Teifi Valley Railway

The Teifi Valley Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Dyffryn Teifi) is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway occupying a section of the former standard gauge Great Western Railway line between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn. After the closure of the former line by British Rail in 1973, a preservation group built and periodically extended a narrow gauge railway along the route, westwards from Henllan, eventually operating a line that was 1.86 miles (three kilometres) in length as a tourist attraction.

Teifi Valley Railway Rheilffordd Dyffryn Teifi
Simplex Motor Rail No. 11111 Sammy beneath the Henllan road overbridge just beyond the original Henllan railway station site in 2002. Visible behind are some preserved standard gauge coaches that were housed at the railway for a time.
Locale	Wales
Terminus	Henllan
Commercial operations
Name	Carmarthen and Newcastle Emlyn Line
Built by	Great Western Railway
Original gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Preserved operations
Owned by	The Teifi Valley Railway Ltd / Teifi Valley Railway Society
Operated by	Teifi Valley Railway Ltd
Stations	2 (formerly 4)
Length	3 kilometres (1.9 mi) until 2014; currently 1 kilometre (0.62 mi)
Preserved gauge	2 ft (610 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	1895
Closed to passengers	1952
Closed	1973
Preservation history
1981	Trackbed between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn bought by Dyfed Railway Company Ltd.
1986	Reopened to Pontprenshitw Station
1989	Reopened to Llandyfriog Station
2006	Reopened to Llandyfriog Riverside Station
2014	Temporary closure
2016	Reopened for rail services
2016	Reopened to Forest Halt Station

Teifi Valley Railway
Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line to Carmarthen End of restored line Shed & Sidings Henllan Bridge 52 (Road) Henllan (old) Bridge 53 (Footpath) Forest Halt Station Pontprenshitw Station Bridge 54 (Pontprenshitw) Bridge 55 (Mini-Pont) Llandyfriog Station (old) Bridge 56 (Access) Bridge 57 (Admiral's Bridge) Bridge 58 (Access) Llandyfriog Riverside Bridge 59 (Pont Goch) over Afon Teifi Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line

By 2014, the railway had suffered a period of closure, during which time much of first half of the restored route had been destroyed. Former members of railway staff and volunteers are supporting restoration efforts, with about 0.6 of a mile (a kilometre) of the narrow gauge line relaid.

History

The Teifi Valley Railway occupies a section of the route formerly occupied by a standard gauge line between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn, itself built as an extension of the original Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway by the Great Western Railway in the late 19th Century.

Background

With the opening of the South Wales Railway, Carmarthen's economic prosperity grew. A scheme to link Carmarthen with a proposed deep-water port in Cardigan found form as the Camarthen and Cardigan Railway; a troubled scheme which opened in stages (hindered by the challenging topography of the Gwili valley and the sheer expense incurred in the construction of the Pencader Tunnel). Despite its name, the company only achieved construction of a line as far Llandysul, opening in 1864. The company fell into receivership shortly thereafter.

With the ambition of furthering the line to Newcastle Emlyn, The Tivy Side Railway Company was incorporated and authorised to extend the line. Despite progressing to the point where the project received an authorising Act of Parliament, the scheme never became a reality and the extension remained unbuilt. [1]

Amidst an uncertain future and a difficult financial position, the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was eventually leased to the Great Western Railway, with absorption by the latter taking place by 1882 [2]. The corresponding Act of Parliament combined the authorising of both the sale of the undertaking with re-authorising the construction of an extension to Newcastle Emlyn. [3]

Construction from Llandyssul

Preparations to extend the line beyond Llandysul remained slow; only by March 1890 were the Great Western Railway inviting tenders for the construction contract. [4] Progress was hampered by the abandonment of the contract by the original contractor, a Mr Rugby; [5] however construction, led by a Mr Jones of Neath, was underway by March 1892, with completion of the extension anticipated by the end of the following year. [6] By July 1893, the construction had reached Trebedw, but completion remained elusive. [7] With much fanfare and celebration, the line between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn was finally opened in July 1895. [8] There was one intermediate station at [[Henllan railway station|Henllan]; joined by Pentrecourt Halt, which opened in 1912, seventeen years after the line opened. [9] The opening of an additional intermediate halt had been subject to extensive local support and petitioning. [10]

With the Great Western Railway's link to Cardigan from Carmarthen via the Whitland and Cardigan Railway and South Wales Railway, the route did not extend beyond Newcastle Emlyn. The line never progressed further.

Abandonment

The line ultimately carried passengers for less than sixty years; being a rural branch line and serving a sparse local population, the passenger service was withdrawn along on 13 September 1952, [9] a consequence of post-nationalisation rationalisation.

In addition to enthusiast railtours [9][11], freight traffic continued until 1973. The entirety of the line between the Carmarthen and Newcastle Emlyn stations closed in September 1973 [9] (Pentrecourt Halt had closed with the cessation of passenger services in 1952 [12], and Henllan had closed in 1965 [13]).

The structures and earthworks comprising the permanent way of the former line remained in place in their entirety. Station sites were either demolished or redeveloped. [13][12][9]

Preservation

The Dyfed Railway Company was incorporated on 5 December 1973 [14] as a vehicle for purchasing the trackbed and attaining a requisite Light Railway Order. Preservation efforts were initially lead by Dr. George Penn, [15][16] with early efforts focused on purchase of the line before it was dismantled, and running a preserved standard gauge undertaking. However, such efforts were not as successful as the concurrent project further down the valleys at Bronwydd Arms railway station, where the Gwili Railway had been successful in negotiating the purchase of a single mile of in situ track; the Newcastle Emlyn branch was lifted in 1975. [13]

Eventually, a Light Railway Order was acquired and the trackbed, between the sites of Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn stations, was purchased. By 1983, a single kilometre of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge track had been laid between the original site of Henllan station and a site adjacent to a bridge spanning a deep gully. This site was given the designation of Pontprenshitw Station. The railway was formally opened to the public by Peter Prior CBE on 9th April 1986. [17]

In 1989, the line was extended to a site near Llandyfriog village, [18] and finally, in 2006, the line was extended along the original alignment to the point of a removed over bridge that previously spanned the River Teifi. This terminus was named Llandyfriog Riverside.

Additionally, from July 2009, the Henllan platform was relocated to the site of the original platforms, having occupied a site to the immediate west of the Henllan road overbridge since 1983. [19]

Recent developments

In recent years, the Railway suffered a loss of trained and managerial personnel, as well as volunteers essential for the line's operation. A licence agreement delegated certain functions of the railway and the site to a local businessman. The condition of the railway declined to a state where, in 2014, an ORR inspection raised significant concerns about the safety of the track. In response, the licensee arranged for the removal of the track between Henllan and Pontprenshitw, and commenced the operation of a 'land train' (tractor-hauled carriages). [20]

During this time, items of rolling stock left the station site, and a significant amount of tree felling took place beyond the Pontprenshitw Station site. In addition, the former licensee was made subject to a bankruptcy order. [21]

Former members of railway management and operations staff returned to oversee and support restoration efforts. [22] Site repair and rejuvenation, and track relaying, is ongoing.

The route

When the full length of the narrow gauge line was operational between Henllan and Llandyfriog Riverside, the route progressed westwards through forest lands before emerging onto an embankment on the northern side of the Teifi Valley. A succession of bridges carried the alignment over access points and tributaries to the River Teifi. The alignment gradually descended to slightly above river level, terminating at the point where the original Great Western Railway line crossed the River Teifi, at Pont Goch.

The trackbed eastwards from Henllan Station is owned by the Teifi Valley Railway company as far as the site of the former Pentrecourt Halt, and remains subject to future restoration plans. This route avoids the need for major bridges, but required lengths of embankments and cuttings as well as one short tunnel. With a few exceptions, the trackbed is mostly complete.

The remaining two sections of the original Great Western Railway line (between Pont Goch and Newcastle Emlyn; and between Pentrecourt Halt and Llandysul) are less likely to see future restoration, as the removal of original railway bridges crossing the Teifi mean that they are severed from the alignment on which the narrow gauge line has been built. Additionally, much of the route into Llandysul from the west had been demolished or landscaped.

The narrow gauge section

For the sake of clarity, this section will describe the route of the narrow gauge line when fully operational; that is to say, the length of the line prior to 2014.

The route of the line for the first kilometre due west out of Henllan is not notable from an engineering standpoint, travelling on a shallow embankment through forest. The only overbridge on the narrow gauge line is to the immediate west of the Henllan station site, and carries the B4334 over the line.

After a short north-westerly curve, the narrow gauge line originally terminated at Pontprenshitw Station, when operations first began in 1985. This new station site was named after the substantial single-arch brick-built bridge carrying the railway over the River Cynllo gorge and a historic Celtic leat, which sits just to the west of this new station site. The bridge, structure number 54 on the line, was built by Joseph Hamlet of West Bromwich in 1893. The origin of the name, Pontprenshitw, is multi-faceted - it could either refer to the wooden frame used during construction of the bridge in 1893, or to an access structure over the Cynllo that pre-dated the railway. [23] In 1989, when the narrow gauge line was extended to Llandyfriog, Pontprenshitw Station remained open and used as a halt during the return journey, at which point passengers were able to explore the gorge below.

West of Pontprenshitw bridge, the line sits on an embankment that forms part of the Teifi Valley wall. The route crosses Bridge 55, 'Mini-Pont', [24] a small arched access bridge, before a short straight section brings the line to the site of the former Llandyfriog station. This was the second terminus of the narrow gauge line, opening with the 1989 extension, and was also a new station, not a reconstruction of a former site on the original GWR line. Llandyfriog Station, sitting somewhat east to Llandyfriog village, was closed upon the opening of the narrow gauge railway's second extension in 2006. There was formerly a passing loop for the hauling locomotive to move to the back of the train in order to perform the return trip back to Henllan.

Over the winter of 2005/6, the most recent extension was completed, [25] taking the narrow gauge line to the new Llandyfriog Riverside station. The alignment, by this point an embankment slightly above river level, adjoined the A475 for a short distance, crossing three small access underbridges along the way, providing access to riverside houses and farmland. The narrow gauge line reaches its third terminus at Llandyfriog Riverside, extending to a point just before Pont Goch; a double-span girder bridge which, during GWR operation, carried the line over the River Teifi. The bridge was left in place upon closure in 1973, but became structurally compromised years later. Heavy rainfall in the Autumn of 1987 dislodged the western abutment causing the second span to collapse, and was later removed. The eastern span remains sound, and is used as a viewing point at Llandyfriog Riverside station.

Rolling stock and locomotives

Locomotives

[26]

Name	Builder	Works Number	Type	Year built	Year arrived	Notes
Sgt. Murphy	Kerr Stuart	3117	0-6-2 T	1918	1998	Haig Class, bought from Gordon Rushton. Due to return to service in 2020 after overhaul.
Alan George	Hunslet	606	0-4-0 ST	1894	1983	Built for the Penrhyn Quarries. Boiler ticket expired at the end of 2017 and overhaul will start in 2020.
Sammy	Motor Rail	11111	4w DM	1951	1987	In regular service.
Sholto	Hunslet	2433	4w DM	1941	1983	Awaiting overhaul.
John Henry	Ruston		0-4-0 DM	1959		In regular service.

Carriages

Name	Type	Year built	Notes
Annie	Bogied	1983
Esme	Bogied	1984
Jacqueline	Bogied	1987
Lisa	4 wheeled	1990
Rhoysen	4 wheeled	1994	Base flat bodied wagon no.254
Emma	4 wheeled	2003
Nancy	Bogied	1973	Previously owned by the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog), known as the 'Cote coach' or Coach no.1

Wagons

Number	Type	Notes
101-106	Side tipping wagons (Hudsons)
120-121	End door box wagons	Built at Henllan in 1984
140-141	Single bolster wagons	Built at Henllan using frames of two side-tipping wagons
190-191,196	Box wagons
374	Flat bodied wagon
	ex-War Dept. vehicles x5	Require re-gauging

See also

• British narrow gauge railways
• Heritage railway

References

1. Grant, Donald (31 October 2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain. Matador. p. 563. ISBN 978-1788037686.
2. "Railway Extension in Cardiganshire". Weekly Mail. 22 July 1882. p. 2.
3. "Act of Parliament to ‘authorise the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway Company to sell their undertaking to the Great Western Railway Company; and for extending the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway to Newcastle Emlyn and for other purposes’ (44 & 45 Vict. Ch. CCXI)" (22 August 1881). Museum Collection, ID: MUS/127/5. Archifdy Ceredigion Archives, Ceredigion County Council.
4. "Newcastle Emlyn - Railway Extension". The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser. 7 March 1890. p. 3.
5. "Llandyssul - Change of Contractor". The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard. 16 October 1891. p. 5.
6. "Llandyssul - The New Line". The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard. 11 March 1892. p. 8.
7. "New Railway to Newcastle-Emlyn". The Weekly Mail. 10 July 1893. p. 4.
8. "New Railway - Opening Ceremony Of New Newcastle-Emlyn Line". Evening Express. 2 July 1895. p. 4.
9. Catford, Nic. "Newcastle Emlyn". Disused Stations. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
10. "Pentrecourt, Llangeler - A Petition To The Great Western Railway". The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser. 10 May 1901. p. 8.
11. Thornton, Gary. "30th December 1972 - R.C.T.S. (Bristol Branch) - Farewell to the Teifi Valley Milk Branches". Six Bells Junction - The Railtour Files. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
12. Catford, Nic. "Pentrecourt Halt". Disused Stations. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
13. Catford, Nic. "Henllan Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
14. "The Teifi Valley Railway Ltd - Company Profile". Companies House Register. Companies House. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
15. "Beyond the Call of Duty". Tenby Observer. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
16. Jay, Graham (14 December 1997). "A Line to Santa - Hop aboard a steam special to meet Father Christmas". Mail on Sunday. p. 68.
17. A Pictorial Guide to the Teifi Valley Railway. Teifi Valley Railway Society. 2003. p. 7.
18. "How It Began". The Teifi Valley Railway. The Teifi Valley Railway. Archived from the original on 11 February 2003. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
19. "Our History". Teifi Valley Railway. Teifi Valley Railway. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
20. "New team brings railway line back to the Teifi Valley Railway". rail.co.uk. 29 November 2014.
21. "Bankruptcy Orders - Dearing, Martin". The Gazette.
22. "New team brings railway line back to the Teifi Valley Railway". rail.co.uk. 29 November 2014.
23. Ordnance Survey (1888). Carmarthenshire XIII.NE (includes: Llandyfriog; Llandgeler; Orllwyn Teifi.) (Map). 1:10,560.
24. 'Right Away' - The Journal of the Teifi Valley Railway Society. Spring 2006. Missing or empty |title= (help)
25. 'Right Away' - The Journal of the Teifi Valley Railway Society. Spring 2006. Missing or empty |title= (help)
26. Industrial Locomotives: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. 15EL. Melton Mowbray: Industrial Railway Society. 2009. ISBN 978-1-901556-53-7.

External links

• Official Site