Cambrian Railways

"Cambrian Railway" redirects here. For the heritage railway, see Cambrian Heritage Railways.

Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles (370 km) of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two of the larger railways to give connections to the North West of England, via the London and North Western Railway; and with the Great Western Railway for connections between London and North Wales. The Cambrian Railways were absorbed by the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922 as a result of the Railways Act 1921. The name is continued today in the route known as the Cambrian Line.

The Cambrian Railways system

Circa 1921 map of the Cambrian Railways

Constituent railways

The earliest section of the Cambrian was the section from Three Cocks to Talyllyn Junction. This had been opened in 1816 as part of the Hay Railway, a tram-road worked by horses connecting the town of Hay with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal at Brecon. The western section was sold to the Brecon and Merthyr Railway; the eastern section became part of the Mid-Wales Railway (see below).

In the following list the dates are: date of incorporation; opening date

Oswestry and Newtown Railway 30 miles (48 km): 6 June 1855; 1860–61
Llanidloes and Newtown Railway 12.25 miles (19.71 km): 4 August 1853; 1859. Until 1861 this section of the line was isolated
Newtown and Machynlleth Railway 23 miles (37 km): 27 July 1857; 1863
Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway 18 miles (29 km): 1 August 1861; 1863–64
Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway 86 miles (138 km): 26 July 1861; 1863–69
Mid-Wales Railway 45.5 miles (73.2 km): 1 August 1859; 1 September 1864. This railway was independent of the Cambrian until 1 January 1888, when the latter took over working the line. On 1 July 1904 the two railways amalgamated.
The Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway 12.75 miles (20.52 km); opened in 1895. Wrexham was the largest town served by the Cambrian.
Van Railway (serving lead mines) 6.5 miles (10.5 km): built 1871
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR) 9 miles (14 km): 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge: opened 4 April 1903; closed to all traffic on 5 November 1956: re-opened as a heritage railway.
Tanat Valley Light Railway (Llynclys - Llangynog) 15 miles (24 km): opened 5 January 1904: closed to passengers 1951
Mawddwy Light Railway 6.75 miles (10.86 km): incorporated 5 July 1865: closed to passengers 1951
Vale of Rheidol Railway 11.75 miles (18.91 km): 1 ft 11¾in gauge: built 1902, absorbed 1913.

Branch lines

Abermule - Kerry
Barmouth Junction - Ruabon
Llanfyllin Branch - to Llanfyllin, accessing the limestone quarries down the valley

(The information in this section was taken largely from The Railway Year Book 1912.)

Feeder lines

The Cambrian had connections with many independent lines, including:

Narrow gauge

Corris Railway, at Machynlleth
Ffestiniog Railway, at Minffordd
Kerry Tramway, at Kerry
Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway, at Llanfihangel (later Llandre)
Talyllyn Railway, at Tywyn

Standard gauge

Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales Railway (later Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway), at Llanymynech

Railway operations

Oswestry railway station and the company head office, circa 1921

The headquarters of the Cambrian Railways was at Oswestry railway station (Welsh: Croesoswallt). The building still stands today, although detached from modern network main railway lines, and was in use for commercial purposes until 2004. After restoration in 2005, this building was reopened as the Cambrian Visitor Centre in June 2006; but on 11 January 2008 closed due to the terms of the lease not being settled. It has since reopened and, amongst other things, is now (2009) being used as the headquarters for the newly formed Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) restoration project.

Bangor-on-Dee Station in 1962

The largest station premises on the line were at Aberystwyth (part of which has been restored and reopened as a J D Wetherspoon in the mid-2000s).

Locomotives

Former Cambrian Railways workshops, Oswestry. Now an antiques warehouse

The "latest Cambrian Passenger Express Locomotive", circa 1921

On vesting its headquarters in July 1865 in Oswestry, the company built the Cambrian railways works to the north of the station on Gobowen Road. Its construction hastened Oswestry's boom as a railway town, from a population of 5,500 in 1861, to nearly 10,000 40 years later.

Built of local red brick and costing £28,000,^[1] the locomotive erecting shop had a central traverser which was hand-moved, serving 12 roads on each side.^[2] On the far north end of the works, 11 sidings accessed a carriage and wagon works.^[2] Power to the machines was provided by a large steam engine via overhead shafting and belts. The 150 feet (46 m) chimney is still a local landmark.^[3] Whilst many carriages and wagons were built in the workshops, only two locomotives were actually constructed at Oswestry.^[2] After the Cambrian Railways was taken over by the GWR on grouping in 1923, the GWR kept the works open as a regional carriage and wagon works, and locomotive repair shop for the associated locomotive shed.

In 1911 there were 91 locomotives and one rail motor car in the Cambrian's rolling stock. At grouping in 1922, 94 standard-gauge engines and five narrow-gauge engines were transferred to the GWR, identified by type and builder at Locomotives of the Great Western Railway.

After becoming part of the London Midland Region in 1963, the depot closed in January 1965, the works in early 1966.^[1] A Grade II listed building, the works today is an antiques centre, small business hub and document storage centre.^[1]

Accidents

Bettisfield Station in 1962

On 1 January 1883, a passenger train was struck by a landslide at Vriog, Merionethshire. The locomotive and its tender are pushed into the sea. Both crew were killed.^[4]

Main article: Welshampton rail crash

On 11 June 1897, a passenger train was derailed at Welshampton, Shropshire due to a combination of defective track and excessive speed. Twelve people were killed.
On 17 January 1918, two freight trains were in a head-on collision at Parkhall, Shropshire due to irregular operation of tablet instruments by signalmen at Oswestry North and Ellesmere Junction signal boxes. The design of the circuitry connecting the instruments and the weather were contributory factors.^[5]

Main article: Abermule train collision

A head-on collision occurred at Abermule on 26 January 1921, killing 15 passengers, including Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest, a director of the company and son of the fifth Marquess of Londonderry. The accident was caused by a confusion amongst the staff at Abermule whereby the driver of the train in the station was given back the token he had just handed over, for the section of track he had just travelled over - it would not have been possible to give him the token for the next section. The driver did not check which token he had and set off. He soon collided with the Aberystwyth to Manchester express coming the other way, which had the token for that section.

Legacy today

A registered museum dedicated to the history of the Cambrian Railways is run by Cambrian Heritage Railways in Oswestry.

A selection of original Cambrian Railways coaches have survived into the present day. Coaches 4, 251 and an unidentified Saloon/Brake all stand in private residence. No.9 is in private storage. No.110 is being restored to service on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway. No.238 and an unidentified six-wheel brake resides with the National Museums & Galleries of Wales. No.247 is currently being used as the cafe at Chinnor station on the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway and No.250 as the Museum on the neighbouring Cholsey and Wallingford Railway having formerly been the Wallingford station cafe. Both No. 247 and No. 250 are grounded bodies. An unidentified First Class body also stands on the Tanat Valley Light Railway.

No Cambrian standard-gauge locomotives still exist.

A road in Brecon which runs off the B4601 and over a part of the former line is known as Cambrian Way in commemoration of it.

References

1 2 3 "Cambrian Railways works". discovershropshire.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
1 2 3 "Oswestry". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
↑ "Two stations for Oswestry". Shropshire County Council. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
↑ Hoole, Ken (1983). Trains in Trouble. Vol. 4. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 24. ISBN 0 906899 07 9.
↑ Vaughan, Adrian (1989). Obstruction Danger. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Limited. pp. 55–59. ISBN 1-85260-055-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cambrian Railways.

Cambrian Heritage Railways
The official Tanat Valley Light Railway Company Ltd
Corris Railway
The Story of the Cambrian, by C. P. Gasquoine, 1922, from Project Gutenberg

Historic Welsh railway companies

Great Western Railway	Aberdare Railway Aberdare Valley Railway Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway Bala and Dolgelly Railway Bala and Festiniog Railway Barry Dock and Railway Barry Railway Blaenavon Tramroad Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Brecon and Merthyr Railway Bridgend Bristol and South Wales Union Railway Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway Cambrian Railways Cardiff Railway Cardiff and Ogmore Carmarthen and Cardigan Carmarthenshire Railway Clarbeston Road and Letterston Railway Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway Corris Railway Corwen and Bala Railway Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway Ely and Clydach Valleys Railway Ely Valley Railway Ely Valley Extension Railway Gwendraeth Valleys Railway Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway Kington Tramway Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway Llancaiach Branch Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway Llanidloes and Newtown Railway Llangollen and Corwen Railway Llangurig branch Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway Llynvi and Ogmore Railway Maerdy Branch Manchester and Milford Railway Mawddwy Railway Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway Mid-Wales Railway Monmouth and Hereford Railway Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway Neath and Brecon Railway Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway Newtown and Machynlleth Railway North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway North Wales Mineral Railway Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway Oswestry and Newtown Railway Pembroke and Tenby Railway Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway Port Talbot Railway Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Rhymney Railway Rumney Railway Ross and Monmouth Railway Shrewsbury and Chester Railway Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway South Wales Railway Taff Vale Railway Tanat Valley Light Railway Vale of Glamorgan Railway Vale of Llangollen Railway Vale of Neath Railway Vale of Rheidol Railway Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway West Midland Railway Whitland and Cardigan Railway Wye Valley Railway Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway

London and North Western Railway	Anglesey Central Railway Bangor and Carnarvon Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway Carnarvonshire Railway Central Wales Railway Central Wales Extension Railway Chester and Holyhead Railway Chester & Connah's Quay Railway Conway and Llanrwst Railway Knighton Railway Llanelly Railway Red Wharf Bay Sirhowy Railway Swansea and Carmarthen Railway Central Wales and Carmarthen Junction Railway Vale of Clwyd Railway

Joint lines	Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway Nantybwch and Rhymney Railway Quaker’s Yard and Merthyr Railway Taff Bargoed Railway Buckley Railway North Wales and Liverpool Railway Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway Vale of Towy Railway Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway Wrexham and Minera Railway

Independent lines	Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad Fairbourne Railway Ffestiniog Railway Festiniog and Blaenau Railway Glyn Valley Tramway Hay Railway Kinmel Camp Railway Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales Railway Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway Ruthin and Cerrig-y-Drudion Railway Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway Snowdon Mountain Railway Swansea and Mumbles Railway Talyllyn Railway Van Railway Welsh Highland Railway

Industrial railways	Bailey's Tramroad Beaufort Ironworks Tramway Bryn Oer Tramway Buckley Tramroad Carnarvonshire Slate Quarries Railway Cedryn Quarry Tramway Cowlyd Tramway Crawshay's Private Railway Crickheath Tramway Croesor Tramway Deeside Tramway Dinorwic Railway Dowlais Railway Eigiau Tramway Elan Valley Railway Gorseddau Junction And Portmadoc Railway Gorseddau Tramway Hendre-Ddu Tramway Kerry Tramway Little Ormes Head Quarry tramway Morda Tramway Nantlle Tramway Padarn Railway Penrhyn Quarry Railway Penydarren Tramway Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry tramways Rhiwbach Tramway Saundersfoot Railway Trefor Quarry railway Tremadoc Tramway

The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies

Great Western London Midland & Scottish London & North Eastern Southern

GWR constituents	Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway Barry Railway Cambrian Railways Cardiff Railway Great Western Railway Rhymney Railway Taff Vale Railway Full list

LNER constituents	Great Central Great Eastern Great Northern Great North of Scotland Hull & Barnsley North British North Eastern Full list

LMS constituents	Caledonian Furness Glasgow & South Western Highland Lancashire & Yorkshire London and North Western Midland North Staffordshire Full list

SR constituents	London and South Western Railway London, Brighton and South Coast Railway London, Chatham and Dover Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway South Eastern Railway Full list

See also History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923–1947 List of companies involved in the grouping

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