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History
Opened as a horse-drawn tramway between Machynlleth and Corris in 1859, steam
locomotives were not introduced on the Corris Railway until some twenty years later.
Passenger services commenced in 1883 (though passengers had been unofficially carried
since 1874!) with horse-bus connection to communities near Talyllyn Lake and Cader Idris
(the area around one of Wales' legendary peaks).
Passenger services saw the railway through a slump in the slate market during the 1880s
which saw the passenger services were extended
to Aberllefenni in 1887.
The twentieth century brought a change of fortune for the Corris Railway. Hailed as 'one
of the most successful small railways in Wales' in 1904, two years later it was reporting
its first operating loss.
Slate traffic got a boost from the re-building programme after the First World War, but
increasing competition from road traffic led to a reduction in the numbers of passenger
carried.
The Great Western Railway took over the line in 1930, and withdrew passenger trains in
favour of bus services operated by a subsidiary of the GWR.
The Corris' fortunes continued to decline until the threat of flooding by the River Dyfi
finally led to closure in 1948.
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Restoration
In the early 1950s, some of the locos and one of the Corris Railway's bogie coaches had
been bought by the (then) newly formed Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society and moved to
Tywyn (where they still run today).
In the mid-60s a group of Talyllyn volunteers decided to try to preserve something of the
Corris route which had almost disappeared under the encroaching vegetation. The Corris
Society was formed in 1966 and reached its first landmark in 1970 when the Corris Railway
Museum was opened in the former railway stable.
The following year a few hundred yards of 'demonstration track' was laid adjacent to the
Museum, and in 1981, the engine shed at Maespoeth was reinstated as engine shed and
workshop. Approval to lay track between Corris and Maespoeth was received in 1984, and the
first train for 37 years ran in 1985.
This was the start of a sustained period of planning and legal battles to obtain the
necessary running powers to achieve the Society's aims of reopening the line to
passengers.
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The line today
Approval to operate
passengers services was finally given on 15 March 2002, and the first fare-paying
passenger train for seventy-two years left Corris Station on 3 June (pictured right), with
regular services resuming the following Sunday.
Passenger trains are hauled (strictly speaking, propelled) by diesel loco No 6, and
usually consist of four-wheel coach No 20 and bogie carriage No 21, both of
which have been designed to look similar to the railway's original passenger
series. Another bogie carriage, featuring a clerestory roof like two of the
original vehicles, is currently under construction.
The railway's new-build steam loco No 7 was delivered to the line on May 17 and
is expected to be passed to enter service during the course of the 2005 season.
Among the locos and rolling stock on display are a Simplex four-wheel diesel
mechanical locomotive No 5, named Alan Meaden after the late founder of the
Corris Railway Society, and a Hunslet four-wheel diesel locomotive No.8.
Five original wagons that operated on
the line are in use or under restoration and will form the basis of
demonstration mixed trains, reminiscent of the 1920s.
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The Future
An application is being prepared for a Transport and Works Order
to extend to a new southern terminus at Tan-y-Coed, bringing the total operating length of
track up to 2½ miles. The landowners have granted permission to clear undergrowth from
the trackbed.
An on-going project is continuous research into the history of the line and the
companies which operated it to provide a permanent record of the railway's place
in the economy and social life of the district.
The most pressing project currently underway, however, is acquiring a steam locomotive,
and to this end, members are building a replica of a Kerr Stuart Tattoo class
(pictured left) which used to operate the line. The ten-year project was started in 1995,
and it is hoped that completion will coincide with extension of the line to Maespoeth.
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Railway Operating Days, Times and Fares 2008
Trains start from Corris, and passengers can alight at
Maespoeth to explore the loco shed, but can not join trains there.
March 22nd to 24th; 29th and 30th
April 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th
May 3rd to5th;11th, 18th; 24th to 26th and 31st
June 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th
July 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th; 26th to 29th
August Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays only
September 6th, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th
October 25th
December 13th and 14th
Special Events
March 8th and 9th Operational Training Weekend
May 17th Race the Train
August 2nd and 3rd Teddy Bears' Picnic
August 23rd, 24th and 25th Toy and Model Railway Exhibition
August 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th Corris Festival
September 6th and 7th Corris Show
December 13th and 14th Santa Specials
Contact the railway for times and fares on Special Event dates
Times
Trains depart Corris at 11.00am, 12 noon, 1.00pm, 2.00pm,
3.00pm and 4.00pm.
The round trip takes 50 minutes, with a 30 minute stop at Maespoeth
Fares
| Adults |
£4.00 |
| Children (5 - 15 years of age) |
£2.00 |
| Senior Citizens (Aged 60+) |
£3.00 |
| Family (Two adults plus two children) |
£10.00 |
| Under-fives travel free |
The Railway reserves the right to amend fares for Special Events
Corris Railway Museum (all dates
inclusive)
The Museum is open between 10.30am and 5.00pm on the same days as the railway on the dates
given above
Nearby Attractions
In Corris, there is the Corris Craft Centre and King Arthur's Labyrinth which
takes the visitor on a guided tour by boat and on foot through the underground
caverns of the former Braichgoch Slate Quarry.
Above ground, four miles away, the Centre of Alternative Technology is devoted to
practical demonstration of renewable energy, energy conservation and recycling technology.
Among its attractions is a water-powered cliff railway, and the Centre offers half-price
admission to visitors arriving by cycle, or travelling to the district by train.
Select this link to access the
Centre for
Alternative Technology's web site.
Select this link to access the Corris Railway's
official web site.
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Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 by Deryck
Lewis. Photographs courtesy © Corris Railway. All rights reserved
Page created July 30 1996. Redesigned March 29 1998. Updated February 6 2008
If you have any comments, suggestions or glitches to report, please contact the author at WalesRails
