Glyn Valley Tramway's restoration

[Josher]

Hope this one goes ahead:

 

Historic Glyn Valley Tramway's restoration hopes

Glyn Valley Tramway BBC

 

A planning application to begin the restoration of a historic tramway is to be filed with Wrexham County Borough Council on Thursday.

 

The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust is filing the application to begin the first phase of the project which would re-open the line from Chirk railway station to the Chirk Trout Fishery, a distance of 1.2 miles.

 

The Glyn Valley Tramway operated for 60 years before it closed in 1935.

 

The tramway came about because of the demand for slate from Glyn Ceiriog which had been transported by pack horse to Llangollen where it was loaded onto barges.

 

David Cooper, chair of the Glyn Valley Tramway Trust, said: "The owners of the mines quickly realised that they had to introduce better transportation and 1873 a horse drawn tramway was opened connecting the slate quarries of Glyn Ceiriog with the wharf at Gledrid some two miles south of Chirk via the canal.

 

"In 1888 the tramway was converted to steam and the route changed."

 

Over the years the tramway carried many other types of cargo, including slate, granite, wool cloth, gunpowder and even live trout carried in water filled milk churns.

 

We have little money, but that won't deter us...we have a lot of effort and a lot of sweat

David Cooper

 

"These were carried to Chirk, and were then forwarded to the markets of the west Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester, where they arrived as fresh fish." Mr Cooper said.

 

The line also developed a passenger service, with passenger coaches and good wagons all being hauled by the same engine.

 

The passenger service ended in 1932 as road transport grew in popularity and, with lorries now transporting goods from Ceiriog Valley. the very last tram left Glyn Ceiriog in July 1935.

 

The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust was founded in October 2007. Its ultimate ambition is to see the line faithfully restored fro Chirk to Hendre.

 

Mr Cooper said: "We have little money, but that won't deter us...we have a lot of effort and a lot of sweat."

 

The Trust hopes that, subject to approval by the Council, the work of restoration could begin in 2011, with the possibility that the first movement on the restored line could take place before the end of 2011.

[alan_fincher]

Of interest to me, as I love the Welsh narrow gauge railways, and my wife's ancestors are from that area, having run the Hand Inn drovers pub at Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, just down the valley from the tramway's route.

 

However, I really have to question in these cash strapped times the wisdom of trying to promote and re-open yet another of the former Welsh narrow gauge lines.

 

Without counting, there now have to be well into double figures, many largely on their original routes, but others modern narrow gauge lines on the routes of former standard gauge lines. They differ between only a mile or so, and what will soon be the immense length of the combined Ffestiniog and Welsh Higland lines.

 

I really doubt there can continue to be the market for more and more, without impacting the funding of those already existing - some struggling.

 

As the plan seems to be to build a line that would initially use locomotives hired in from elsewhere, I assume it would not be built to the totally unique 2 foot 4 1/2 inch gauge of the original, so hardly an accurate recreation anyway, I'm guessing.

 

Also the roads in the area around Glyn Ceiriog can already be a bit "challenging", and I'm not convinced that adding extra tourist attractions there is necessarily the best.

 

(Stands by to get caned by OH for incorrect spelling of Welsh place names, which I admit to have not fully checked!)

[RLWP]

Of interest to me, as I love the Welsh narrow gauge railways, and my wife's ancestors are from that area, having run the Hand Inn drovers pub at Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, just down the valley from the tramway's route.

 

However, I really have to question in these cash strapped times the wisdom of trying to promote and re-open yet another of the former Welsh narrow gauge lines.

 

Without counting, there now have to be well into double figures, many largely on their original routes, but others modern narrow gauge lines on the routes of former standard gauge lines. They differ between only a mile or so, and what will soon be the immense length of the combined Ffestiniog and Welsh Higland lines.

 

I really doubt there can continue to be the market for more and more, without impacting the funding of those already existing - some struggling.

 

As the plan seems to be to build a line that would initially use locomotives hired in from elsewhere, I assume it would not be built to the totally unique 2 foot 4 1/2 inch gauge of the original, so hardly an accurate recreation anyway, I'm guessing.

 

Also the roads in the area around Glyn Ceiriog can already be a bit "challenging", and I'm not convinced that adding extra tourist attractions there is necessarily the best.

 

(Stands by to get caned by OH for incorrect spelling of Welsh place names, which I admit to have not fully checked!)

 

Alan, you do know that people have been using those arguments against re-opening railways since the 1960's, don't you?

 

Richard

[carlt]

Alan, you do know that people have been using those arguments against re-opening railways since the 1960's, don't you?

 

Richard

I just wish one of them would open the weekend after next, for my son's birthday.

[Josher]

I just wish one of them would open the weekend after next, for my son's birthday.

Just for you here

[RLWP]

Just for you here

 

That looks like being a fantastic event, and a development completely out of the blue for me

 

I'd love to go

 

Richard