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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 01559 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.
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 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 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.
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
Diesel
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.
For the 2007 season, the line is open as under:
March 31st
April 1st to 30th except 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th
May 1st to 31st except Fridays
June 1st to 30th except 10th, 17th and 24th
July 2nd to 31st except 6th and 13th
August Daily 1st to 31st
September 1st to 30th except Thursdays and
Fridays
October 1st to 31st except 4th, 5th, 11th and 12th
December 15th to 24th
Times
Except for dates given below, trains leave Henllan 11am, 12noon, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm
On April 9th, May 7th and 28th and from July 16th to September 2nd,
there is an additional train at 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.
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
Contact the TVR on +44 (0)1559 371077 for details of Halloween Specials on October 31, and 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 by Deryck Lewis. All
rights reserved.
Page created July 24 1996; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated March 31 2007
If you have any suggestions, comments, or glitches to report, please contact the author at
WalesRails
