Уэльспул мен Лланfair Caereinion темір жолының тарихы

From Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion, Wales

The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) (Rheilffordd y Trallwng a Llanfair Caereinion) is a 2 feet 6 inches narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around 8.5 mile (14 km) long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool (Y Trallwng) via Castle Caereinion to the village of Llanfair Caereinion.

The first proposal to connect Llanfair Caerinion and Welshpool by railway was the Llanfair Railway of 1864; this would have been a narrow gauge line, with a mixed gauge section where it connected to the Cambrian Railways. This proposal was abandoned. The next attempt came in 1876 with the promotion of the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway Bill, which proposed a railway along a similar route to the 1864 effort. This Bill passed through the Houses of Parliament. This attempt failed in 1882 because the promoters were unable to raise sufficient capital. In 1886, another Welshpool and Llanfair Railway Bill appeared for a 3ft gauge railway on a similar route; this bill expired unused in 1892.

In August 1896, the Light Railways Act 1896 was passed, and this spurred further attempts at a railway to Llanfair Caereinion. The first of these was the Llanfair & Meifod Valley Light Railway bill of 1896, which proposed a standard gauge line from Arddleen about 8 miles north of Welshpool, through the Meifod Valley. In the 1923 Grouping of railway companies, Cambrian Railways, including the Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion line, was absorbed by the Great Western Railway (GWR). On 9 February 1931 the line lost its passenger service, which was replaced by a bus service, and it became a freight only line. It was temporarily re opened to passengers between 6 and 11 August 1945 for the Eisteddfod. The GWR itself was nationalised in 1948 and became part of British Railways. Freight traffic lingered on until 1956, by which time British Railways decided to close the line, with services ceasing on 5 November.

A group of volunteers and enthusiasts took the line over and started raising money to restore it. On 6 April 1963, the western half of the line, from Llanfair Caereinion to Castle Caereinion, was reopened as a Heritage railway. On 13 December 1964, a pier supporting the steel girder bridge over the River Banwy was seriously damaged by flood waters dislodging the bridge. During the spring and early summer of 1965 the 16th Railway Regiment of the Royal Engineers replaced the damaged masonry pier with a fabricated steel one and restored the span to its original position. Train services between Llanfair Caereinion to Castle Caereinion resumed on 14 August 1965. In 1972, services were extended to Sylfaen. The line through Welshpool, however, could not be reopened, so the line now has a new terminus station at Raven Square on the western outskirts of the town, opened on 18 July 1981. In 2008, there were discussions with Welshpool Town Council about reinstating the link through the town to the main line station, following a different route from that originally used. Because of the gauge, unusual for British narrow gauge railways, locomotives and rolling stock to supplement the originals have had to be obtained from sources around the world including the Zillertalbahn in Austria. A major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund permitted restoration of both original locomotives together with several coaches and original wagons, and provision of new workshop facilities, ready for the line's centenary.

Golfa Bank is a particularly steep bank on the railway. The bank is nearly a mile at 1 in 29, which in its day, was the steepest section of the Cambrian Railways worked by passenger trains and is still a challenging climb. The line travelling up the slope is curvy, to make the climb easier. Golfa summit is 630 ft above sea level, meaning the locomotives have to travel from about 350 ft above sea level at the bottom of Golfa Bank, equal to climbing 280 ft in 1.5 miles. The locomotives had to be built specifically to manage the bank, due to its steepness. There was a halt at the top called Golfa Halt, 1.75 miles or 3.2 km from the Welshpool Raven Square terminus. The halt had a loop that was provided for goods traffic. The station was opened on 6 April 1903. The Great Western Railway withdrew passenger services on 9 February 1931, and the line closed completely on 3 November 1956. The station officially reopened on 18 July 1981, but was closed again by 2015.

WLLR No. NameImageBuilderWorks No. Date builtDate arrivedWheelsTypeStatus1The Earl Beyer Peacock 3496 1902 1902 SteamOperationalOriginal W&LLR locomotive. Overhauled at the Vale of Rheidol Railway between 2019 and 2021. Currently painted in a Great Western green livery.2Countess Beyer Peacock 3497 1902 1902 Steam Withdrawn following expiry of boiler certificate 2021Original W&LLR locomotive6 Monarch W. G. Bagnall 3024 1953 1966 Steam On displayFrom the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway. Sold to the Ffestiniog Railway but re purchased by W&LLR.7 Chattenden * Drewry Car Co. 2263 1947 1968 Diesel Operationalex Chattenden and Upnor Railway (also known as the Lodge Hill & Upnor Railway), previously from Admiralty Depots, rebuilt at Llanfair in 1980. Has recently been rebuilt at Llanfair and is now fitted with both air and vacuum braking.8 Dougal * Andrew Barclay 2207 1946 1968 Steam On displayOriginally operated at Provan Gasworks, Glasgow. Currently awaiting boiler repairs10 Sir Drefaldwyn * Franco Belge 2855 1944 1969 Steam Operational Originally operated by the German Army as a tender engine. Then in Austria at the Salzkammergut Lokalbahn as Number 19, then sold to the Steiermärkische Landesbahn as Number "699.01", where it was converted to a tank engine. An HF 160 D type locomotive.11 Ferret * Hunslet Engine Company 2251 1940 1971 Diesel OperationalPreviously from Admiralty armament depot in Wiltshire. Initially named Raven after the loco it replaced.

WLLR No. Other No. ImageBuilderTypeDate builtDate arrivedNotesB14Grazer Waggon4 wheel balcony 1900 1968 Built for and donated by Zillertalbahn B16Grazer Waggon4 wheel balcony 1901 1968 Built for and donated by Zillertalbahn B17Grazer Waggon4 wheel balcony 1901 1968 Built for and donated by Zillertalbahn C572B25Grazer Waggon4 wheel balcony 1925 1968 Built for Satzkammergut LokalbahnC569B24Grazer Waggon4 wheel balcony 1925 2003 Built for Satzkammergut LokalbahnB27Grazer Waggon4 wheel balcony 1954 1975 Built for Austrian State Railways 10661040 GRC&W Bogie third 1961 1975 Rebuilt in Romania, 2008 1207 GRC&W Bogie first 1961 1975 Rebuilt in Romania, 2009 418 Hungarian State Rly Bogie 1958 1999 Rebuilt with extended balcony 2018 19 430 Hungarian State Rly Bogie 1958 1999 Rebuilt with extended balcony 2018 19 6166 Ffestiniog Railway Bogie composite 2004 Replica of 1903 R. Y. Pickering original 4154 Ffestiniog Railway Bogie third 2007 Replica of 1903 R. Y. Pickering original B20 S. C. Calea Ferata Ingusta SRL in Brad 4 wheel balcony 2006 2007 Replica of Austrian Zillertalbahn carriage 6366 Ffestiniog Railway Bogie composite 2010 Replica of 1903 R. Y. Pickering original