Cambrian Railways Trust
Encyclopedia
The Cambrian Railways Trust is based in Suite 1 of the Old Station Building in Oswestry
, Shropshire
, England
.
Oswestry was the headquarters of the former Cambrian Railways, previous to the 1922 regrouping of UK railways to form part of The Great Western Railway (GWR), one of the "Big Four" railway companies.
The Cambrian Railways Trust (CRT) is working towards a full merging with the Cambrian Railways Society (CRS) as Cambrian Heritage Railways to reinstate the infrastructure required to develop and operate the heritage railway
from Gobowen to Llynclys Junction (for Pant) and to Blodwel,
The railway land and trackbed were purchased from Network Rail by Shropshire County Council; and the new unitary authority, Shropshire Council, has agreed to lease the land to Cambrian Heritage Railways following the signing of the agreement to merger in November 2009.
Prior to this, the Trust has operated regular weekend diesel-multiple unit (DMU) operations since 2006 over a repurchased/re-leased and then restored section of 62 chain
s (about three quarters of a mile) from Llynclys South
station to Penygarreg Lane
. Regular steam operations took place during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Throughout the year, clearance work on the trackbed has continued. The line between Llynclys Junction and the A483 level crossing at Weston on Oswestry bypass is now largely clear; and was visited and recommendations made by HM Railways Inspectorate in September 2009.
Meanwhile, working-party activities have concentrated on the eastern edge of Dolgoch housing estate (between Porthywaen & Llynclys) and the A483 road bridge at Llynclys. Efforts are soon expected to be directed from the Dolgoch housing estate, west towards Blodwell, which will link up with that already cleared at Porthywaen.
On 13 November 2009, there was a concentrated volunteers’ working-party specifically devoted to clearance work on the trackbed and railways land close to Oswestry (Cambrian) Station Buildings.
Through a ballot at an Extraordinary General Meeting
held at Oswestry (Cambrian) Station Buildings on 20 November 2009, members of the Cambrian Railways Trust (CRT) agreed that:
In addition, GWR 7800 Class 7821 Ditcheat Manor
was to join the fleet when a reasonable length of track was available for passenger operations. However, owner Ken Ryder sold 7821 to the West Somerset Railway, and it is now based there with no plans for a return to Llynclys. Ken Ryder is currently selling D2094, 5952 (Cogan Hall) and Isabel along with a tamper and assorted other stock currently on the Cambrian Trust site.
GWR
4-6-0 4900 "Hall" Class
no. 5952 "Cogan Hall"
is now stored awaiting removal to the Llangollen Railway
, which plans to use her for the 6880 Betton Grange project before ultimately undertaking restoration.
in Loughborough
.
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Oswestry was the headquarters of the former Cambrian Railways, previous to the 1922 regrouping of UK railways to form part of The Great Western Railway (GWR), one of the "Big Four" railway companies.
The Cambrian Railways Trust (CRT) is working towards a full merging with the Cambrian Railways Society (CRS) as Cambrian Heritage Railways to reinstate the infrastructure required to develop and operate the heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
from Gobowen to Llynclys Junction (for Pant) and to Blodwel,
The railway land and trackbed were purchased from Network Rail by Shropshire County Council; and the new unitary authority, Shropshire Council, has agreed to lease the land to Cambrian Heritage Railways following the signing of the agreement to merger in November 2009.
Prior to this, the Trust has operated regular weekend diesel-multiple unit (DMU) operations since 2006 over a repurchased/re-leased and then restored section of 62 chain
Chain (unit)
A chain is a unit of length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards or 100 links . There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. An acre is the area of 10 square chains...
s (about three quarters of a mile) from Llynclys South
Llynclys South railway station
Llynclys South is one of currently only two stations on the Cambrian Railways Trust's heritage line in Shropshire. It is on the edge of the village of Llynclys, just south of the disused Llynclys station, on the other side of the B4396 road...
station to Penygarreg Lane
Penygarreg Lane halt
Penygarreg Lane is a halt on the Cambrian Railways Trust's heritage line in Shropshire. It is on the northern edge of the village of Pant, north of the disused Pant station...
. Regular steam operations took place during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Recent developments
Late in March 2009, a coaling staithe was constructed to create a more organized depot; and in April, the newly-leased trackbed to the north was also undergoing some refurbishment. Work also continued on gathering rail materials from nearby Oswestry for work to start on track laying as soon as possible.Throughout the year, clearance work on the trackbed has continued. The line between Llynclys Junction and the A483 level crossing at Weston on Oswestry bypass is now largely clear; and was visited and recommendations made by HM Railways Inspectorate in September 2009.
Meanwhile, working-party activities have concentrated on the eastern edge of Dolgoch housing estate (between Porthywaen & Llynclys) and the A483 road bridge at Llynclys. Efforts are soon expected to be directed from the Dolgoch housing estate, west towards Blodwell, which will link up with that already cleared at Porthywaen.
On 13 November 2009, there was a concentrated volunteers’ working-party specifically devoted to clearance work on the trackbed and railways land close to Oswestry (Cambrian) Station Buildings.
Through a ballot at an Extraordinary General Meeting
Extraordinary General Meeting
An extraordinary general meeting, commonly abbreviated as EGM, is a meeting of members of an organisation, shareholders of a company, or employees of an official body, which occurs at an irregular time. The term is usually used where the group would ordinarily hold an annual general meeting , but...
held at Oswestry (Cambrian) Station Buildings on 20 November 2009, members of the Cambrian Railways Trust (CRT) agreed that:
- every member of the CRT automatically becomes a member of the recently-formed Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) Ltd.; and
- the CRT works towards transferring assets from the CRT to CHR Ltd.; and
- to combine various functions with Cambrian Railways Society (CRS) in order to avoid duplication of costs and efforts.
Society Section
- GobowenGobowen railway stationGobowen railway station is a railway station on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line serving the village of Gobowen in Shropshire, England. It is the nearest station to the town of Oswestry., train services run on two routes;...
, - Park Hall Halt
- Oswestry,
- Weston Wharf
- Llynclys North (Proposed; located at site of Junction)
Trust Section
- Llynclys (Proposed)
- Llynclys SouthLlynclys South railway stationLlynclys South is one of currently only two stations on the Cambrian Railways Trust's heritage line in Shropshire. It is on the edge of the village of Llynclys, just south of the disused Llynclys station, on the other side of the B4396 road...
(current northern terminus) - Penygarreg Lane Halt (current southern terminus)
- Pant, (closed; potentially will be reopened)
- Llanymynech (Planned)
- Four Crosses (Planned)
- Pool Quay (Planned)
- Buttington (Planned)
- Welshpool (Planned)
Locomotives
The locomotive fleet currently based on the line is listed below.- Steam Locomotives
- Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0ST "Isabel" (no. 3437 of 1919) Taken out of major service due to being put up for sale, boiler ticket expires in 2015. The locomotive has been sold to the Epping Ongar RailwayEpping Ongar RailwayThe Epping Ongar Railway operates on a preserved railway along the final section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London Underground Central Line branch line between Epping and Ongar, with an intermediate station at North Weald...
and is expected to be moved to Ongar during 2011.
- Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0ST "Isabel" (no. 3437 of 1919) Taken out of major service due to being put up for sale, boiler ticket expires in 2015. The locomotive has been sold to the Epping Ongar Railway
- Diesel Locomotives
- BRBritish RailBritish Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
0-6-0 Class 03British Rail Class 03The British Rail Class 03 locomotive is, together with Class 04, one of BR's most successful smaller 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. The class, numbering 230 examples, was built by British Railways' Swindon and Doncaster works in 1957-1962 and numbered D2000-D2199 and D2370-D2399...
no. D2094. In service on engineering and sometimes passenger trains. Now sold and left the site in May 2010. - BR 0-6-0 Class 08British Rail Class 08The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
no. D3019. Undergoing overhaul.
- BR
- Diesel Multiple Units
- BR Class 101British Rail Class 101The British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham from 1956 to 1959, following construction of a series of prototype units. This class proved to be the most successful and longest-lived of all BR's First Generation DMUs, with the final five...
units 51205+54055 and 51187+51512. 51205 is undergoing overhaul, 54055 is undergoing restoration, 51187 and 51512 are both in regular service.
- BR Class 101
In addition, GWR 7800 Class 7821 Ditcheat Manor
GWR 7800 Class 7821 Ditcheat Manor
Great Western Railway 7800 Class No. 7821 Ditcheat Manor is a preserved British steam locomotive.The second of the last batch of 10 engines of her thirty-strong class, she was actually built by British Railways in 1950. Like most of her class of lightweight 4-6-0s, she was allocated to lines in...
was to join the fleet when a reasonable length of track was available for passenger operations. However, owner Ken Ryder sold 7821 to the West Somerset Railway, and it is now based there with no plans for a return to Llynclys. Ken Ryder is currently selling D2094, 5952 (Cogan Hall) and Isabel along with a tamper and assorted other stock currently on the Cambrian Trust site.
GWR
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
4-6-0 4900 "Hall" Class
GWR 4900 Class
The Great Western Railway 4900 Class or Hall Class is a class of 4-6-0 mixed traffic steam locomotives designed by Charles Collett. A total of 259 were built, numbered 4900–4999, 5900–5999 and 6900–6958. The LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 and LNER Thompson Class B1 both drew heavily on design features...
no. 5952 "Cogan Hall"
GWR 4900 Class 5952 Cogan Hall
GWR Hall Class 5952 was built at Swindon in December 1935. As a mixed traffic engine it would have handled both passenger duties and freight duties....
is now stored awaiting removal to the Llangollen Railway
Llangollen Railway
The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of...
, which plans to use her for the 6880 Betton Grange project before ultimately undertaking restoration.
Carriages
Passenger carriages are based on site for storage or future restoration to be carried out. Most of the British Rail Mark 1 variety had already seen service in preservation prior to being brought on site, as these vehicles were originally based at the Great Central RailwayGreat Central Railway (preserved)
The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and...
in Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.
-
- BRBritish RailBritish Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Mk 1 CKComposite CorridorThe Composite Corridor is a railway coach with a number of compartments, some of which are standard class and some first class, linked by a side corridor.- History :...
16025. Stored awaiting overhaul. - GWR Brake Corridor Third 2370. Stored awaiting restoration.
- GWR Toplight Corridor Third 2447. Stored awaiting restoration, used as staff overnight sleeping accommodation.
- BR Mk 1 FOFirst OpenA First Open or FO, is a type of railway carriage used by British Rail. They were first produced as British Railways Mark 1, and subsequently Mark 2, Mark 3, and Mark 4 variants were produced.-Mark 4:...
3095. Undergoing overhaul, roof repaired and repainted, exterior and interior being finished. - BR Mk 1 SOStandard OpenSecond Open or Standard Open is a British coach designation for open-plan second class coaches with 2+1 abreast seating, usually seating 48 passengers. Second class coaches with more conventional 2+2 abreast seating were designated Tourist Standard Open .There were a number of variations...
4362. Stored awaiting restoration. - BR Mk 1 TSOTourist Standard OpenTourist Second Open or Tourist Standard Open, abbreviated to TSO, is a type of British Railways coach. The designation "Tourist" was originally as opposed to a normal SO coach...
4610. Undergoing overhaul with the bodywork receiving attention. - BR Mk 1 CKComposite CorridorThe Composite Corridor is a railway coach with a number of compartments, some of which are standard class and some first class, linked by a side corridor.- History :...
15632. Undergoing overhaul, bodywork receiving minor repairs and roof being repainted. - BR Mk 1 BSKStandard CorridorThe Standard Corridor type of railway carriage was one of the standard mid-20th century designs, and was coded SK by the LNER and BR, and CF by the LMS...
35334. Undergoing overhaul. Work currently (early 2010) concentrated on brake end interior. - BR Mk 1 BSKStandard CorridorThe Standard Corridor type of railway carriage was one of the standard mid-20th century designs, and was coded SK by the LNER and BR, and CF by the LMS...
35316. In restored condition but not used. - BR Mk 1 RMBRestaurant Miniature BuffetThe Restaurant Miniature Buffet is a British Railways Mark 1 railway coach. It is a Tourist Standard Open coach with two full seating bays next to the centre transverse vestibule removed and replaced with a buffet counter and customers standing space, and one bay on one side removed and replaced...
1850. Non-Operational and used as a station shop and cafe. - BR Mk 1 TSOTourist Standard OpenTourist Second Open or Tourist Standard Open, abbreviated to TSO, is a type of British Railways coach. The designation "Tourist" was originally as opposed to a normal SO coach...
4965. Stored awaiting overhaul.
- BR