wales, built to serve the hamlet of Pantperthog and the residents of Plas Llwyngwern, where a daughter of the 5th Marquess of Londonderry lived with her husband. Although the Plas was in Montgomeryshire, the station was across the Afon Dulas in...
and some two and a half miles south of Corris. As always, this is involving lengthy negotiations with the authorities, not least due to the line south of Maespoeth running immediately adjacent to the A487 trunk road. While these are continuing the railway has consolidated its facilities at Maespoeth with the construction of a new two-road carriage shed in the adjacent field (the original carriage sheds at Corris and Machynlleth having been demolished).
During 2009 the railway marked the 150th anniversary of the first train on the Corris with a series of events, including demonstration horse-worked freight trains and gravity runs of rakes of waggons.
The revived Corris Railway has maintained friendly links with the Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
, which resulted in both of the original Corris locos and rolling stock returning to the railway. In 1996 ex-Corris loco No. 4 returned to celebrate its 75th anniversary. In 2003 ex-Corris loco No. 3 returned on the occasion of its 125th anniversary with a heritage train of coach No 17, brake van No 6 and two trucks. Corris No. 5 visited the Talyllyn Railway in 1983 and 1990, and No. 7 in October 2011. It hauled a few charter trains and played a vital part in the TR's Corris Weekend, when it ran with the two surviving ex Corris engines; No 4 Edward Thomas and No 3 Sir Haydn.
About the railway
The Corris Railway had several unusual features:- The gauge is rare, shared by only three other public lines in the UK: the nearby Talyllyn RailwayTalyllyn RailwayThe Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
and Plynlimon and Hafan TramwayPlynlimon and Hafan TramwayThe Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway was a gauge narrow gauge railway in Cardiganshire in Mid Wales. It ran from Llanfihangel station on the Cambrian Railways via the village of Talybont and the valley of the Afon Leri into the foothills of Plynlimon Fawr...
and the Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light RailwayCampbeltown and Machrihanish Light RailwayThe Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Kintyre, Scotland, between the towns of Campbeltown and Machrihanish...
in Scotland.
- Its origins as a horse tramroad and ascent through the narrow and winding Dulas valley meant it had exceptionally tight curves. Its original passenger carriages were simple 4-wheelers derived from urban horse-drawn tramway designs with end balconies; they rode poorly and were quickly rebuilt into longer bogie carriages by placing two of the original bodies end-to-end on a longer underframe.
- The stations were exceptionally narrow, again because of the geography of the line, and all were on the east side of the rails, so the carriages and locomotives had doors on that side only, as on the neighbouring Talyllyn RailwayTalyllyn RailwayThe Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
.
- The vertical trestle waggons for carrying large slabs of slate from the quarries were also rarely found on other railways, notable exceptions being the Ffestiniog RailwayFfestiniog RailwayThe Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
and the nearby Hendre-Ddu TramwayHendre-Ddu TramwayThe Hendre-Ddu Tramway was an industrial narrow gauge railway built in 1867 to connect the Hendre-Ddu Slate quarry to Aberangell station on the Mawddwy Railway...
.
- Corris Station and the original Machynlleth Station had overall roofs, features which were rare on a British narrow gauge railway
Stations and halts
- Cei (or Quay) Ward a wharf on the Afon Dyfi at MorbenMorbenMorben is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales. Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once the home of a number of riverside quays, including Cei Ward and Y Bwtri. The site of Cei Ward lies alongside the A487 opposite Plas Llugwy, where the...
, the main trans-shipment point for the original tramroad. Closed in the 1860s. - Cei Tafarn Isa and Cei Ellis, wharves on the Afon Dyfi at DerwenlasDerwenlasDerwenlas is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales.Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once a port serving the market town of Machynlleth....
where slates were off-loaded onto shipping. Closed in the 1860s when the bend of the river was cut off by the construction of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast RailwayAberystwyth and Welsh Coast RailwayThe Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1863 connecting major towns on the Welsh coast.- History :...
. - MachynllethMachynllethMachynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
the main slate transshipment point and interchange station with the Cambrian RailwaysCambrian RailwaysCambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
(later GWR and BR) - Ffridd GateFfridd GateFfridd Gate was a station on the Corris Railway in Wales, serving the hamlet of the same name close to where the Afon Dulas meets the Afon Dyfi and the village of Llanwrin. Close by was the railway's bridge over the Dyfi, originally a wooden trestle construction and later a three-span steel bridge...
for LlanwrinLlanwrinLlanwrin is a small village in the valley of the Afon Dyfi in Powys about two miles north-east of Machynlleth.-History and background:Historically, it was in the county of Montgomeryshire .... - Doldderwen Crossing
- Lliwdy
- LlwyngwernLlwyngwernLlwyngwern was a station on the Corris Railway in Wales, built to serve the hamlet of Pantperthog and the residents of Plas Llwyngwern, where a daughter of the 5th Marquess of Londonderry lived with her husband. Although the Plas was in Montgomeryshire, the station was across the Afon Dulas in...
for PantperthogPantperthogPantperthog is a hamlet in southern Gwynedd in Wales, 2 miles north of Machynlleth and 14 miles southeast of Dolgellau. Nearby is the former Llwyngwern quarry, which is now the Centre for Alternative Technology... - EsgairgeiliogEsgairgeiliogEsgairgeiliog is a village in the valley of the Afon Dulas in Powys, Wales. From 1536 until 1974 the village lay in the historic county of Montgomeryshire ....
for Ceinws - Maespoeth JunctionMaespoeth JunctionMaespoeth Junction lies to the south of Corris in Gwynedd and was where the horse-hauled tramway from the slate quarries around Corris Uchaf met the main line of the Corris Railway coming from Aberllefenni...
locomotive and carriage shed, no passenger station - CorrisCorrisCorris is a village in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround...
- GarneddwenGarneddwenGarneddwen is a hamlet in the south of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas in the Meirionnydd area.It consists primarily of a single row of terraced houses, built for the workers at Aberllefenni Slate Quarry....
- AberllefenniAberllefenniAberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
Branch lines and tramways
The Corris Railway had numerous branch lines, mainly built to serve the slate quarries along its route. The principal branches were:- Llwyngwern quarry tramway, at LlwyngwernLlwyngwernLlwyngwern was a station on the Corris Railway in Wales, built to serve the hamlet of Pantperthog and the residents of Plas Llwyngwern, where a daughter of the 5th Marquess of Londonderry lived with her husband. Although the Plas was in Montgomeryshire, the station was across the Afon Dulas in...
- Era Slate quarry tramway at EsgairgeiliogEsgairgeiliogEsgairgeiliog is a village in the valley of the Afon Dulas in Powys, Wales. From 1536 until 1974 the village lay in the historic county of Montgomeryshire ....
- the Upper Corris Tramway from Maespoeth JunctionMaespoeth JunctionMaespoeth Junction lies to the south of Corris in Gwynedd and was where the horse-hauled tramway from the slate quarries around Corris Uchaf met the main line of the Corris Railway coming from Aberllefenni...
to quarries surrounding Corris UchafCorris UchafCorris Uchaf , locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name is believed to be derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.The... - Matthew's Mill Siding near AberllefenniAberllefenniAberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
serving Y Magnus slate enamelling works - Aberllefenni Quarry tramway serving the slate mills and quarry adits
- the Ratgoed Tramway north of AberllefenniAberllefenniAberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
serving Cymerau Quarry and Ratgoed Quarry
None of these branches were locomotive worked, instead being powered by gravity and horses.
Other temporary branches were built to aid forestry works.
Quarries served
The principal reason for the existence of the Corris Railway was to serve the slate quarries of this district. Although usually referred to as quarries, those on the Narrow Vein were usually underground mine workings, following the course of the vein, while those on the Broad Vein were more usually opencast quarries. This list shows the main quarries that the railway served:- LlwyngwernLlwyngwernLlwyngwern was a station on the Corris Railway in Wales, built to serve the hamlet of Pantperthog and the residents of Plas Llwyngwern, where a daughter of the 5th Marquess of Londonderry lived with her husband. Although the Plas was in Montgomeryshire, the station was across the Afon Dulas in...
quarry - connected by its own tramway - Era Quarry and Slab Works at EsgairgeiliogEsgairgeiliogEsgairgeiliog is a village in the valley of the Afon Dulas in Powys, Wales. From 1536 until 1974 the village lay in the historic county of Montgomeryshire ....
- connected by its own tramway - Abercorris quarryAbercorris quarryThe Abercorris quarry was a slate quarry worked between the 1860s and the early 1950s. It was located at Corris Uchaf about 5 miles north of Machynlleth, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales...
- connected to the Upper Corris tramway - Gaewern quarry - connected to the Upper Corris tramway, subsequently worked together with Braichgoch.
- Braichgoch QuarryBraichgoch Slate MineBraichgoch Slate Mine was a large slate mine located in Corris Uchaf, north Wales. It was worked continuously from 1787 until closure in 1970, apart from a hiatus in the 1900s...
- connected to the Upper Corris tramway - Abercwmmeiddaw quarry - connected to the Upper Corris tramway and the main Broad Vein quarry in the Corris area.
- Aberllefenni Slate QuarryAberllefenni Slate QuarryAberllefenni Slate Quarry is the collective name of three slate quarries, Foel Grochan , Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu, located in Aberllefenni, Gwynedd, North Wales. It was the longest continually operated slate mine in the world until its closure in 2003...
- connected via internal tramway at AberllefenniAberllefenniAberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted... - Cymerau quarry - connected to the Ratgoed tramway
- Ratgoed Quarry - connected to the Ratgoed tramway
The railway also served Y Magnus (Matthew's Mill), a slate enamelling works situated between Aberllefenni and Garneddwen.
Original railway
The locomotives that ran on the original Corris Railway between 1878 and 1948 (none carried names on the Corris) :| Number | Image | Builder | Type | Works Number | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hughes Falcon Works | 324 | 1878 | Originally built as an , scrapped 1930 | ||
| 2 | Hughes Falcon Works | 322 | 1878 | Originally built as an , scrapped 1930 | ||
| 3 Sir Haydn (locomotive) Sir Haydn is a narrow gauge steam locomotive, built by Hughes' Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works Ltd of the Falcon Works, Loughborough in 1878. It operated on the Corris Railway in Wales, until closure in 1948, and since 1951 has operated on the nearby Talyllyn Railway... |
 |
Hughes Falcon Works | 323 | 1878 | Originally built as an , now running on the Talyllyn Railway Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain... . |
|
| 4 Edward Thomas (locomotive) Edward Thomas is a narrow gauge steam locomotive. Built by Kerr Stuart & Co. Ltd. at the California Works, Stoke-on-Trent in 1921, it was delivered new to the Corris Railway where it ran until 1948. After that railway closed, the locomotive was brought to the Talyllyn Railway in 1951, then... |
 |
Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
4047 | 1921 | Tattoo class locomotive, now running on the Talyllyn Railway Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain... . |
Preserved railway
Locomotives brought to the restored Corris Railway since 1967:| Number | Image | Name | Builder | Type | Works Number | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |  |
Alan Meaden | Motor Rail Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, based in Bedford. Formed in 1911 as The Motor Rail & Tramcar Co Ltd, they built petrol and diesel engined locomotives, mainly narrow gauge. During World War I over 900 locos were supplied for use on temporary military supply railways... Simplex |
4wDM | 22258 | 1965 | Ex-Staveley Lime Products, Hindlow, Derbys. Formerly 2 ft (610 mm) gauge. Named in honour of the Society's founder. |
| 6 | Ruston and Hornsby Ruston (engine builder) Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam... |
4wDH | 518493 | 1966 | Ex-BICC British Insulated Callender's Cables British Insulated Callender's Cables was a 20th century British cable manufacturer and construction company, now renamed after former subsidiary Balfour Beatty.-History:... Prescot, Merseyside. Formerly 2 in 6 in (762 mm) gauge. |
||
| 7 | Winson Engineering Winson Engineering Winson Engineering was a British manufacturer of narrow gauge and miniature railway steam locomotives and rolling stock during the 1990s. It built several new locomotives for heritage railways as well as undertaking major rebuilds of existing locomotives.... and Drayton Designs |
17 | 2005 | Built for the railway, based on the Kerr Stuart "Tattoo" class design of No. 4 | |||
| 8 | Hunslet Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for... |
4wDM | 7274 | 1973 | Ex-Houghton Main Colliery, Barnsley. On long term loan from the National Coal Mining Museum | ||
| 9 | Aberllefenni | Clayton Clayton Equipment Company Clayton Equipment Company Ltd, now known simply as Clayton Equipment Ltd or CEC and CEL, is a locomotive construction company that specialises in locomotives for underground mining operations.-Inception:... |
4wBE | B0457 | 1974 | Ex-Aberllefenni Slate Quarry Aberllefenni Slate Quarry Aberllefenni Slate Quarry is the collective name of three slate quarries, Foel Grochan , Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu, located in Aberllefenni, Gwynedd, North Wales. It was the longest continually operated slate mine in the world until its closure in 2003... . Donated and named by Wincilate Ltd |
|
| 10 | Corris Railway | Under construction | Based on the first three locomotives which first ran the line. |
Carriages
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, and numbered from 1 to 10, with a brake van from the same source taking the number 11. The first bogie carriage, which looked like two four-wheel bodies mounted on a single chassis, received number 12, and the four-wheelers were rebuilt over a five-year period on new chassis to form five bogie vehicles. A re-numbering had the rebuilds as 1 to 5 and the former 12 becoming 6. Two all-new carriages to a similar design were built by Metropolitan and numbered 7 & 8. Nos. 1 to 6 disappeared, presumed scrapped, after 1930, but 8 was rebuilt for use on the Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
as their No.17 while 7 is on display in the Corris Railway Museum. The brake van was also preserved on the Talyllyn but has been substantially rebuilt after being damaged in a fire.
So with eleven four-wheel vehicles and eight bogie vehicles having run on the railway, the Society has numbered its new carriages from 20 onwards.
Carriage 20 is similar in appearance to the bogie vehicles, but on a shorter, ex-National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
four-wheel chassis. Carriage 21 and the partially built carriage 22 have been designed to appear as similar as possible to the original 19th Century bogie vehicles, but constructed to 21st Century safety standards. There are two more carriages planned which will be numbered 23 and 24.
When carriage 22 is completed the railway will be able to run an authentic-looking "1920s" train with the "Tattoo" loco and two bogie carriages.
See also
- List of 2 ft 3 in gauge railways
- List of British heritage and private railways
- British narrow gauge railwaysBritish narrow gauge railwaysThere were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...