Teifi Valley Railway

Teifi Valley Railway Welsh: Rheilffordd Dyffryn Teifi
Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire
Motor Rail Sammy at Henllan
Gauge:	2 feet
Location:	52°2’10"N, 4°24’40"W
No. of stations:	3
Track:	2 miles
Information
Operated by:	Teifi Valley Railway

The Teifi Valley Railway is a 2-foot narrow gauge railway operating between Llandysul in Cardiganshire and Newcastle Emlyn in Carmarthenshire along the River Teifi, which marks the boundary between the two counties. It is a tourist railway built on the Great Western Railway part of the old Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway and operated on about two miles of track.

A new platform was built at Henllan, on the original GWR location, from where the service had been planned to continue to Newcastle Emlyn and, eventually, to Pentrecwrt. Until the line was suspended in July 2014, trains ran from Henllan station to Pont Goch (Red Bridge; formerly Llandyfriog Riverside).

History

The Teifi Valley Railway was originally conceived as a broad gauge line (7' ¼") between Carmarthen and Cardigan. The line was opened temporarily in 1860, under the South Wales Railway and was fully opened the following year. It was operated by the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway between Carmarthen and Cynwyl Elfed. In 1864, the line was extended to Pencader and Llandysul and, by 1872, had been converted to standard gauge. By this time though, the line was bankrupt. Eventually the line was bought by the Great Western Railway which extended the terminus to Newcastle Emlyn.

Passenger trains ceased to operate in 1952 and, in 1973 when freight services discontinued, the line was closed and dismantled. All that was left were platforms, bridges and a tunnel.

Although attempts had been made in 1973 to preserve the railway at standard gauge, it was not until 1981 that any true restoration project got under way. A group of enthusiasts bought the trackbed and, in 1983, laid a 2-foot gauge track. The line originally ran from Henllan to Pontprenshitw, where passengers were invited to take a short walk to see the waterfall under the railway bridge. In 1987, the line was extended as far as Llandyfriog and, in 2006, was extended to Pont Goch. From July 2009, the Henllan platform was relocated to the site of the original GWR site.

From this date, the railway suffered a loss of trained personnel and operation for a full season became more and more difficult. In 2013 two directors resigned fearing that the Railway was facing closure. A local businessman took on the tenancy of the café and shortly afterwards, operation of the whole business. Reports on the poor condition of the railway track, locos and rolling stock were ignored and eventually brought about the closure of railway operations. There were however no attempts to repair the track, but the tenant removed the first stretch of rail and began operation of a land train. Following an ORR inspection the Teifi Valley Railway suspendend rail services in June 2014.

From July 2014 the Teifi Valley Railway no longer operated as a railway; no trains ran and the track was removed on a part, a tractor-hauled 'land train' providing rides on a short section of the trackbed. In November 2014 funds were being sought to relay some track and resume operations in 2015.

The line

The track near the waterfall at Pontprenshitw 04.07.2002 (Matt Buck)

The line between Henllan station and the old Llandyfriog station is built on the side of a valley, with a succession of bridges and the remainder to Pontgoch on an embankment:

• Bridge 52, a road over bridge
• Bridge 53, a small access bridge
• Bridge 54, 'Pontprenshitw', a large single-arch bridge (built by Joseph Hamlet of West Bromwich in 1893) carrying the railway over the River Cynllo gorge and a historic Celtic leat
• Bridge 55, 'Mini-Pont', a small access bridge
• Bridge 56, an access bridge to a farm and the River Teifi
• Bridge 57, 'Admiral's Bridge', providing access to a house on the bank of the Teifi
• Bridge 58, an access bridge to a farm
• Bridge 59, 'Pont Goch', a large piered-beam bridge, part of which threatened to collapse into the Teifi when high water levels following heavy rainfall in the autumn of 1987 washed out the support of the section nearest Newcastle Emlyn, which was later removed. The remaining half is sound and is used as a viewing point at Pont Goch Station.

Rolling stock and locomotives

• Locomotives:

Name	Builder	Works Number	Type	Year built	Year arrived	Notes
Sgt. Murphy	Kerr Stuart	3117	Steam 0-6-2T	1918	1998	Haig Class, bought from Gordon Rushton
Fleur	Kerr Stuart	2442	Steam 0-6-0T	1915	1998	Joffre Class. Dismantled, sold to unknown buyer in Kent, 2013
Alan George	Hunslet	606	Steam 0-4-0ST	1894	1983	Built for the Penryhn Quarries.
Sammy	Motor Rail	11111	4wDM	1951	1987
Sholto	Hunslet	2433	4wDM	1941	1983
Tomos			Diesel 0-4-0			Formerly named Henry

• Carriages

Name	Type	Year built	Notes
Annie	Bogied	1983
Esme	Bogied	1984
Jacqueline	Bogied	1987
Lisa	4 wheeled	1990
Rhoysen	4 wheeled	1994	Base flat bodied wagon no.254
Emma	4 wheeled	2003
Nancy	Bogied	1973	Previously owned by the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog), known as the 'Cote coach' or Coach no.1

• Wagons

Number	Type	Notes
101-106	Side tipping wagons (Hudsons)
120-121	End door box wagons	Built at Henllan in 1984
140-141	Single bolster wagons	Built at Henllan using frames of two side-tipping wagons
190-191,196	Box wagons
374	Flat bodied wagon
	ex-War Dept. vehicles x5	Require re-gauging

Outside links

• Teifi Valley Railway