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Teifi Valley Railway |
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Location: 4 25W
52 03N; UK National Grid SN358407 The Teifi Valley Railway, Henllan Station, Henllan, Nr Newcastle Emlyn, Dyfed, United Kingdom Telephone/Fax:
+44 (0)1559 371077 Search WalesRails .......... Message Board |
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History of the TVR.........The TVR today .......Locomotives and rolling stock.......Days, times and fares
The Teifi Valley Railway (TVR) was formed to preserve three miles of the former Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Railway Company's line which, in the eventuality, never got any closer to Cardigan than Newcastle Emlyn. The section which it has bought is from Newcastle Emlyn to Henllan which is at the other end of the same branch as that preserved by the Gwili Railway. There is a link to the TVR's official web site at the end of this page.
History
The broad-gauge railway was opened in 1860 from Carmarthen to Conwil by the ill-fated
Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway Company - which fell in and out of insolvency until it was
eventually absorbed by the Great Western Railway - though even under the auspices of the
GWR it took until 1895 for the line to reach Newcastle Emlyn, and there it terminated.
In its early days, the line thrived on serving the farming and wool industries, though in
the years following the First World War, this traffic declined. The routes always had a
reputation as lazy rural branches; where trains ambled along, being flagged down by
market-bound farmers' wives making their way across the fields to board the carriages, and
while World War two brought another lease of life to the main line between Carmarthen and
Aberystwyth as a relief route carrying heavy ammunition trains between south and North
Wales, traffic on the Newcastle Emlyn spur steadily declined. Though the main line was to
hold on as a passenger railway until severe flooding severed the route in the mid-19960s,
Newcastle Emlyn closed in 1952.
The railway today
The TVR operates over 2 miles of 1ft 11½in gauge track from its main station at
Henllan, though an extension to Pont Goch is in progress.
Other stations are Forest Halt, Pontprenshitw - with a short walk to the
waterfall - and Llandyfriog.
Facilities include nature trails and country walks, picnic and barbecue areas, woodland
trail and theatre, children's playgrounds and a GWR museum and library.
The TVR has introduced Dragon miniature trains Emlyn and Epod
which take visitors on a 20 minute journey through the legends of Wales.
There are also short-stay facilities for camping and caravanning.
Locomotives
To provide motive power to haul its trains, the TVR can call on the services of one of a number of locomotives, including one over a century old.
Steam
- Hunslet 0-4-0ST No 606 Alan George, built 1894
- Kerr Stuart Haig 0-6-2T No 3117 Sgt Murphy, built 1918
Diesel
- Motor Rail 4WDM 60S No 11111 Sammy, built 1959
- Simon Motor Rail 20/28 4WDM
- Hudson Hunslet 4WDM Sholto
There are also two new locomotives: a Kerr Stuart 0-6-0T Joffre, which has yet to
be assembled; and a Hudson Hunslet 4WDM which is awaiting a new engine.
Also on site is a Raila 0-8-0T 30-inch locomotive.
A GWR 'Toad' brake van No 35029, once based at Severn Tunnel, is now used as a museum and
library.
2008 Days, times and fares
For the 2008 season, the line is open as under:
March 17th to 31st
April 1st to 30th
May 3rd to 5th; 10th, 11th, then 17th to 31st
June 1st to 30th except 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th
July 1st to 31st except 4th, 11th and 18th
August Daily 1st to 31st
September 1st to 30th except Fridays
October 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 19th, 19th, then 25th to 31st
December Contact the TVR for details
Times
Except for dates given below, trains leave Henllan 12noon, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm
On March 24th, May 5th and 26th and from July 21st to August 31st,
there are additional trains at 11.00am and 4.30pm.
The journey lasts approximately 40 minutes, including a 15 minute stop to visit
Pontprenshitw Gorge.
Some trains are diesel-hauled. Steam locomotives will
normally run on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays and may run on other days when
volunteers are available to work them. Trains in August will be mainly steam and
in October they will be mainly diesel-hauled. Telephone +44 (0)559
371077 to check.
Fares (Pay once and ride all day)
Adults £5.50; Children £3.50; Senior Citizens/Disabled £5.00; Family Ticket (up to 2 adults
and 2 children) £16.00; Dogs 50p.
There is a discount for Group bookings and Children under 3 travel free.
Events
- May 27th National Home Start Tea Party. A charity event with competitions and tombola to raise money for a play area at the railway. Trains run from 12 noon to 3.30pm
- July 19th and 20th TVR Gala. A special timetable operates between 10.30am and 5.00pm. On the 19th, there is a demonstration freight train which visitors may photograph from the platforms or the walks.
Contact the TVR on +44 (0)1559 371077 for details of other Special events, including Halloween, and for dates and details of Santa Specials in December.
Select this link to visit the Teifi Valley Railway's official web site
For details of connecting bus services, including travel planner and timetables, visit the Traveline Cymru website.
Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 by Deryck Lewis. All
rights reserved.
Page created July 24 1996; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated May 25 2008
If you have any suggestions, comments, or glitches to report, please contact the author at
WalesRails