Gwili railway.

The Gwili railways owns the trackbed (northwards) to llanpumpsaint, but could it push beyond that? Is the trackbed built on beyond here?

 

There is a lot of detail about possibile extensions to the Gwili at post 25 on this thread

http://railways.national-preservati...ays-centres-uk/34502-gwili-2012-thread-3.html

It is still an ambition of the railway to extend northwards, it is just we feel a southern extension is more achievable in the short to medium term (certainly proving so at the moment anyway)

Regards

Matt

 

Of course if there are any technically minded engineers on here who would like to hep and advise your input would be most welcome. I read what has been achieved on KESR/rothersbridge with some envy the way they have done the bridge overhauls & replacements.

 

From what I've read the GR owns 8 miles of track bed (2.5 operating with 2.0 being laid)
seeing that its taken 30 years to get so far
why look further than what they've got
some longer heritage railways can't sustain what they've got
its not the length that matters.

 

For replacement read repair
the cost difference would might have had Beeching coming out with different sums!

 

I don’t think it has put us off permanently just for the time being. What you have to remember is that at the moment Bronwydd is slightly of the beaten track, so the aim of extending to Carmarthen is that it will be just off the by-pass and the main drag.
Also I believe the bridge situation going north from Danycoed isn't quite as bad as had initially been feared but it will still not be cheap with four bridges between present end of the line and Conwil station.
Although once clear of that I think there is only one bridge between Conwil and Llanpimsaint. Although I’m sure Matt will correct me if I’m wrong.

 

Why do we need an extension? Lots of reasons-

Our present site at Bronwydd is far too cramped and moving aspects of the railway to another site will aid this considerably (at the moment we only have 1 covered shed for stock on the whole railway- are we going to retain volunteers if they have to work in the open?)

A frequent comment from visitors is that they've had a great time but the ride is a bit short

Like many smaller railways we have a core volunteer base who are very committed- to retain their interest and attract new ones the carrot of an extension is a powerful incentive

We are lucky to posess a very fine trackbed with spectacular views of the river Gwili- an extension towards Carmarthen would add to the appeal of our line.

Yes it may have taken 30 years to get this far, but we started with far less than many. I can give you the example of P and B- they had to wait 25 years for the big break and now look at them. It isn't the time you have to wait, its whether expansion is worth doing or not. In our case I believe the answer is yes.

Politically this would seem to be the case- until the mid 1990's what is now Carmarthenshire was mainly a farming community and we were a lone beacon for tourism in the area. Since the main county of Dyfed split Carmarthen has invested heavily in tourism (Botannical Gardens, Ffos Las racecource etc) so political will for doing what we want is there as well.

We are out on a limb and I don't see us taking away resources from other outfits (notwithstanding the numerous starter schemes that are about in South Wales). As a region it deserves one or two lines that make the area worth a visit- an expanded Gwili and P and B would be just the ticket IMO.

Regards

Matt

 

Just seen this link for a petition to ask the Welsh Assembly to reopen Carmrthen - Aberystwyth. How would this affect the Gwili?
https://www.assemblywales.org/epetition-list-of-signatories.htm?pet_id=795

 

I believe that the move towards Carmarthen is one of those 'keys' that will unlock other rewarding possibilities. Its completion would mean we can start to consider building MPD and carriage-storage/maintenance facilities, provide a decent-sized car park and passenger facilities and ensure better visibility as a going concern to the local community and beyond. My thinking is that our arrival at Abergwili/Carmarthen might just be the spur that will attract more volunteers from the local area. Taking all this into consideration, the next few years are going to be pretty exciting...

As for the original post, and looking at Google Earth, it might just be possible to reach the outskirts of Pencader (the tunnel is reputed to be in reasonable condition), but one, we'd need to purchase the trackbed, and two, there are a few buildings over the trackbed just north of Llanpumsaint and near Skanda Vale that would necessitate the formation being slewed/compulsory purchased. Not only that, but there is a caravan depot on the site of Pencader station, and it looks as though some major earthworks would be needed to return the railway to the vicinity.

 

The comparison with the P&B is a good one, not just geographically. As Bulleid Pacific says, Carmarthen is the key like Blaenavon High Level has proved for the P&B.

 

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Carmarthen extension will bring the Gwili on leaps and bounds. Bulleid Pacific sums it up perfectly in his first paragraph.

One thing I like about the Gwili is that it seems to be "well grounded", that is to say it does what it does very nicely, with a minimum of fuss, and seems to live well within its means. I'm sure there are those amongst its ranks who dream of bigger things (every preserved railway has its share of George Hudsons) but I get the impression that unlike some railways I've worked at, folk of that mindset are kept well away from the actual running of the place. That is to be applauded.

The downside to this though, is that a lot of casual visitors don't return, because they get the impression, rightly or wrongly, that if you've been there once it's not worth a return visit as there'll be little new to see. A proper MPD would give the railway much more scope in terms of locomotive availability and maintenence facilities, to bring it on a par with other Welsh centres of steam excellence.

Another downside to heading north would be that it will thin out the manpower. That section really is in the back-end of beyond, especially where road access is necessary for civil engineering work. Nor can I foresee see the residents of Pencader welcoming a steam railway, with all its attendant extra road traffic, with open arms; and as locals will be aware, with the station being slap-bang in the middle of infill housing development it would prove costly.

I wish the railway the very best of fortune in its efforts.

 

Just to clarify we don't own the track bed to Pencader. The boundary of our track bed is Llanpumsaint some 2-3 miles short of Pencader.

 

Abergwili to Llanpumsaint has always been the dream, and there have been plenty of missed opportunities and dashed hopes along the way in the 30 years. We now find ourselves with some momentum again and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be this time....

 

One thing that is repeatedly brought up when talking to passengers on the line is that they do appreciate the fact that the volunteers give them the 'personal touch' and value their custom, but the ride itself could be longer. We are lucky in that the line has some very scenic sections, and recent tree-felling will help to thin-out the 'green tunnel' south of Bronwydd when the time comes to open the extension to the travelling public. By the way, to clarify, although I am a volunteer on said railway, anything I say is my own take on developments and does not necessarily coincide with the views of the powers-that-be.

 

While Carmarthen North is critical for the Gwili, BHL is only the half-way point for the 1st step of the P&B railway. They need to get to the summit of the line, Waunavon also, where the trackbed is level, otherwise they can't put in run-around loops, and cannot continue loco-hauled services while expecting them to be economically/commercially viable.