Glyn Valley Tramway

Infobox rail
railroad_name=Glyn Valley Tramway
gauge=2 ft 4½ in (724 mm)
start_year=1873
end_year=1935
hq_city=Chirk
locale=Wales
length=8¼ miles
successor_line=abandoned

The Glyn Valley Tramway was a narrow gauge railway that connected Chirk with Glyn Ceiriog in Denbighshire (now Wrexham County Borough), Wales. The gauge of the line was 2 ft 4½ in (724 mm). The total length of the line was 8¼ miles (13.7 km), 6½ miles (10.5 km) of which were worked by passenger trains, the remainder serving a large granite quarry and several minor slate quarries.

Route

Quarries served

History

The original route

The railway was built to connect the quarries at Glyn Ceriog with the Shropshire Union Canal at Chirk. The Glyn Valley Tramway was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1870 which allowed the company to build a tramway from the canal at Chirk Bank to the Cambrian Slate Quarries. This initial line, 6½ miles (10.5 km) was opened in 1873, and was worked by horse and gravity traction. Both passenger and freight traffic was carried from that year.

Rebuilding and extension

In 1885 additional parliamentary powers were obtained to abandon the "Quinta Tramway" section between Pontfaen and Chirk Bank, replacing it with a new line from Pontfaen to the Great Western Railway's Chirk Station. A two mile extension was also authorized from Glyn to the quarries around Pandy.

Rebuilding of the line was undertaken with steam locomotives borrowed from the Snailbeach District Railways. The new line was opened for freight traffic in 1888 and to passengers in 1891. The new line was operated by steam locomotives purchased from Beyer Peacock in Manchester.

Operation and closure

The two original locomotives, "Sir Theodore" and "Dennis" were joined by a third, "Glyn" in 1892. These tram locomotives worked the line until 1921 when an ex-War Department Light Railways locomotive was purchased. This locomotive was regauged by Beyer Peacock from its original RailGauge|23.5 gauge.

After the First World War costs started to rise significantly, while revenues did not. The railway's financial situation declined steadily during the 1920s. The railway needed to carry approximately 45,000 tons of traffic per year to break even. In 1929 it carried 64,857 tons, but by 1932 this had dropped to 21,400 tons. Increased use of road haulage and a change in the ownership of the remaining quarries was the cause of this downturn in traffic.

In 1932 a bus service was started in the valley, for the first time offering passengers a serious competition to traveling on the tramway. Passenger receipts declined steeply that year, and passenger services were abandoned at the beginning of 1933. Freight traffic continued to decline and the losses to mount on the railway and all services ceased in July 1935 as the company went into voluntary liquidation. The locomotives were all scrapped in 1936.

Preservation

Most of the railway's stock and track were scrapped in the 1930s. However some carriage bodies were sold to local farmers. Two of these bodies survived long enough to be rescued by the Talyllyn Railway where they have been restored to working order and are now used in regular traffic. A quantity of Glyn Valley track also found its way to the Talyllyn.

The waiting rooms in Pontfadog and Dolywern survive to this day in their original locations. In 1950 the council officer used Pontfadog waiting room to collect rates and the locals nicknamed it ‘Pontfadog Town Hall’. It was later bought by the public house and it was also used as a quaint little craft shop.

Part of the historic tramway - dubbed the 'Little bit of Heaven Railway' is set to be revived by the Glyn Valley Tramway Trust (formed as a charity in October 2007) who plan to recreate its appearance in the 1920s era and provide a visitor centre and workshops with educational facilities to display and interpret the history and development of the Tramway through artefacts and audio visual media. The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust are to carry out a Design and Evaluation study of the entire route from Chirk to Glyn Ceiriog and beyond, and as a first phase intend re-instating a 1Km section as an operational steam heritage railway from the original Chirk GVT station next to the Shrewsbury to Chester main line to Baddy's Wood near Pontfaen by 2010.

The opening of the A483/A5 Chirk Bypass hit the economy of the Ceiriog Valley with tourists either leaving the bypass for the A5 and Llangollen, or heading further north to join the A55 dual carriageway with its access to the tourist attractions of North Wales. The revival of the Glyn Valley Tramway would help to redress the balance.

The Glyn Valley Tramway Group have plans to open a Tramway Heritage Centre in Glyn Ceiriog.

The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust received a Grant in Augsut 2008 from the Welsh Assembly Government and Wrexham County Borough Council to undertake a detailed evaluation of options for the re-instatement, conservation and interpretation of the line. More information is available at the Trust's website: [http://www.glynvalleytramway.co.uk]

There is strong local and political support for a revival of part of the Tramway to assist with the economic regeneration of the area whose economy is dependant on two large local employers. The Trust recognises that to make a viable attraction from day one, it will have to make use of available resources, which is likely to result in the use of non-authentic, but sympathetic locomotives and rolling stock initially. The income from such an operation will allow the more specialised conservation and historical activities to be supported. At a leter stage of development the Trust is ken to pusue the construction of replicas of the iconic Beyer Peacock Tramway Locomotives.

The Trust has awarded the contract to Thirty Inch Railways Ltd [http://thirtyinchrailways.moonfruit.com] in September 2008

The Trust and their consultants will undertake a thorough consultation and evaluation process over the next six months resulting in a public display of the results and detailed designs in Spring 2009. The Trust seeks to engage with all parties, especially special interest organisations, to help prepare a definitive plan for the future of all aspects of the Tramway. It is likely that the outcomes of this work will be incorporated into the local authority's development framework and tourism strategy.

Locomotives

See also

*British narrow gauge railways
*Worsley Works - models of Glyn Valley Tramway stock
*Baldwin Class 10-12-D

References

*
* Household, H.G.W. (1926). " [http://www.ukrailarchive.org/ngr/rm04-1926-283.PDF The Glyn Valley Tramroad] ", "Railway Magazine", 58 (April), p.283–286
*
*

External links

* [http://www.glynvalleytramway.co.uk/ Glyn Valley Tramway Online]