Today’s Treasures – Cambrian Heritage Railways

In the 1860s, the Cambrian Railways Company was based at Oswestry station and ran over 300 miles of track, east, west and south.  Their building complex included a large engineering works making engines, carriages and wagons.  The building still stands but the trains have gone – the passenger services ended in 1966 and the engine sheds now have other uses.

Happily, heritage trains still run from Oswestry station which is the home of Cambrian Heritage Railways. Trains run by volunteers travel along the 1.5 miles of track to Weston Wharf (home of the Stonehouse Brewery) and back.  A short stretch of track has also been reinstated between Llynclys and Pant and a station halt has been completed at Pen y Garreg Lane.

In September Cambrian Heritage Railways hosted a special day out.  We boarded the train at Oswestry station and rattled along the tracks to Weston Wharf.  Sitting in one of the old carriages, visions of Victorian children boarding the train to Barmouth with buckets and spades came to mind.  And I could almost imagine Poirot sitting opposite me looking out of the old sliding down windows as trees and hedges, and old walls slide past – past the church, the overgrown headstones leaning against ancient railings, then slowing down into the Weston Wharf yard with the relics of goods trains and the engine shed.

There we met the volunteer stationmaster (reminiscent of the Fat Controller of Thomas the Tank Engine days) who told us about the days of the goods trains – the railway used to transport coal from a local colliery at Morda – then an entrepreneur discovered there was clay under the coal and set up Sweeney Brickworks so the trains then carried bricks.  And quarry trains ran from Blodwel Quarry in the Tanat Valley until 1988.

A heritage bus arrived to take us to Llynclys South station where we enjoyed an excellent cup of tea in the buffet in a restored carriage.

Then we climbed aboard a brake van to travel to Pen y Garreg Lane and back.  The track was overgrown, adorned with autumn’s bounty – elderberries, blackberries, rosehips and rowanberries, and brambles and traveller’s joy climbing with gay abandon over fences and trees and hedges.

Then we travelled back to Lynclys and clambered aboard the old bus back to Weston Wharf, enjoyed lunch and delicious cakes in the station buffet, then caught the train back to Oswestry.

A fabulous day out!

Thanks to all the members and volunteers – if you would like to join them – find out more www.cambrianrailways.com

Published in the October edition of the Whitchurch Gossip