The Elan Valley Railway (EVR) was a
Welsh industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British ra ...
built to assist in the construction of the
Elan Valley Reservoirs
The Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes created from damming the Elan and Claerwen rivers within the Elan Valley in Mid Wales. The reservoirs, which were built by the Birmingham Corporation Water Department, provide clean drin ...
in mid
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. It was in operation from 1896 to about 1912/1916.
History
The four dams in the
Elan Valley
The Elan Valley ( cy, Cwm Elan) is a river valley situated to the west of Rhayader, in Powys, Wales, sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers of lake and countryside.
The valley contains the Elan Valley Reservoirs and Elan Villa ...
were built to supply water to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, and were authorized by an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
in June 1891.
By 1893 dam construction was underway and the railway was completed in 1896. At its maximum extent, the railway had of track supporting the construction work, running from a junction with the
Cambrian Railways Mid Wales line near
Rhayader
Rhayader (; cy, Rhaeadr Gwy; ) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Radnorshire. The town is from the source of the River Wye on Plynlimon, the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains, and is locate ...
to, at the furthest point, the Craig Goch dam site.
The railway, built in
standard gauge[http://www.elanvalley.org.uk/heritage/the-railway/ The Elan Railway] which consisted of four lines, known as Railway No. 1, Railway No. 2, Railway No. 3 and Railway No. 4,
was owned and operated by the
Birmingham Corporation Water Department (now Birmingham City Council) which also owned the dams and associated works. The railway was mainly operated using a fleet of
steam locomotives owned by the Corporation, with occasional assistance from locomotives borrowed from neighbouring railways.
The dams were officially opened by
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
on 21 July 1904, although construction continued until 1906. The railway connection with the Cambrian Railways line was reduced from a loop and double junction to a single junction in June 1908, as traffic reduced. The majority of the EVR was lifted by 1912, with the final main line track being removed in 1916.
As of 1997, most of the line was walkable; and three such walks have been described.
References
; Notes
; Sources
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External links
The Railway on elanvalley.org.uk
Reservoir construction railways
Railway lines opened in 1896
History of Powys
Standard gauge railways in Wales
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