Glyn Valley Tramway, Track relaying at Glynceiriog

Part of the Glyn Valley tramway is to be relaid at Glynceiriog following the donation of nearly 1/2 mile of 30lb rail to the New Glyn Valley Tramway & Industrial Heritage Trust by an Oswestry based firm.With the rails delivered in the heavy snow work is shortly to start. Some of this rail will be used to relay track to the original gauge in the yard and Engine shed during restoration and the remander will be laid on the former coal wharf nearby.This will be laid in 2`gauge to start running trains but if rolling stock of the original gauge becomes available it would be converted. This development will run as The Coalwharf Tramway.The plan is to have a good section relaid in time for the GVT Fun day on Saturday June 8 .This will be narrow gauge theme with steam on 2`g and smaller,plus other items to be confirmed .

 

Which particular version of 2'? 1'11 3/4", 2'3", 2'6 or GVT original 2'4 1/2"?

As I think I have mentioned before there could be possibilities with a 2'3" gauge for the original stock to visit.

 

The Engine shed will be relayed with 2' 4 1/2" to original and The Coalwharf 1.11 3/4" as we have a steam loco and diesels on offer to us .

 

How bizzare.............

 

It also makes the falling out with the 'other' GVT group over keeping the original gauge seem rather pointless now...


Keith

 

"If rolling stock of the original gauge becomes available"

Interesting statement. Other than the TR carriages (as much a part of TR heritage) which would require regauging anyway, and the new replica wagons (which can be built to any reasonable approximation of original gauge), I can't think of anything that matches this.

All very silly.

 

That was almost my thinking Andy...

So if the shed is laid at your original gauge and the running line is another gauge I presume then that the stock and locomotives you have been offered will be out in the open then?

All sounds very different from the norm anyway

 

As you say replica wagons and coaches can be built for a reasonable price but justifiying £1000`s for a replica locomotive is not an option at the moment or forseeable future, but you never know?

 

The 'new blood' responsible for this latest venture are real achievers the type that get out there and get on with it... however, getting through the red tape and up and running by June 8th will be quite some challenge. I wish them the very best of luck.

 

Well, as gauge purity no longer seems such a big deal to this group, why don't they emulate the Cambrian folk and seek a rapprochement with the other GVT group - who seem to be getting on even better?

 

...how very bizzare

 

I think gauge was just one of several areas of disagreement between the Trust and the Group. The idea as stated is to get trains up and running as soon as possible and the availability to the group of 2ft stock makes this decision a sensible one. I believe that the Trust intends to lay track to 2' 6".

 

...."to get trains up and running as soon as possible".... and leave the gauge to later !!

 

Two groups, three gauges, one aim...sounds worst then the WHR/WHHR fiasco! I'd rather they buried the hatchet and put their collective efforts together, rather then this rivalry. How much of this is wanting to play trains on our railway, and not someone else's? I'm not involved in either group in any capacity by the way, just an external view.

2' 6" is closer to the original (just), more in keeping and stock is (arguably) more readily available, seems logical

 

I'm not involved with either side and I'm not sure of all the answers here but as I see it, they want to get steam back to Glyn and that will come in 2ft gauge. Is it about playing trains? Perhaps but they wont be the only ones and it will not doubt create local interest, I can't see anthing wrong with that. I take it they intend to use their own money so goodluck I say.

 

Fiasco is not a word that I would use to describe anything to do with the WHR/WHHR.
My dictionary defines fiasco as; 'a complete failure, esp one that is ignominious or humiliating.'
The achievement of building the railway between Porthmadog and Caernarfon is neither ignominious or humiliating.

 

It's easy to comment from the outside without knowing any of the facts, but it has often baffled me why the Talyllyn (& Corris) gauge could not be adopted by one of the parties - since the only known original surviving coaches are that gauge (& restored for use at the Talyllyn). There's only 1.5" in it!
Who knows, these coaches might be able to visit one day.
They certainly would not be able to be used if the railway is rebuilt at 2' or 2'6"!
In addition to the famous tram locos, the Glyn Valley also had an ex-WW1 Baldwin 4-6-0T - these were apparently re-gauged by pushing the tyres out (both for Snailbeach & GVT) slightly. There is still the odd un-restored example out there........

 

It all depends on your point of view, without risking a rehash of all the other threads on the WHR !!

 

This confirms my suspicion why some 'preservation' groups get beaten to the finishing line like the WHR, I think what happens is decades go by with very little activity and some groups think it will be enough to put their stamp on a particular railway but in the end somebody else with more financial clout comes along and sees no reason to dump their cash in the direction of the existing group. I was particularly concerned that the group at the Chirk end was going to change the gauge to 2ft 6ins, my opinion is that if you are building a replica one should be faithful to the original, otherwise you might as well build a railway from scratch anywhere.
For the older group now to say that they will build 2ft lines as well seems to weaken their argument totally! Part of the GVT's charm is that it had an unusual gauge, and didn't Tom Rolt say in Railway Adventure that one idea originally was to convert the Talyllyn railway to miniature and put the existing stock into a museum but to secure goodwill for the venture they decided to stick with the original railway. I think in a way the same applies to a recreation.

 

Yes, but at least the Talyllyn had rolling stock to hand, albeit in a fairly decrepit state. They had the luxuries of an extant railway and facilities to work with, as well as two extra locos from the Corris Railway.

All in all, as long as there is a full-length railway and an authentic-looking train to ride on, I'm not bothered what the gauge is - nor, I expect, will be the great majority of passengers.

PS: The Fairbourne and Ravenglass lines have both been re-gauged in the past, and they were (just about) working railways. In fact, the Fairbourne Railway may be only one where this has happened twice.

Jon