Glyn Valley Tramway
of Chirk
The Glyn Valley Tramway was a narrow gauge railway that connected Chirk with Glyn Ceiriog in Denbighshire. The gauge of the line was 2 ft 4.5 in. The total length of the line was 8.25 miles, 6.5 miles of which were worked by passenger trains, the remainder serving a large granite quarry and several minor slate quarries. [1]
1870 The company was incorporated as the Ellesmere and Glyn Valley Railway Company, and subsequently the name was changed to the Glyn Valley Tramway.
The railway was built to connect the quarries at Glyn Ceriog with the Shropshire Union Canal at Chirk. The Glyn Valley Tramway was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1870 which allowed the company to build a tramway from the canal at Chirk Bank to the Cambrian Slate Quarries. This initial line, 6.5 miles was opened in 1873, and was worked by horse and gravity traction. Both passenger and freight traffic was carried from that year.
1885 additional parliamentary powers were obtained to abandon the Quinta Tramway section between Pontfaen and Chirk Bank, replacing it with a new line from Pontfaen to the Great Western Railway's Chirk Station. A two mile extension was also authorized from Glyn to the quarries around Pandy.
1889 The railway was completed early in this year. It is 8.75 miles in length. [2]
Rebuilding of the line was undertaken with steam locomotives borrowed from the Snailbeach District Railways. The new line was opened for freight traffic in 1888 and to passengers in 1891. The new line was operated by steam locomotives purchased from Beyer, Peacock and Co in Manchester.
The two original locomotives, Sir Theodore and Dennis were joined by a third, Glyn in 1892. These tram locomotives worked the line until 1921 when an ex-War Department Light Railways locomotive was purchased. This locomotive was re-gauged by Beyer, Peacock and Co from its original 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm) gauge.
After the First World War costs started to rise significantly, while revenues did not. The railway's financial situation declined steadily during the 1920s. The railway needed to carry approximately 45,000 tons of traffic per year to break even. In 1929 it carried 64,857 tons, but by 1932 this had dropped to 21,400 tons. Increased use of road haulage and a change in the ownership of the remaining quarries was the cause of this downturn in traffic.
1932 a bus service was started in the valley, for the first time offering passengers a serious competition to traveling on the tramway. Passenger receipts declined steeply that year, and passenger services were abandoned at the beginning of 1933. Freight traffic continued to decline and the losses to mount on the railway and all services ceased in July 1935 as the company went into voluntary liquidation. The locomotives were all scrapped in 1936.
Most of the railway's stock and track were scrapped in the 1930s. However some carriage bodies were sold to local farmers. Two of these bodies survived long enough to be rescued by the Talyllyn Railway where they have been restored to working order and are now used in regular traffic. A quantity of Glyn Valley track also found its way to the Talyllyn.
The Glyn Valley Tramway Group are keeping alive the memory of the line, and own the waiting room at Pontfadog and the Coal Wharf at Glynceiriog, with plans to open a Tramway Heritage Centre.