Teifi Valley Railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Teifi Valley Railway | |
|---|---|
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| One of the diesel engines sits idle at the station in Henllan. | |
| Location | |
| Place | Wales |
| Terminus | Henllan |
| Commercial Operations | |
| Name | Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway Great Western Railway |
| Built by | South Wales Railway |
| Gauge | 7 feet 0.25 inches (2,140 mm) 4 feet 8.5 inches (1,440 mm) |
| Preserved Operations | |
| Operated by | Teifi Valley Railway Society |
| Stations | 5 |
| Length | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
| Gauge | 2 feet (610 mm) |
| Commercial History | |
| Opened | 1860 |
| Closed | 1973 |
| Preservation History | |
| 1981 | Track bed bought by Teifi Valley Railway Society. |
| 1983 | Reopened to Pontpreshitw. |
| 2003 - | Reopened to Llandyfriog and the Afon Teifi at Riverside. |
The Teifi Valley Railway is a preserved railway operating between Carmarthen and Cardigan along the Teifi Valley, south Wales. It is a steam-hauled narrow gauge tourist railway on the built on the trackbed of part of the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway and later GWR. Currently operating on over 2 miles of track, it is one of few South West Wales railways to be still expanding, with plans for a new platform opposite from its original location and line expansion to Pentrecwrt and Newcastle Emlyn. The trains currently run from Henllan station to a small stop at Riverside.
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[edit] History
The Teifi Valley Railway in its original form was meant to be the broad gauge line between Carmarthen and Cardigan. The line first opened, albeit temporarily, in 1860, under the South Wales Railway; and was opened fully the following year operated by the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway, running from Carmarthen to Conwil. In 1864, the line was extended to Pencader and Llabdysul, and by 1872 had been converted to standard gauge. By this time though, the line was bankrupt and due to the waterfalls at Cenarth and the subsequent road-building, there was no space in the gorge between Llechryd and Cilgerran for the railway. The line was eventually bought by the Great Western Railway, who moved the terminus to Newcastle Emlyn. The line was finally closed and dismantled in 1973.[1]
Although attempts had been made in 1973 to preserve the railway as standard gauge, it was not until 1981 that any true restoration project got underway. A group formed and bought the trackbed, and in 1983 laid a 2 foot gauge track. The line originally ran from Henllan to Pontprenshitw, where passengers were invited to take a short walk to see the waterfall under the railway bridge. Since 2002, the line has been extended to Llandyfriog, and again to the current end of the line, known as Riverside, where a bridge has collapsed into the Afon Teifi. [1]
[edit] Rolling Stock and Locomotives
Steam Locomotives:
- Kerr Stuart 0-6-2 Haig Class: 'Sgt. Murphy'(1918)
- Kerr Stuart 0-6-0 Joffre Class: 'Fleur'(1915)
- Hunslet 0-4-0 'Alan George'(1894)
Diesel Locomotives:
- 0-4-0 'Sammy'(1951)
- 0-4-0 'Simon' (1936) - This locomotive was sold in 2007 and is no longer at the Teifi Valley Railway
- 0-4-0 'Sholto' (1941)
- 0-4-0 'Henry'
Rolling Stock
1. 'Annie' (Bogied)
2. 'Rhianwen' (Bogied)
3. 'Jacqueline' (Bogied)
4. 'Lisa' (4 wheeled)
5. 'Rhoysen' (4 wheeled)
6. 'Emma' (4 wheeled)
7. 'Nancy' (Bogied)(Previousley owned by the Welsh Highland Railway)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b About the Railway. Teifi Valley Railway. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
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