Glyn Valley decision due

Yes, they could have, but 2' 6" being the infinitely more popular gauge will give them a massive advantage starting out. If they were going to use 2' 3" they may as well have used 2' 4 1/2". In the future when they are better established such things as replica trains may be considered, but not for many years yet - like the WLLR.

 

We had to base our choice of gauge on the availability of steam locomotives available for hire and rolling stock that can be permanently based on the line as well as back up plans in the event of failure. It would be nice to be able to see the original GVT coaches come back to Chirk for however long. The coaches have been on the TR for a a long time and are almost part of that line's history as well. We intend to construct acceptable look alike coaches to start with and will no doubt want to visit Pendre to examine the originals when we might are able to build more accurate rolling stock in due course.

 

I think I can work that one out thanks..........

 

Good luck guys. I must admit I dont know much about the original GVT but the locos looked unusual. i hope that 2ft 6in works out to be the right choice of gauge for you. as for motive power, if the line is to start off small then a small loco would be required. I reckon Dougal from the WLLR would fit the bill perfectly. I dont think she gets much use at welshpool due to her size.

 

The Beyer Peacocks were fairly conventional 0-4-2T locos underneath the side skirts and were certainly a unique feature of the line. We have gained some experience with a certain La Meuse 0-4-0T based at Statfold but there would certainly be scope for other 2ft 6in locos to run on the line. The ruling gradient is 1 in 62 from Pontfaen but depending on funding the line is likely to be completed in stages so smaller locos may have a place. We are determined to be part of a wider railway community which is another reason for our choice of gauge.

 

Is this engine still going to be part of the GVT project? I gather she was offered for sale some time ago?
Stafold's Pakis Baru No. 1 strikes me as another small 2'6" gauge engine that might be suitable for early operations, and one can't imagine that Graham Lee would be adverse to hiring her out - Statfold is already well supplied with motive power! But of course, we are getting ahead of ourselves - you have a railway to build first!

 

We'd like to think so its a nice engine ! I don't want to disappoint anyone by speculating on any particular loco at this early stage in our development as no agreements have been signed. Our long term aim is to have new build tram locos but we are pragmatic and a suitably sized steam loco will need to be hired. We face a period of serious fundraising to make the Tramway a reality. We have come a long way in the last four years and there is a real determination to make some real progress with the project.

 

I woukld hope you are going to try and re-create the tramway something like it was in order to tell it's story.

Too many Railways ignore this and merely are a place to play trains at.

 

Let the sepia photos be our blueprints !

Educational Charity, passionate, experienced and hard working Trustees, 250 members and growing, planning consent, strong political support at the highest level, strong local support, Design Study and planning consent within 4 years.

Adjacent to a World Heritage Site and a National Trust property. Perhaps the last Welsh narrow gauge line to be revived.

Our vision will produce a friendly and unique attraction with outward looking staff with an important part to play in local tourism. The GVT had to work for its living and the 21st century version will be no different. There will be no place for playing trains.

As more people back the dream and swell our funds the more original features and authentic stock and locos can be introduced.

 

Well you could also add the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway and the Padarn Railway or most of it !

I say perhaps or probably we will be the last but you never know.

 

This project is clearly at its Genesis moment, so to demand a super-authentic GVT recreation from the off would be foolish. I hope that in time, as at Welshpool, you will be able to have a new-build vintage train calling at as authentic a set of stations as you can pragmatically achieve. In the short term, as you establish yourselves, I look forward to visiting and having a ride behind whatever loco in whatever carriage!

 

Thanks for your supportive comments and realistic grasp of what we face.

 

LocoSuper, please plug your website, I'd like to follow how you are getting on.

 

With a steam railways coming out of its ears, I still think Wales needs no more. Some of the existing lines are already struggling. It seems to me that this is wanting to be chief rather than being an Indian on existing lines.
Sorry

 

Our website is at www.thegvtorg I will make sure I plug at every post.

 

What a depressing viewpoint. We carried 370,000 people last year. With a UK population in excess of 60 million, that's peanuts. There's still plenty of potential customers out there.

 

Is this address correct? It takes me to a page cannot be found thingy (ah, correct address is www.thegvt.org)

 

To be fair to lynton&barnstaple, I think you are greatly oversimplifying the problem. Wales has a particular concentration of heritage railways, which is both a blessing a curse: enthusiasts will want to holiday in the area and see them all, but Joe Public may decide to pick just one. One the one hand, the Welsh borders are not so well-supplied with railways as the top left-hand corner of Wales; on the other hand the GVT is still fairly close to Llangollen and Welshpool.
And you're not just competing for customers: you're also competing for volunteers and funding. You can certainly make a case that resources are better concentrated on a smaller number of schemes. For example, if someone were to propose to reopen an unspectacular stretch of SG line in South-East England, I would respectfully suggest that the money would be better spent on restoring the Bluebell's vast array of vintage carriages. On the other hand, we currently have far fewer 2'6" gauge lines than 2', so the GVT scheme would perhaps be filling a gap in the market in that respect. The tram engines would certainly be a "unique selling point" if they can one day be recreated.

It's always been volunteers that make preservation viable. I think new preservation schemes can still succeed, but the key to long-term success - not just for individual lines, but for the movement as a whole - will be to draw in support from the wider local community, rather than just railway enthusiasts. As you say, there are 60 million people in the UK - but how do we draw them in, not just as visitors, but as volunteers?

 

Yes you are right our website is The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust I missed a dot.