Nostalgic about Steam (Other railways...)

Member Name: merv

Product:	Other railways...
Date:	01/12/01 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A lovely day out

Disadvantages: None

When I was a young boy growing up in the 1950’s, I lived in a north Shropshire village right next to what was then the main line between London and Holyhead. As you can imagine it was the steam train era and my pals and I would spend hours watching the trains, playing on the bridges, hanging out at the station and occasionally riding on the footplates. All activities, which would be frowned upon now as dangerous and a safety risk, but which in those days were part of growing up if you lived close to a main railway line.

I wasn’t an ‘anorak’ in the sense that I collected the numbers and knew all the different wheel formations, though some of my friends did, but I did have a well-thumbed copy of the Observer’s Book of Steam Locomotives which listed all the names of the trains – ‘The Duchess of Atholl’, ‘Chirk Castle’, ‘Henlle Hall’, etc, all very evocative and much more interesting than the faceless diesels with their hyphenated numbers which currently operate. I can still remember the excitement when a new train appeared, perhaps one from a different region or area.

At that time my father was the local shoe repairer and had a small shop in the village. He had a contract with the owner of a shop, which sold shoes in a town further up the line. Twice a week I would go with him to the station to either collect or deliver a huge canvas bag full of shoes to be repaired or returned. Its one of my strongest and happiest childhood memories, sitting with my dad in the porters’ room in front of what seemed like a huge open fire suitable for a baronial home, waiting for the 8.00pm train to arrive and chatting with the station staff. The steam train would arrive with great pomp and circumstance, tremendously noisy, with hissing steam creating a ‘fog’, which practically hid the train and everyone alighting from it (shades of Brief Encounter!). Most of all I remember the sm
ell of the steam (they say that smell is the strongest and most memorable of the senses) allied to the musty smell of the station – they all used to smell the same in those days, whether in London, Scotland or any other part of the UK.

We’d load the canvass bag with its enormous ‘Paddington Bear’ type label onto the train, collect the incoming bag and that would be it for another few days. It may not sound very exciting now, but it definitely merits an entry in my personal magic box of memories.

So much for the nostalgia, but what’s all this leading to, you might ask?

Six miles down the road from where I live and not a great distance from where I was brought up, I have the opportunity to relive those heady days of steam train travel on the preserved standard-gauge railway at Llangollen, which follows an eight mile route along the Dee Valley from Llangollen to Carrog.

It’s a wonderful day out for families and enthusiasts through the superb scenery of the Dee Valley, departing from Llangollen and passing through the beautiful Denbighshire countryside. The journey takes you past the Llangollen Canal and Llantysilio Mountains; over the tumbling waters of the River Dee; through the Berwyn Tunnel and by forests, fields and sites of historic interest.

It was originally part of the Ruabon to Barmouth line, which closed to passenger traffic in 1965, and to goods in 1968 as part of Beeching’s cuts. The track and signalling were removed and for seven years the buildings and trackbed were left at the mercy of nature.

In September 1975, a group of enthusiastic volunteers started the rebirth of the line with an open day and 60 feet of track. Since then the line has rarely looked back. The efforts of the growing band of volunteers have seen it extended to some 8 miles along the Dee Valley through outstanding Welsh scenery, with views over the valley and its surroundings not seen from
the A5 above.

The journey is incredibly picturesque. It starts at Llangollen Station, by the famous bridge over the river Dee, which is practically in the town centre, and close to the canal wharf and a lovely riverside walk, as well as the motor museum and surprisingly enough the BBC’s official Dr. Who exhibition.

From there it follows the course of the river and up a steep gradient to Berwyn station, which is perched high above the river gorge and has one of the most spectacular settings of any railway station in the country. It has a tea shop and there is a pleasant walk along the canal to the Horseshoe Falls, where the Llangollen canal leaves the River Dee. From the train you can see the Chain Bridge Hotel far below you, which is a treasure in itself, deep in the valley shadowed by the ‘velvet’ mountain and nestling between the roaring river Dee, with its spectacular canoe slalom and the Shropshire Union canal. There are all sorts of interesting and picturesque walks here and some great places for a traditional pint and excellent food, including the Chain Bridge, which actually has a swaying chain bridge crossing the river (currently closed and awaiting renovation following an application for a grant), the Britannia and the Abbey Grange.

The journey continues over a spectacular viaduct and through the 684 yard Berwyn Tunnel through the beautiful Berwyn mountains alongside the river and past the Horseshoe Falls to Glyndyfdry, another delightful village, until it reaches journey’s end at Carrog. The village is set in a beautiful location by the river in the lee of the hills. The station has been lovingly and painstakingly restored to pristine early 50’s condition. Once again a lovely place to explore with riverside walks, majestic mountains a quaint tea room and friendly local pub.

The whole experience is a delight whether in the summer when you can combine it with a horse drawn canal boat tr
ip, or in a snowy winter when the trips transformed into a magical experience straight out of a Swiss Alps scene. The Santa and mince pie specials over the festive period are a pleasant break from Christmas shopping and seasonal television and the Thomas the Tank Engine weekends are thoroughly enjoyed by the children. For the adults there are dinner dances on the Berwyn Belle which I’m told are great fun on selected Saturday evenings, as are the Sunday Lunches.

Trains operate at weekends for most of the year, and daily from June to the end of October. During the summer, most trains are steam-hauled; at other times diesel locos or railcars are sometimes used, though this is most likely out of season. Operational steam engines regularly seen at Llangollen are Pannier 7754, Black 5 44806, Jinty 47298, Small Prairie 4141, 7822 Foxcote Manor, and 5459 Austin No. 1.

Details of prices and how to get there can be found on the Llangollen railway web site, www. llangollen-railway.co.uk along with a time table and information about the speciality week-ends they host.
Definitely a lovely day out whether you are an enthusiast, nostalgic about steam or if you and the family just want to spend time in some beautiful countryside.

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