Chuff, chuff, whistle, whistle

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 19:35

A bad impression of a steam train!

Moored at Sun Trevor on the Llangollen Canal, we caught the number 5 bus into Llangollen. Yes, I know it is in walking distance, but I wanted to conserve my "puff" for walking around the town.

The town of Llangollen nestles in the Dee Valley and has lots to see and do. The Dee Valley is an attraction in itself and seen from a steam hauled train it is even better!

Llangollen Station by the River Dee

We caught the 11am train and our loco of the day was a GWR Pannier Tank loco number 6430. The train was not full - so we found a comfy seat and got the camera out!

Pannier Tank

The first stop is Berwyn Station. The railway arrives over a viaduct that crosses a stream and is parallel to the River.

Viaduct and Bridge (taken in May 2005)

It is lovely here - the King Edward Vll Bridge crosses the River and the Chain footbridge (closed for safety) gives its name to the Chain Bridge Hotel which hangs over the "rapids" of the river.

King Edward Vll Bridge from train

Berwyn Tunnel is next - the tunnel is 689 yards and is the longest single-bore railway tunnel in preservation. In our carriage there were no lights so it was pitch dark for a short while!

Just north of Berwyn Tunnel are Horseshoe Falls - the source of the Llangollen feeder canal, taking water from the river and causing the down stream flow of the Llangollen Main Line. This bit of the feeder is un-navigable until it reaches Llangollen.

The railway and the river run together through the Llantysilio Valley. we could just see Llantysilio Hall, dating from 1867, which  nestles amongst trees on the other side.

Llantysilio Valley

Glyndyfrdwy Station was demolished when the line was closed, but it has been rebuilt on the excavated foundations of the original platforms. Buildings and pieces from other old stations have been recovered and used here, including the signal box from Barmouth.

Carrog is the end of the line and here we alighted along with the other passengers to wander on the platform, buy pasties from the cafe, look in the shops created in the old carriages and watch the loco "go around".

Carrog Station and loco returning to hook up

Our return journey began after a long 20 minutes - long because, as on the way up, the loco was having trouble building a sufficient head of steam. We had stopped a couple of times and did so again on the way back. According to the Guard, it was the fault of inferior coal, not leaves or sheep on the line! So we imagined that the fireman was having a hard time keeping heat in the fire box.

Once again the beauty of the area left us breathless - the River Dee, Chain Bridge Hotel and the Welsh Hills were shown at their best in the afternoon sunshine. You may just be able to see the canoeists shooting the rapids in the photo below!

Chain Bridge Hotel and Chain Bridge

We arrived back at Llangollen almost 45 minutes late - that darn coal - and this meant that the 13.00 train left late and the 15.00 one was cancelled. John tells me that he met a volunteer today who told him the dud coal had to be returned to the supplier.