Endings and beginnings

Our twelve day exploration of six of the thirteen narrow gauge railways in Wales has come to and end. The last two days of the trip saw us visit the Vale of Rheidol Railway, which has the distinction of being the last steam-operated line under British Rail from 1968 until its privitisation in 1989.

The Vale of Rheidol Railway is based in Aberystwyth. The line runs for just shy of 12 miles, including a 1 in 40 gradient, to the terminus at Devil’s Bridge. The final stretch is particularly photogenic with a hillside position offering spectacular views of the line into the distance. Unfortunately, the weather was far from conducive to photography – a flat grey sky and heavy rain. This didn’t deter the group, but whatever we could conjure up it was pretty clear that these would be photos the world doesn’t need!

On the last day we were treated to the first photo charter for Hanomag Garratt No.60 “Drakensberg” (1927) hauling an SAR-style freight train after the completion of its commissioning in October/November. It was a spectacular sight even in the misty and murky conditions, so I imagine it will be a massive draw as the railway resumes operations in 2022.

Hanomag Garratt No.60 “Drakensberg” on the Vale of Rheidol Railway

Over the course of the tour we have enjoyed runpasts with 18 locomotives, but we saw a few more in action on service and rescue trains. In total, we were able to see 21 locomotives in action on the six Welsh narrow gauge lines we visited which is a good deal more than the one steam loco I saw in action in 2020! Thank you to everyone who made this possible under the challenging circumstances of the pandemic.

Gallery

A few last shots from the Vale of Rheidol Railway, Brecon Mountain Railway and Talyllyn Railway to round off.