Corris Railway
| Corris Railway | |
|---|---|
 Engine shed at Maespoeth
| |
 Route network
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| Gauge : | 686 mm |
The Corris Railway ( Welsh : Rheilffordd Corris) was a narrow gauge railway in Corris on the border between Merionethshire (now Gwynedd ) and Montgomeryshire (now Powys ) in Mid- Wales . The track gauge of the railroad was 686 mm (2 ft 3 in)
history
The company was founded on July 12, 1858 as "Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad". The horse-drawn tram connected the slate quarries near Aberllefenni (including Corris Uchaf , the isolated quarries around Ratgoed and the quarries along the Dulas valley) with a quay on the Dyfi near Derwenlas , southeast of Machynlleth . The track had a track width of 686 mm (2 ft 3 in). Since locomotives were not permitted, gravity was used when driving downhill. With the commissioning of the route of the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth, the section to Derwenlas became superfluous, since one could now reload in Machynlleth.
On July 25, 1864, the name was changed to Corris Railway. Associated with this was the permission to use steam locomotives. The reconstruction of the route took almost ten years. 1878 Company was from the Imperial Tramways Company of Bristol bought. This renewed the line, acquired locomotives and started passenger traffic on July 9, 1880. Above all they tried to profit from the emerging tourism. After the first quarry was closed in 1906 and the demand for Welsh slate decreased in the following years, the company could no longer be in the black.
Takeover by Great Western Railway
In 1930 the Great Western Railway acquired the route. On January 1, 1931, passenger traffic was stopped. After a flood, the line was closed on August 20, 1948. The Talyllyn Railway took over the remaining material (locomotives, tracks, rolling stock) .
In 1966 an association for the preservation of the railway was founded. First a museum was opened.
On the section between Corris and Maespoeth, a museum was opened in 2002 by the Corris Railway Museum . The museum railway has had a newly built steam locomotive since 2005.
vehicles
Before preservation
The locomotives that ran between 1878 and 1948 (they were not named):
| number | image | Manufacturing plant | Type | Serial number | Built | notes | Current status | Place of stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Hughes Falcon Works | 0-4-2ST | 324 | 1878 | Originally built as the 0-4-0ST, it was scrapped in 1930 | Scrapped | Unavailable |
| 2 | Hughes Falcon Works | 0-4-2ST | 322 | 1878 | Originally built as the 0-4-0ST, it was scrapped in 1930 | Scrapped | Unavailable | |
| 3 |
|
Hughes Falcon Works | 0-4-2ST | 323 | 1878 | Originally built as a 0-4-0ST. In 1927 it was rebuilt with parts of all three Hughes locomotives. It is believed to have more parts from Locomotive No. 2 than No. 1 or No. 3. Bought by the Talyllyn Railway in 1951 and named Sir Haydn . | Operational | Talyllyn Railway |
| 4th |
|
Kerr Stuart | 0-4-2ST | 4047 | 1921 | Tattoo class locomotive. Was bought by the Talyllyn Railway in 1951 and named Edward Thomas . | Operational | Talyllyn Railway |
literature
- Lewis Cozens: The Corris Railway 1949.
- James IC Boyd: Narrow Gauge Railways in Mid Wales . The Oakwood Press, 1965.
- The Corris Railway Society: A Return to Corris . Avon-Anglia Publications, 1988, ISBN 0-905466-89-6 .
- Gwyn Briwnant Jones: Railway Through Talerddig .
- Gwyn Briwnant Jones: Great Western Corris .
- Gwyn Briwnant Jones: Last Days of the Old Corris .
- Gwyn Briwnant Jones: Tales of the Old Corris .
- Christopher Awdry: Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies . Stephens, 1990, ISBN 1-852600-49-7 .
- David Jones: Corris Trwy Lygad y Camera / Through the Eye of the Camera . Oxford Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-9543378-0-8 .
- Peter Johnson: An Illustrated History of the Great Western Narrow Gauge 2011, ISBN 0-978-0860936367.
