Preserved gauge 2 ft (610 mm) Phone +44 1678 540666 Locale Wales | Length 7,242 m Built by Great Western Railway | |
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Original gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Operated by Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Ltd Opened Between 1 December 1861and 10 October 1867 Similar Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland, Llanberis Lake Railway, Llangollen railway station, Bala Tourist Informatio, Welshpool and Llanfair Li Profiles | ||
Bala lake railway gala august 2016
The Bala Lake Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid) is a narrow gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is 4 1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) long, is built on a section of the former standard gauge Ruabon - Barmouth GWR route, which was built by the Bala and Dolgelley Railway Company, and opened in August 1868. The line joined the Corwen & Bala Railway at Bala Junction and with the Cambrian Railways at Dolgellau. The line was absorbed in 1877 and then operated by the Great Western (GWR). In 1896 Llanuwchllyn station was redeveloped, with an extended building and a new signal box. A passing loop and second platform were also added.
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Passenger services through Bala ceased on Monday 18 January 1965 as the line from Llangollen to Barmouth was closed. Originally earmarked for dieselisation by the Western Region of British Railways in the early 1960s, the Ruabon to Bala / Barmouth line was included in the infamous Beeching Report in 1963. From that time, the line was gradually run down, with the long distance holiday trains and through freight traffic being diverted to the Cambrian main line through Welshpool and other facilities rationalised. Goods traffic finally ceased running 1 January 1968, when the Pontcysyllte branch was closed. However, through rail services had effectively ceased December 1964 when the last Mail Train from Chester used the line.
Another section of the former permanent way is used by the Llangollen Railway. The Bala Lake Railway, which runs on 2 ft (610 mm)-gauge preserved rolling stock, is a member of the Great Little Trains of Wales.
Bala lake railway gala
HistoryEdit
By 1969 the track had been lifted but rebirth of the line as a narrow gauge railway came when local engineer, George Barnes, saw the potential of the lakeside section for both local and tourist traffic. With the help of the late Tom Jones CBE, then Chairman of Merioneth County Council's Finance Committee, named Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Ltd, was the first company in Wales to be registered exclusively in the Welsh language.
Bala Lake Railway opened on 13 August 1972. In its first season, it operated a small industrial diesel engine with two open carriages on 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) of track between Llanuwchllyn and Pentrepiod.
Extension work continued throughout this period with the help of local ex-British Rail employees. The line was extended to Llangower by the start of 1973. In 1975 the line reached a new temporary station at Pant-yr-hen-felin.
The following year the line reached Bala (Llyn Tegid), now known as Bala (Penybont). Expansion plans were to extend the line into Bala's town centre, with this final section opening in 1981. However, these plans were abandoned early in that year.
The canopy at Llanuwchllyn was built in 1979 with supports which were made for the Cambrian Railways station at Pwllheli, but were relocated to Aberdovey in 1907 when Pwllheli station was moved.
In 2010, the company revived plans to complete the final 0.75 miles (1.2 km) of the railway to Bala town centre. The Red Dragon Project, under the auspices of the Bala Lake Railway Trust, has been established to build the £2.5 million extension. The plans also include: a new engine shed and visitor centre as well as rebuilding of the carriage shed.
The company now has the largest collection of historic narrow gauge quarry locomotives built by the Hunslet Engine Company specifically for the slate industry in North Wales.
The stations along the line are:
Rolling stockEdit
Steam locomotives currently in use or stored on the line are:
All locos - with the exception of Diana - were built by the Hunslet Engine Company for the Dinorwic and Penrhyn Quarries. The numerous Hunslet slate quarry steam locomotives have led the railway to market itself as the home of the Hunslet brand.
Until late 2011, Peckett 0-6-0st Triassic was stored on the Bala Lake Railway, was relocated to the Statfold Barn Railway during the overhauls of Winifred and George B due to storage space issues, but returned in Summer 2016.
The four main diesel locomotives are:
A new addition to the fleet is a track maintenance trolley in the style of a standard gauge Wickham trolley.