The Cambrian Heritage Railways is a heritage railway company, trust and society based at both Llynclys and Oswestry in its newly restored

Oswestry railway station Oswestry railway station is a Grade II listed heritage railway station in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was closed when passenger services were withdrawn in 1966. The station building today is used as commercial premises although the Camb ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Formed after the 2009 merger of the Cambrian Railways Society and the Cambrian Railways Trust, it aims to reinstate the infrastructure required to operate trains from

Gobowen Gobowen is a village in Shropshire, England, about 3 miles north of Oswestry. The population according to the 2011 census was 3,270. History The village was previously called ''Bryn-y-Castell'' ("Hill of the Castle" in English) after the House ...

to Llynclys Junction (for Pant) and to Blodwel. Cambrian Heritage Railways also operates the Cambrian Railways Museum in the Oswestry railway station's former goods depot. Displays include photographs, signs, lamps, signal box fittings and artefacts related to the history of the Cambrian Railways.

Cambrian Railways

Beginning in 1864, the Cambrian Railways was formed through the merger of a series of regional railway companies on the England/

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

border. Following

LNWR The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the L ...

sponsored connection with the LNWR station at Gobowen, it enabled CR and LNWR trains to run from the northwest and

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

into Mid Wales and beyond. This enabled the LNWR to have an alternative route to the GWR mainline, enabling it to run trains between the coal and steel industries of South Wales, into the industrialised Midlands and Northwest England. Merged into the GWR on grouping, it closed its old Oswestry station and ran all services from the former CR/LNWR station. Initially on nationalisation in 1946 it became part of the

Western Region of British Railways The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right on completion of the "Organising for Quality" initiative on 6 April 1992. The Region consisted principally of ex-Great We ...

, but in 1963 moved to the

London Midland Region The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways (BR), and initially consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England, Wales and Northern Irelan ...

. This brought about a sharp decline in services, with the final DMU-powered passenger service running in 1968. Occasional quarry trains ran until 1988 to Blodwel, after which the track was left in place but abandoned by

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

National identity

All operations of the Cambrian Heritage Railways are located within England, albeit close to the Welsh border. However, the historical Cambrian Railways company operated from the Welsh/English border territory into Wales, with more than 95% of its permanent way located in Wales. A number of currently operational Welsh heritage railways were also part of the historical Cambrian Railways, or linked to it, including the

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Briti ...

, the

Welshpool and Llanfair Railway The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) ( cy, Rheilffordd y Trallwng a Llanfair Caereinion) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) ...

, the Ffestiniog Railway, the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and the partially preserved

Penmaenpool railway station Penmaenpool railway station at Penmaenpool in Gwynedd, North Wales, was formerly a station on the branch of the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway, part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line. It closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965. It ha ...

. Cambrian Heritage Railways are widely publicised throughout Wales and despite their English location, are preserving elements of significant Welsh railway heritage.

History

In 1972, a group of enthusiasts established the Cambrian Railways Society (CRS), which obtained a lease from BR over the former Oswestry goods yard and Oswestry South

Signalbox On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetabl ...

. The CRS established a museum in the former CR goods shed and acquired either directly, or through members, a number of steam and diesel engines plus associated rolling stock. In 1997, BR agreed to allow CRS to run trains under a

Light Railway Order The Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. History Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be ob ...

to Middleton Road, over a track of in length. The CRS then purchased the freehold of Weston Wharf goods yard and shed with the help of the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

. After quarry trains finished in 1988, the CRS obtained further agreement from BR to run occasional works/inspection trains (i.e. non-passenger carrying, non-revenue earning) over the line to Blodwel. In 1998, to secure the trackbed and return trains to the residual CR lines, a wider community group of the CRS, Oswestry Council and local business people formed the Cambrian Railways Trust (CRT), to acquire the railway between Gobowen and Blodwel. Once secured, the CRT would hand over the legal agreement to the CRS to actually run trains. In 1997, the CRT obtained funding to carry out a business study of the plans and subsequently agreed to purchase the track from

Railtrack Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from 1994 until 2002. It was created as part of the privatisation of ...

. By 2001, planning permission had been obtained for the entire project, along with a supporting business plan and funding. However, after government-owned company

replaced Railtrack, they stopped negotiations and broke off the deal, stating that they would only deal with a local council. As a result, the CRS withdrew from the CRT and went back to new direct negotiations with Network Rail. After negotiations failed for a second time, the CRS established a third base on part of the Nantmawr branch at Llanddu Junction. The enthusiasts left in CRT decided to embark on their own project, having been offered the freehold of the trackbed between Llynclys and Pant. After obtaining

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

grant aid through Oswestry Borough Council’s tourism initiative, the trackbed was purchased by the council and leased to the CRT. From 2003/4, the CRT began rebuilding the track bed, which allowed trains to run from July 2005. Further grants from DEFRA and the EU allowed this small operation to expand, in both track as well as rolling stock assets. This culminated in the building of Llynclys South station. In 2005, the council bought the semi-derelict Oswestry railway station, refurbishing it with grant aid to provide both a visitor and small business centre. It established the Oswestry Station Building Trust to manage the building and provide information on the old CR. Also in 2005 the CRT obtained via match-funding an HLF grant to establish a new business plan to reinstate the railway between Gobowen, Llynclys and Blodwel. After completion of the study, the CRT proposed a merger with the CRS and the Oswestry Station Building Trust. This would enable: the assets of all three organisations to be merged; duplication of effort in restoring the railway to be removed; a revenue stream which would enable such efforts to continue; and a resultant organisation capable of obtaining monies to restore the railway at an earlier date. This was agreed to in 2009, resulting in the formation of the new trust company, ''Cambrian Heritage Railways. Through a ballot at an

Extraordinary General Meeting An extraordinary general meeting, commonly abbreviated as EGM, is a meeting of members of an organisation, shareholders of a company, or employees of an official body that occurs at an irregular time.' The term is usually used where the group wou ...

held at Oswestry railway station on 20 November 2009, members of both the CRS and CRT agreed that: *Every member of the CRS & CRT automatically becomes a member of the recently formed Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) Ltd *The CRT & CRS work towards transferring assets from the CRT to CHR Ltd.; and *Various functions of both groups be combined to avoid duplication of costs and efforts.

Operations

The CHR currently operates trains on a short stretch of line in Oswestry and on the former CRT Llynclys South to Pant line. The CHR has moved the museum collections of the CRS into Oswestry station, while retaining the former goods shed as an engine and rolling stock restoration point. CHR is also restoring more of the railway infrastructure in Oswestry to operational condition, and since 2006 has restored the former Oswestry South Signal Box, thanks to a £22,000 grant from the Oswestry Visitor Facilities Infrastructure fund. The first steam passenger services ran on the CHR on 24 August 2007, with a DMU trailer coach worked by ex-

Hams Hall Hams Hall is a place near Lea Marston in North Warwickshire, England, named after the former Hams Hall manor house. A power station at Hams Hall was constructed and operated in the late 1920s; a further two power stations began generating elect ...

Peckett Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...

No. 1738/1928 on loan for two weekends from the Kingfisher Line. It was the first steam locomotive at Llynclys since the closure of the Oswestry-Welshpool section of the Cambrian in 1964.

Extension developments

The Cambrian Heritage Railway is extending and repairing track from Llynclys South northwards towards Oswestry to enable trains to run into the former Cambrian Railway headquarters at Oswestry. The line between Llynclys Junction and the A483 level crossing at Weston on the Oswestry bypass was largely cleared and was visited by HM Railways Inspectorate in September 2009 with recommendations made. Additional working-party activities have concentrated on the eastern edge of Dolgoch housing estate between Porth-y-waen and Llynclys and the A483 road bridge at Llynclys. Efforts are soon expected to be directed from the Dolgoch housing estate west towards Blodwel, which will link up with an already cleared section at Porth-y-waen. Recent work has concentrated on reinstating track from the current railhead south of Oswestry station, aimed at reaching Weston Wharf, the location of a craft brewery and other recreational facilities. Before this extension was realised, work was required prior to track being re-laid: the replacement of the Middleton Road Footbridge; lowering of the trackbed under Gasworks Bridge; and the replacement of the Cattle Creep girders beyond

Travis Perkins Travis Perkins plc is a British builders' merchant and home improvement retailer with head offices based in Northampton. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The company began in 179 ...

. By December 2018, ballast was laid from the current railhead to Gasworks Bridge and from the Cattle Creep north to near the bridleway crossing at Travis Perkins. Concrete sleepers were laid from the railhead to where the sewer passes under the track, at which point steel sleepers were laid. Concrete sleepers had also been laid for about 200m north from the Cattle Creep. Work progressed, using mechanical help, in spacing and aligning the sleepers. Early in 2019, a contractor fixed the rail-bearing chairs to the concrete slab under Gasworks Bridge. Work on Gasworks Bridge was completed and trains can run under it. Track has been laid at Weston Wharf after the rolling stock that was stored there had been moved. Sections for the new station at Weston Wharf were delivered and installed. The extension to Weston was completed and opened for service on 2 April 2022.

T&WA Order

The CHR applied for a Transport & Works Act Order for transfer of NR's residual rights to itself and this was granted on 28 February 2017. This permits the CHR to reopen the route from Gobowen to Blodwel Quarry subject to level crossings of the A5 and A483 being replaced by a tunnel and overbridge respectively.

Stations of the Cambrian Heritage Railways

Cambrian Railway (Oswestry)

uture Interchange for commuter services to the National Rail network.* * Oswestry * Weston Wharf *Llynclys North Llynclys_station_site_as_well_as_the_future_junction_station_towards_Blodwel..html" ;"title="Llynclys railway station">Llynclys station site as well as the future junction station towards Blodwel.">Llynclys railway station">Llynclys station site as well as the future junction station towards Blodwel.* Porth-Y-Waen Halt * Blodwel

Cambrian Railway (Llynclys)

uture interchange for commuter services to the National Rail network*Park Hall Halt * Oswestry * Weston Wharf * Llynclys South urrent northern terminus* Penygarreg Lane Halt urrent southern terminus

Locations and map

Locomotives

The locomotive fleet currently based on the line is listed below. *Steam Locomotives ** Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. 0-6-0ST "The Barclay" no. 885 of 1900. Stored awaiting restoration at Oswestry. **

0-4-0ST "Adam" no. 1430 of 1916. Stored awaiting restoration at Oswestry. ** Beyer Peacock 0-4-0ST "Oliver Veltom" no. 2131 of 1951. On display in the Cambrian Railways Museum. Overhaul ongoing at Oswestry. ** Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. 0-4-0ST "Henry Ellison" no. 2217 of 1947. Operational at Oswestry, arrived on loan from The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in March 2022. ** Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. 0-4-0ST "Fife Flyer No 6" no. 2261 of 1949. Out of service awaiting overhaul at Oswestry, arrived from The

Ribble Steam Railway The Ribble Steam Railway is a standard gauge preserved railway in Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2005, running along Preston Docks. The railway began by housing much of the collection from the ...

in August 2016. **

Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST The Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST is a class of steam locomotive designed by Hunslet Engine Company for shunting. The class became the standard British shunting locomotive during the Second World War, and production continued until 1964 at vari ...

0-6-0ST "Norma" no. 3770 of 1952. On display in the Cambrian Railways Museum. Overhaul started at Oswestry but suspended pending fundraising. *Diesel Locomotives **Hudswell 0-4-0DM no. D893 of 1951. On display in the Cambrian Railways Museum. Overhaul undertaken at Oswestry as time allows. **BR 0-6-0 Class 08 no. D3019 of 1953. Undergoing overhaul at Llynclys. **Vulcan 0-4-0 "Telemon" no. 295 of 1955. Operational for passenger and shunting duties at Llynclys. **

Ruston & Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included ca ...

0-4-0DM "Scottie", works no. 412427 of 1957. Previously carried the number 1. Operational for passenger and shunting duties at Oswestry. **

Planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

0-4-0 Diesel hydraulic "Alpha", works no. 3953 of 1962. Operational as a yard shunter at Oswestry. **

Ruston and Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars ...

0-4-0DE "Alun Evans" no. 11517, works no. 458641 of 1963. Operational for passenger and shunting duties at Oswestry, 165 hp engine. **English Electric 0-6-0DH "Jana" no. D1201 of 1969. Stored at Llynclys. **English Electric 0-6-0DH no. D1230 of 1969. Known as 'Kimberley' by previous owners but no plates carried. Operational as a shunter and permanent way locomotive at Llynclys. ** F. C. Hibberd & Co Ltd 0-4-0 "Cyril" no. 3541 of 1952. Operational. Returned to CHR Oswestry in March 2018 from

Tanat Valley Light Railway The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a long standard gauge light railway. It ran westwards from Llanyblodwel in Shropshire, about 5 miles or 8 km south-west of Oswestry. It crossed the Wales–England border and continued up the Tanat va ...

Nantmawr Nantmawr is a village in Shropshire, England. It is located about 5 miles south west of Oswestry and close to the Welsh border. The Offa's Dyke Path runs through the village. Like many of the towns in the Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches ( c ...

. *Diesel Multiple Units **BR Class 101 unit nos. 51205+54055 and 51187+51512 of 1957-1959. 51205 is undergoing overhaul, 54055 (originally 56055) is undergoing restoration, and 51187 and 51512 are both in regular service at Llynclys. **BR Class 144 unit nos. 144006 (55806+55829) and 144007 (55807+55830). 144006 is operational at Oswestry, while 144007 is stored at Weston. *Electro-Diesel Locomotives **BR Class 73 "City of Winchester" no. E6036. Operational at Oswestry. *Miscellaneous **GP-TRAMM (General Purpose Track Repair and Maintenance Machine) no. 98205 of 1985. Stored at Blodwel.

Carriages

Passenger carriages are based at Llynclys, Oswestry and Weston for use, storage or future restoration to be carried out. Most of the

British Rail Mark 1 British Railways Mark 1 is the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways (BR) from 1951 until 1974, now used only for charter services on the main lines or on preserved railways. Follo ...

variety had already seen service in preservation prior to being brought on site, as most of these vehicles were originally based at the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second large ...

. * BR Mk 1

RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...

1850. Non-operational and used as a station shop and café at Llynclys. *BR Mk 1 FO 3095. Undergoing overhaul, roof repaired and repainted, exterior and interior being finished. *BR Mk 1 TSO W3950. Operational at Oswestry. *BR Mk 1 SO 4362. Stored awaiting restoration. *BR Mk 1 TSO E4610. Undergoing overhaul with the bodywork receiving attention. *BR Mk 1 TSO E4965. Operational at Oswestry. *BR Mk 3 SLE 10722. Ex-

Caledonian Sleeper ''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom, the other b ...

. Stored at Oswestry. *BR Mk 1 CK 15632. Undergoing overhaul, bodywork receiving minor repairs and roof being repainted. *BR Mk 1 CK E16025. Undergoing overhaul. *BR Mk 1

BSK BSK is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Sports * OFK Beograd, Serbian football club * FK BSK Borča, Serbian football club * FK BSK Batajnica, Serbian football club * FK BSK Banja Luka, Bosnian-Herzegovinian football club * FK BSK L ...

35316. In restored condition but not used. *BR Mk 1

E35334. Undergoing overhaul. *BR Mk 1

35342. Stored awaiting restoration. *BR Mk 3 40751

LNER LNER may refer to: * London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947 * London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018 * Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...

Buffet Coach. Used as a station shop and café at Weston. *BR Mk 1 43046. Stored at Llynclys. *BR Mk 1 43145. Operational at Oswestry. In addition, there is an unrestored GWR Dean four-wheeled three-compartment Brake Third coach on display in Oswestry.

References

External links

Cambrian Heritage Railways TrustOld Cambrian Railways Society page – historic informationVideo footage of Oswestry railway station
{{authority control Heritage railways in Shropshire Museums in Shropshire Railway museums in England