Wales
Barry Tourist Railway
The Barry Tourist Railway (formerly the Barry Island Railway) is a railway developed to attract visitors to Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is a key element of the Barry Rail Centre which also includes engineering and training facilities.
An unusual aspect of the railway is that for several hundred yards across the Causeway from Barry to Barry Island, the trackbed used is directly alongside the Network Rail track which uses the original up line, with the Barry Tourist Railway using the down line. This continues from Barry to cross the Causeway and 149-yard (136 m) Barry Island viaduct after which the two lines diverge into separate platforms at Barry Island. The Railway does not consider itself a line but more of a network as it has two different routes.
Operations commenced in December 2009 and a full year's programme of services operated during 2010. Services have been operated by IRIS II DMU (Class 101 twin-set), Class 26 No. 26 038, Class 73s 73 118 & 73 133 with a former Gatwick Express coaching stock set in push-pull mode, Class 20 20 228, Class 08 08 503, 0-6-0 Pannier Tank locomotive No. 9466, Great Western Steam Rail Motor No.93, Metropolitan Tank No.1, Hunslet 0-6-0T Jessie and an 8F tender loco
Currently (April 2023), it is not possible to find details about the operation.
Dean Forest Railway
The Dean Forest Railway is a 4 1⁄4-mile (6.8 km) long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
The route was part of the former Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and bought the trackbed and line from British Rail in 1986, reaching both Lydney Junction and Parkend railway stations by 1995 and 2005 respectively. Trains are operated by both steam and heritage diesel locomotives, and heritage diesel multiple units.
The Dean Forest Railway has been given the former GWR signal box that stood slightly to the east of Codsall station in Staffordshire. Its removal was completed in July 2007, and was placed at the newly restored Whitecroft railway station.
The Dean Forest Railway has also been given the former Griffithstown Station building. Its removal was completed in June 2016, and is expected to be placed at the new upcoming Speech House Road.
CrossCountry are now providing a combined fare for travel to Lydney mainline station (on CrossCountry services only) and then onto the Dean Forest Railway.
The Dean Forest Railway plans to extend its heritage services a further 2 1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) through/into the middle of the Royal Forest at Speech House Road (close to the nearby Beechenhurst Visitor Attraction), bringing the line to a total of about 6 3⁄4 miles (10.9 km) in length. In 2016, DFR's director of civil engineering and director of development Jason Shirley announced plans to expand the railway to Cinderford. The project's status as a strategic regional development means that a large proportion of the estimated £8million cost could be met by Government funding.
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Address
Dean Forest Railway
Norchard Station
Forest Road
Lydney Glos
GL15 4ET
Contact
+44 1594 845840
Gwili Railway
(Welsh: Rheilffordd Gwili)
The Gwili Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Gwili) is a Welsh heritage railway, that operates a preserved standard gauge railway line from the site of Abergwili Junction (near Carmarthen) in southwest Wales along a four-and-a-half-mile (7.2 km) section of the former Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line. The original railway closed in 1965, with the track being lifted in 1975.
The broad-gauge railway was opened in 1860 from Carmarthen to Conwil (now Cynwyl)
In 1872, the line became the last in Wales to be converted from Brunel's 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) gauge to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.
Trains on the Gwili start from Bronwydd Arms where the replica GWR station is dominated by a Signal Box saved from Llandybie railway station on the Heart of Wales Line. The Signal box, which is open to the public, was built in 1885 and has been restored to operate signalling within the station area.
Typical features on the line include the gradients such as the 1 in 60 on the bank immediately north of Bronwydd Arms, the meandering River Gwili and the A484 road which are never far away and the wooded forests and sharp curves as the railway twists its way through the valley.
Peckett 0-4-0ST 'Olwen' at Bronwydd Arms
From Bronwydd, the line climbs between rural hills and meadows alongside the river River Gwili past the site of the first terminus of the newly opened Gwili Railway next to the old mill at Cwmdwyfran. From here, the line continues climbing until it passes under a rusticated brick bridge at the second terminus at the now defunct Penybont station.
The line carries over a redecked bridge crossing the River Gwili. This expansion was achieved in time for its 10th anniversary celebrations in 1988. At the same time, the new terminus of Llwyfan Cerrig was opened to the public.
In 2001, a further one-half mile (0.8 km) extension built by volunteer labour was opened to a new halt at Danycoed.
Llwyfan Cerrig (in English, Stone Platform) was a former quarrymen's halt and the Gwili Railway has created a nature trail which winds through the old quarry and emerges above the stock sheds. The station building, which originally stood at Felin Fach on the Aberaeron branch and dates from 1911, was dismantled by volunteers and re-erected in the early 1990s. It has been restored and furnished to an authentic 1950s style.
From the platform, a path leads to a picnic area on the bank of the Gwili River where kingfishers and heron can sometimes be glimpsed. A miniature railway runs from this station and refreshments can be bought.
From Llwyfan Cerrig, the line runs uphill for another one-quarter mile (0.40 km) with the River Gwili on one side and a rock face on the other, until it reaches the present end of the line at Danycoed (English translation being 'under the wood') where a typical GWR rural halt has been recreated.
Operationally, the railway is normally run on a 'one engine in steam' basis although the facility exists to pass trains at Llwyfan Cerrig at busy periods such as Day Out With Thomas events. In recent years, the Railway has expanded the portfolio of events on offer with Dining Trains, Driver Experience days and Jazz and other themed nights now being part of the annual timetable.
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Address
Contact
TGwili Steam Railway
Bronwydd Arms Station
Bronwydd Arms
Carmarthenshire
SA33 6HT
+44 1267 238213
Llangollen Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Llangollen)
The Llangollen Railwayis primarily a steam railway, starting at Llangollen station at the bridge over the River Dee in Llangollen and continuing 10 miles up the River Dee to Corwen.
The railway stays close to the waters of the river for most of its length and crosses it at Dee Bridge, approximately one mile upstream from Llangollen. The line then climbs steeply to Berwyn station, from where it continues the climb through the Berwyn Tunnel to Deeside Halt - on request only. From here the line climbs gently to Glyndyfrdwy station and on to Carrog. The line has recently been extended to Corwen. This picturesque market town lies at the foot of the Berwyn Mountains at the western end of the Dee Valley. The railway is now seeking funding for a new station building along with a diversionary loop at Corwen (phase two of the Corwen extension project).
The Llangollen Railway was founded in 1975 by a group of enthusiasts who saw the potential for a scenic heritage railway in the Dee Valley.
The old main line closed in 1968. The line, signalling and much of the infrastructure were removed, although the buildings of Llangollen, Berwyn and Carrog stations were retained.
The railway reopened in 1975 with an open day at Llangollen station, where 60 feet of track was laid again. The railway reached Berwyn in 1985, Deeside in 1990, Glyndyfrdwy in 1993, Carrog in 1996 and Corwen in 2014.
Dilapidated infrastructure, such as the signals at Llangollen Goods Junction, Deeside Halt, Glyndyfrdwy and Carrog, have been rebuilt from scratch and are fully operational, allowing more trains to run on festive days and busy weekends
In March 2021, the railway announced that it had called on its bank to appoint a receiver after making losses for three consecutive years. Operation of the railway was handed over to the Llangollen Railway Trust and the line reopened in July 2021
Blaenavon's Heritage Railway
Blaenavon's Heritage Railway is a remnant of a former coal line that transported coal to ports and other parts of England. Gradually (with the depletion of coal reserves and the departure of individual railway companies from the region), both passenger and freight transport was terminated. Cycle paths have been created on many kilometers of the track. In 1983, the first section of the historic Greenway was opened to the public. In 2004, preparatory work began on the extension of the railway towards the south. This extension was put into operation in 2010. It also includes a branch to Big Pit National Coal Museum. It was opened in 2011.
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Address
Contact
The Railway Station,
Furnace Sidings,
Garn Yr Erw,
Blaenavon,
NP4 9SF
+44 1495 792263
Cambrian Heritage Railways
The Cambrian Heritage Railways operate from 2 sites, the old station in Oswestry, and Llynclys; but there is currently no rail link between them.
Oswestry
Situated in the historic border town of Oswestry in England, which is where the Cambrian Railways Company chose to site its headquarters, this is the main base and the site includes a museum, cafe and workshops for restoration of rolling stock and locomotives. The running line goes 1½ miles to a new station (opened in April 2022) at Weston Wharf.
The Cambrian Railways Museum exhibits memorabilia associated with the railway system operated by the Cambrian Railways Company and its successors, together with other items of railway interest. Housed in a former goods depot constructed in the 1860's, it tells something of the history of a railway system that in its heyday extended to almost 300 route miles largely in Wales, stretching from Whitchurch in the east to Aberystwyth in the west and from Pwllheli in the north to Brecon in the south.
Llynclys
At Llynclys, trips through 1¾ miles of Shropshire countryside are normally operated by a class 101 DMU, but a diesel locomotive and carriage may also be used on selected dates.
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Address
Contact
Cambrian Heritage Railways
Old Station Building
Oswald Road
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY11 1RE
01691 728131