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The Bala Lake Railway ( Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid'') is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of
Bala Lake Bala Lake ( cy, Llyn Tegid ) is a large freshwater glacial lake in Gwynedd, Wales. The River Dee, Wales, River Dee, which has its source on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, feeds the long by wide lake. It was the largest ...
in
Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and ...
, North Wales. The line, which is long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth GWR route that closed in 1965. Another section of the former
permanent way A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers ...
is used by the
Llangollen Railway The Llangollen Railway () is a volunteer-run heritage railway in Denbighshire, North Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Corwen. The standard gauge line, which is long, runs on part of the former Ruabon – Barmouth GWR route that ...
. The Bala Lake Railway, which runs on -gauge preserved rolling stock, is a member of the
Great Little Trains of Wales The Great Little Trains of Wales ( Welsh: ''Trenau Bach Arbennig Cymru'') is the name of a joint marketing scheme formed in 1970 to promote some of the narrow gauge railways of Wales and encourage visitors to Wales. As well as marketing the railw ...
. The railway now has the largest collection of historic narrow-gauge quarry locomotives built specifically for the slate industry in North Wales by the
Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & ...
in Leeds.


History


Standard Gauge

The narrow-gauge Bala Lake railway uses the permanent way of the former standard-gauge GWR
Ruabon–Barmouth line The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast. Connections * At Ruabon, the line connected with the Shrewsbu ...
. The railway, which opened in August 1868, was built by the Bala and Dolgelley Railway Company. Its original route ran between the Corwen & Bala Railway at and
Cambrian Railways The Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with connections to the ...
' station at . In 1877 it became part of the network operated by Great Western (GWR). In 1896 was redeveloped with the addition of a passing loop and second platform, extended building and a new signal box. Passenger services through Bala Junction ceased on Monday 18 January 1965 when the line from to was closed. Although originally earmarked for dieselisation by 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 W ...
in the early 1960s, the to Bala–Barmouth line was included in the 1963
Beeching Report Beeching is an English surname. Either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames' ...
. Traffic on the line was gradually reduced and facilities rationalised; the last scheduled through-rail service was the mail train from in December 1964. Long-distance holiday charter trains and through freight traffic were diverted on to the Cambrian main line via . Goods traffic finally ceased on 1 January 1968 when the branch at
Pontcysyllte The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (; cy, Traphont Ddŵr Pontcysyllte) is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen in northeast Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure is for use ...
was closed.


Narrow gauge

By 1969 the track had been lifted. Reuse of the line as a narrow-gauge railway began when local engineer, George Barnes, saw the potential of the lakeside section for both local and tourist traffic. With the help of Tom Jones CBE, then chairman of Merioneth County Council's Finance Committee, they established ''Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid'' Ltd, 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 of track between Llanuwchllyn and Pentrepiod. Extension work continued throughout this period with the help of local ex-
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...
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). There were expansion plans to extend the line into Bala's town centre by 1981 but 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. The stations along the line are: * Llanuwchllyn, includes the main buildings, cafe, workshops and railway offices. * Pentrepiod Halt, an operational request stop. * Glan Llyn Halt, a limited-use station, open only during the Halloween and Santa Special train services. * Llangower, principal intermediate station that all trains stop at. It has a passing loop for two-train services. * Bryn Hynod Halt, a request stop that closed in 2011 (platform demolished in February 2012). * Bala (Penybont), terminus located near the town of
Bala Bala may refer to: Places India * Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedin� ...
. The company now has the largest collection of historic narrow-gauge quarry locomotives built by the West Yorkshire
Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & ...
specifically for the North Wales' slate industry.


Llanuwchllyn Heritage Centre

The Llanuwchllyn Heritage Centre is a museum of Welsh narrow-gauge railway located at Llanuwchllyn railway station. It won the 2020 Railway Heritage Association award for Outstanding Visitor Attraction. Exhibits on display include
Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & ...
locomotive ''Nesta'' and a replica of Lord Penrhyn's private carriage, both from the
Penrhyn Quarry Railway The Penrhyn Quarry Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Caernarfonshire (now Gwynedd), Wales. It served the Penrhyn quarry near Bethesda, taking their slate produce to Port Penrhyn, near Bangor. The railway was around long and used a gaug ...
. It also houses locomitves that are not currently in use which frees up spaces in the running shed and has a variety of exhibits relating to the quarry industry.


Developments and expansion

In 2010, the company revived plans to complete the final 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, a visitor centre as well as rebuilding of the carriage shed, which was completed in 2019, and a new set of carriages. In March 2017, the Trust announced that it had acquired land required in Bala for the new railway terminus. In October 2019, the Trust purchased land from Bala Rugby Club for the extension of the line. A further area of land adjacent to the new station site was acquired in 2022 and will be used for sidings. Over the weekend of 12 and 13 June 2021 the 'Bala Rerailed' event was held on the site of the new station in Bala using Winifred and a Penrhyn coach to provide rides to the public. The railway turned 50 in 2022 and will have a variety of events. This included 'Bala at 50' over the May Day Bank Holiday complete with the launch of a pictorial album "Bala Lake Railway, The First 50 Years, 1972 - 2022", the '50th Anniversary' on 13 August and a 'Gala' over August Bank Holiday.


Rolling stock

Steam locomotives currently in use or stored on the line are: *'''
Maid Marian Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circums ...
, works number 822 (in use). Arrived on the line 1975. It has twice undergone overhaul supported by her owners, the Maid Marian Locomotive Fund. * '''
Holy War A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to ...
, works number 779 (under overhaul). Arrived on the line 1975, serviceable 1979. * '''
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
, works number 780 (under overhaul). Bought initially for spares for Holy War, restored to its own right in 1994. * '''Winifred, works number 364 (in use). Was repatriated to the UK from a warehouse at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Stat ...
USA in April 2012. Was restored to working condition in 2015. * '''George B, works number 680 (in use). Entered service in April 2017. *Avonside, works number 1909 (pending restoration). Arrived from Queensland Australia Oct 2020 * '''Dorothy, Bagnall works number 1568 (pending restoration). Arrived July 2021 Most of the locos were built by the
Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & ...
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. Until late 2011, ex Southam Cement Works Peckett 'Triassic' was stored on the Bala Lake Railway, was relocated to the
Statfold Barn Railway The Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge railway based near Tamworth, Staffordshire and partially in Warwickshire, England. Founded by engineering entrepreneur Graham Lee and his wife Carol at their farm-based home, they originally designed wh ...
during the overhauls of Winifred and George B due to storage space issues, but returned in Summer 2016. The four main diesel locomotives are:See data and illustrations a
the official webpage
.
* '''Meirionydd, a Bo-Bo diesel-hydrostatic locomotive built by
Severn Lamb Severn Lamb, sometimes known as Severn-Lamb, are manufacturers of various forms of transport systems and equipment, principally aimed at the leisure market. They are based at Alcester in the English county of Warwickshire, but sell their produc ...
of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1973, and based on a Western class standard-gauge locomotive outline. * ''Trigger ('Bob Davies')'', a Baguley Drewery, works no. 780, which is the railway's main standby diesel, used to haul out of season trains, for yard shunting and goods or works train haulage, which was built as 2 ft 6in gauge for the Royal Navy at Fishguard, purchased by Pete Briddon's
Yorkshire Engine Company The Yorkshire Engine Company (YEC) was a small independent locomotive manufacturer in Sheffield, England. The company was formed in 1865 and produced locomotives and carried out general engineering work until 1965. It mainly built shunting engi ...
, regauged to 600mm gauge, and named 'Bob Davies' in honour of a remarkable local railwayman. * '''Chilmark, Ruston & Hornsby, works no. 194771, the oldest of the railway's diesels (a 40DL diesel mechanical 3-speed built in 1939 for the Air Ministry), used by the Royal Air Force for hauling explosives and ammunition at
RAF Chilmark Chilmark is a Wiltshire village and civil parish of some 150 houses straddling the B3089 road, west of Salisbury, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Mooray and Portash, both close to the south of Chilmark village; and the dispersed ...
, Wiltshire. * '''Lady Madcap, a Ruston & Hornsby 20DL, which sees only occasional use for light shunting and ballast ploughing. A new addition to the fleet is a track maintenance trolley in the style of a standard-gauge
Wickham trolley The Wickham trolley was a railroad speeder, railway engineering personnel carrier built by D. Wickham & Co of Ware, Hertfordshire. This long established firm introduced their rail trolley in 1922 as a lightweight track inspection and maintenance ...
.


Current and former locomotives


See also

*
British narrow-gauge railways There were more than a thousand British narrow-gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways. Many notable events in British railway history happened on narrow-gauge railwa ...


References


External links


Bala Lake Railway

Llanuwchllyn Heritage Centre
* {{Coord, 52, 52, 48, N, 3, 37, 34, W, scale:10000_region:GB, display=title Heritage railways in Gwynedd Heritage railways in Snowdonia Narrow gauge railways in Gwynedd Narrow gauge railways in Snowdonia 2 ft gauge railways in Wales Articles containing video clips