57-707: The Tanat Valley Light Railway ( TVLR ) was a 15-mile (24 km) long standard gauge light railway . It ran westwards from Llanyblodwel in Shropshire , about 5 miles or 8 km southwest of Oswestry . It crossed the Wales–England border and continued up the Tanat Valley , terminating at Llangynog in Powys . It opened in 1904, providing access to a fairly remote area, and transport facilities for slate production and agriculture. Its promoters were unable to raise
114-525: A 1 ⁄ 3 mile (0.54 km) section of the track in November 2009. In May 2018 the railway acquired a Ruston & Hornsby 88 diesel shunter, nicknamed "Crabtree", and a Class 309 EMU from the closed Electric Railway Museum in Warwickshire. In July 2021 the railway took delivery of two recently withdrawn Class 143 Pacers from Transport for Wales. In August 2022 a third Class 143 Pacer
171-520: A barrier for a through railway line westwards towards the coast. Slate quarrying and agriculture were the area's dominant industries, and both suffered in the mid 19th century from transport difficulties. Several schemes were put forward over the years, but they failed due to lack of interest from subscribers. One ambitious scheme was to extend the West Midland Railway through the region, passing through Montgomery and Bala , penetrating
228-649: A country (for example, 1,440 mm or 4 ft 8 + 11 ⁄ 16 in to 1,445 mm or 4 ft 8 + 7 ⁄ 8 in in France). The first tracks in Austria and in the Netherlands had other gauges ( 1,000 mm or 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in in Austria for the Donau Moldau line and 1,945 mm or 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in in
285-595: A railway in the Tanat Valley, and two alternative schemes were developed. One was for a narrow gauge line from the Llanfyllin terminus of the Cambrian Railways branch. The other was for a standard gauge line from Porthywaen, four miles south of Oswestry. After deliberation, the latter was adopted. The Cambrian Railways agreed to work the line for 60% of gross receipts, and a Treasury grant of £22,000
342-473: A short distance after the station the train stopped for the engine to take water. Glanyrafon was next geographically, but was not yet open when Perkins and Fox-Davies visited, and it was not referred to by them. This section was followed by a crossing into Wales, climbing at 1 in 64. Llansilin Road is the next station, serving Penybont. Llangedwyn station is next, where there was provision for crossing trains on
399-596: A small museum. The railway typically opens around seven weekends per year from June to November and participates in Heritage Open Days in early to mid September. Tanat Valley Light Railway currently have right of passage to run from Nantmawr to Blodwell Junction around the same time that the Cambrian Heritage Railways complete expansion of their Gobowen to Llynclys line via Oswestry . From there north, they plan to reinstate part of
456-510: A standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ), and those in Ireland to a new standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen on the grounds that existing lines of this gauge were eight times longer than those of the rival 7 ft or 2,134 mm (later 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in or 2,140 mm ) gauge adopted principally by
513-778: Is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson ), international gauge , UIC gauge , uniform gauge , normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the most widely used track gauge around the world, with about 55% of the lines in the world using it. All high-speed rail lines use standard gauge except those in Russia , Finland , Uzbekistan , and some line sections in Spain . The distance between
570-571: Is admittedly small", he commented. The same newspaper report asserted different figures provided by the Town Clerk of Oswestry, Mr J. Parry-Jones. The total capital of the company was to be £65,500. Local authorities had promised £18,500 in loans or share subscriptions; £18,000 had been promised as a free grant (though with conditions) by the Treasury; £20,000 had been promised by the Trustees of
627-766: Is currently operated by the Ghana Railway Company Limited . Kojokrom-Sekondi Railway Line (The Kojokrom-Sekondi line is a branch line that joins the Western Railway Line at Kojokrom ) Indian nationwide rail system ( Indian Railways ) uses 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge. 96% of the broad gauge network is electrified. The railway tracks of Java and Sumatra use 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Planned and under construction high-speed railways to use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) to maintain interoperability with
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#1732787323744684-707: The Earl of Kerry (the eldest son of Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne ). He succeeded his uncle the 3rd Earl in the peerage in 1891. He was educated at Eton College and at St John's College, Cambridge , where he graduated BA in 1885 and MA in 1905. After gaining of his first degree, he was employed as a civil servant in the administrative branch of the General Post Office (the GPO) in London, but resigned after succeeding to his peerage. He
741-608: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway , authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The extra half inch was not regarded at first as very significant, and some early trains ran on both gauges daily without compromising safety. The success of this project led to Stephenson and his son Robert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. Thus the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge became widespread and dominant in Britain. Robert
798-672: The Berwyns by a long tunnel. If this scheme had been successful, it would perhaps have given the Great Western Railway a trunk line to Holyhead ; as it was, the Chester and Holyhead Railway was adopted instead. In 1866 the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway opened from Shrewsbury to the quarries and Nantmawr . That railway was intended to continue through the Tanat Valley to Porthmadog , but it failed to raise
855-572: The Cambrian Railways line as far as Llynclys , then turning west on the Cambrian Railways Porthywaen branch, leaving that at Porthywaen passenger station, a very small building, and now entering on the Tanat Valley line itself. The track was of much lighter construction now, consisting of Vignoles pattern (flat-bottom) rails dogged direct to the sleepers. The Nantmawr branch of the Cambrian Railways converged from
912-587: The Great Western Railway the following year. Passenger services were discontinued on 15 January 1951. The line west of Llanrhaiadr was closed completely in July 1952, a residual goods service continuing as far as that point for the time being. The line closed completely in December 1960. Opened 6 January 1904; closed 15 January 1951; The Cambrian Heritage Railway (CHR) applied for a Transport & Works Act Order for transfer of NR's residual rights to itself and this
969-840: The Great Western Railway. It allowed the broad-gauge companies in Great Britain to continue with their tracks and expand their networks within the "Limits of Deviation" and the exceptions defined in the Act. After an intervening period of mixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three rails), the Great Western Railway finally completed the conversion of its network to standard gauge in 1892. In North East England, some early lines in colliery ( coal mining ) areas were 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ), while in Scotland some early lines were 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ). The British gauges converged starting from 1846 as
1026-519: The Llangedwyn Estate, probably as a share subscription; £1,500 in shares by the Earl of Powis , and about £4,000 by other local investors. "The company's borrowing powers are £12,000, so that towards the £65,500 capital required, they are sure of over £55,900." On this extremely shaky basis the company was founded. The Tanat Valley Light Railway Order 1898 was granted on 12 September 1899, although modifying orders were needed; one in 1904 and
1083-647: The Netherlands for the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij ), but for interoperability reasons (the first rail service between Paris and Berlin began in 1849, first Chaix timetable) Germany adopted standard gauges, as did most other European countries. The modern method of measuring rail gauge was agreed in the first Berne rail convention of 1886. Several lines were initially built as standard gauge but were later converted to another gauge for cost or for compatibility reasons. 2,295 km (1,426 mi) Victoria built
1140-681: The Tanat Valley Light Railway (Additional Powers) Order 1908 to assist in raising capital. J. Strachan of Cardiff was selected as the contractor: he had been the contractor for the construction of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway . The first sod was cut at Porthywaen on 12 September 1899 by the Countess of Powis , but construction did not start until July 1901. During the construction period, Strachan arranged to convey passengers free of charge on market days over part of
1197-645: The advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. By the 1890s, the entire network was converted to standard gauge. The Royal Commission made no comment about small lines narrower than standard gauge (to be called "narrow gauge"), such as the Ffestiniog Railway . Thus it permitted a future multiplicity of narrow gauges in the UK. It also made no comments about future gauges in British colonies, which allowed various gauges to be adopted across
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#17327873237441254-408: The capital to construct the line, but a number of government grants and considerable generosity by the Cambrian Railways company enabled the building of the line. The company was always in debt and in 1921 was obliged to sell the line to the Cambrian Railways. Rural passenger use collapsed and the railway closed to passengers in 1951, and completely in 1964. A new Tanat Valley Light Railway Company
1311-483: The coal mines of County Durham . He favoured 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) for wagonways in Northumberland and Durham , and used it on his Killingworth line. The Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used this gauge. Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees . Opening in 1825,
1368-597: The colonies. Parts of the United States, mainly in the Northeast, adopted the same gauge, because some early trains were purchased from Britain. The American gauges converged, as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. Notably, all the 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) broad gauge track in the South was converted to "almost standard" gauge 4 ft 9 in ( 1,448 mm ) over
1425-459: The course of two days beginning on 31 May 1886. See Track gauge in the United States . In continental Europe, France and Belgium adopted a 1,500 mm ( 4 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 16 in ) gauge (measured between the midpoints of each rail's profile ) for their early railways. The gauge between the interior edges of the rails (the measurement adopted from 1844) differed slightly between countries, and even between networks within
1482-538: The earldom passed to his first cousin's son, the barony which had been conferred on Clive of India passed to the Earl's only grandchild, Davina , daughter of his younger son, Mervyn . Lord Powis bequeathed his family seat, Powis Castle near Welshpool , to The National Trust . The very high inheritance taxes which prevailed in the United Kingdom in the post-war years may have influenced his decision. His heir,
1539-572: The first Wednesday of every month, but also on 30 July. The return service was a little simpler, running respectively on Wednesday; weekdays only; weekdays only; Monday to Friday; and Saturdays only. By this time the Glanyrafon stop had become definite. Opening its line in 1904, the Tanat Valley Light Railway Company was in the hands of the receiver continuously from that year, as its income did not enable it to pay
1596-453: The first day of 1917. Mineral revenue was about twenty times the value of passenger receipts, and the latter declined further in the 1920s and 1930s as reliable road transport was developed. While railways had an inherent advantage in transporting heavy minerals, the line's viability was dependent on the commercial success of local quarries, and when this declined the finances of the line became irretrievable. Glanyrafon station opened soon after
1653-740: The first railways to the 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) Irish broad gauge. New South Wales then built to the standard gauge, so trains had to stop on the border and passengers transferred, which was only rectified in the 1960s. Queensland still runs on a narrow gauge but there is a standard gauge line from NSW to Brisbane. NMBS/SNCB 3,619 km (2,249 mi) Brussels Metro 40 km (25 mi) Trams in Brussels 140 km (87 mi) 1,032 km (641 mi) The Toronto Transit Commission uses 4 ft 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 in ( 1,495 mm ) gauge on its streetcar and subway lines. Takoradi to Sekondi Route,
1710-475: The former Tanat Valley Light Railway from Blodwell Junction to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant as the trackbed is heavily intact and the locals are willing allow them to re-run into the Tanat Valley. North to Llangynog is mostly impassible due to housing at Penybontfawr station site and Llangynog now being a caravan site. This is a long term ambition of the companies. For now, they are focused on reaching Blodwell Junction. Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway
1767-429: The initial gauge of 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before a change was made, debuting around 1850, to the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge. The historic Mount Washington Cog Railway ,
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1824-534: The inner sides of the rails) to be used. Different railways used different gauges, and where rails of different gauge met – a " gauge break " – loads had to be unloaded from one set of rail cars and reloaded onto another, a time-consuming and expensive process. The result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a "standard gauge" of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ), allowing interconnectivity and interoperability. A popular legend that has circulated since at least 1937 traces
1881-400: The inside edges of the rails is defined to be 1,435 mm except in the United States, Canada, and on some heritage British lines, where it is defined in U.S. customary / Imperial units as exactly "four feet eight and one half inches", which is equivalent to 1,435.1 mm. As railways developed and expanded, one of the key issues was the track gauge (the distance, or width, between
1938-469: The interest on loans. The Cambrian Railways subsidised it, but by 1921 it was obvious that improvements to the track and bridges were required, and this was beyond the financial resources of the bankrupt company. Takeover by the Cambrian was the only way out, and this was authorised by the Cambrian Railways (Tanat Valley Light Railway Transfer) Order 1921. The Cambrian Railways were themselves taken over by
1995-510: The line was formally opened on 5 January 1904, and the public passenger service started the following day. When in 1906 Tyer and Company claimed £2,480 for signalling and lighting equipment supplied for the line, the Tanat Valley Company claimed that they had only ordered the apparatus "on behalf of the Cambrian Railways". Perkins and Fox-Davies described the line in 1905. The passenger trains ran from Oswestry, southwards over
2052-483: The line. Some goods traffic probably also passed at this time. Contemporary travellers reported: "The little six-wheeled engine ... was spinning along a quite a rate, considering its small wheel diameter; the carriage was a four-wheeled one, painted a dull red, and probably used at other times to convey the navvies to and from their work." The line was inspected by the Board of Trade Inspecting Officer on 21 December 1903;
2109-457: The necessary capital. In 1882 an Oswestry and Llangynog Railway had been authorised by an act of Parliament, the Oswestry and Llangynog Railway Act 1882 ( 45 & 46 Vict. c. cxcviii),but it failed to raise the necessary capital and was formally abandoned in 1889. The Light Railways Act 1896 was passed to enable the construction of low-cost railways. This encouraged renewed consideration of
2166-520: The north. The first TVR station was Blodwel Junction , a single platform station. Blodwel station had been opened in 1866, the terminus of the Potteries line, and known then as Llanyblodwel, part of the mineral branch crossing the path of the TVR. A road crosses the railway by a bridge at Blodwel; this is the only place where there is a bridge crossing of a road. The next station stop was at Llanyblodwel ;
2223-508: The opening of the line. The passenger train service in 1922 consisted of three trains each way between Oswestry and Llangynog, with an extra train on the first Wednesday of the month. The Glanyrafon stop was by request only. In July 1938 the service was more complicated: successive trains ran from Oswestry to Llangynog respectively on Wednesdays; daily except Wednesday and Sunday; Monday, Tuesday and Friday; Wednesday Thursday and Saturday; daily except Saturday and Sunday; on Saturday only; and on
2280-505: The origin of the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to the evidence of rutted roads marked by chariot wheels dating from the Roman Empire . Snopes categorised this legend as "false", but commented that it "is perhaps more fairly labeled as 'Partly true, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons. ' " The historical tendency to place
2337-405: The outermost portions of the wheel rims, it became apparent that for vehicles travelling on rails, having main wheel flanges that fit inside the rails is better, thus the minimum distance between the wheels (and, by extension, the inside faces of the rail heads ) was the important one. A standard gauge for horse railways never existed, but rough groupings were used; in the north of England none
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2394-401: The parents of two sons and one daughter: Lord Powis died at Powis Castle in November 1952, aged 90, and was buried in the churchyard at Christ Church, Welshpool . He was succeeded in the earldom by his first cousin's edest son, Edward Robert Henry Herbert . The Earl was fated to survive both his sons, the elder of whom died during World War I and the younger during World War II . While
2451-411: The rest of the network. All other railways use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) ( broad gauge ) and/or 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge . BLS , Rigi Railways (rack railway) 449 km Several states in the United States had laws requiring road vehicles to have a consistent gauge to allow them to follow ruts in
2508-496: The road. Those gauges were similar to railway standard gauge. George Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis George Charles Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis , DL , JP (24 June 1862 – 9 November 1952), known as George Herbert until 1891, was a British peer. Herbert was born at Number 26, Bruton Street , Mayfair , London, and baptised at St George's, Hanover Square . He was the son of The Hon. Sir Percy Egerton Herbert and Lady Mary Caroline Louisa Thomas Petty-FitzMaurice, daughter of
2565-399: The single line, followed by the small station of Pentrefelin , and then Llanrhaiadr Mochnant , also built as a passing station. A reservoir for Liverpool Corporation Waterworks was built at a location five miles away, and the railway was used for importing some construction materials. The line continues, calling at Pedair Ffordd and terminates at Llangynog . The journey time from Oswestry
2622-492: The term "narrow gauge" for gauges less than standard did not arise for many years, until the first such locomotive-hauled passenger railway, the Ffestiniog Railway , was built. In 1845, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges reported in favour of a standard gauge. The subsequent Gauge Act ruled that new passenger-carrying railways in Great Britain should be built to
2679-434: The wheels of horse-drawn vehicles around 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) apart probably derives from the width needed to fit a carthorse in between the shafts. Research, however, has been undertaken to support the hypothesis that "the origin of the standard gauge of the railway might result from an interval of wheel ruts of prehistoric ancient carriages". In addition, while road-travelling vehicles are typically measured from
2736-426: The world's first mountain -climbing rack railway , is still in operation in the 21st century, and has used the earlier 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge since its inauguration in 1868. George Stephenson introduced the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge (including a belated extra 1 ⁄ 2 in (13 mm) of free movement to reduce binding on curves ) for
2793-420: Was 70 to 75 minutes. The gradients on the line generally rose to Llangynog. It fell with a short section at 1 in 72 to Blodwel Junction, and then rose with a half mile at 1 in 64 but generally more moderate gradients all the way to the terminus. Porthywaen was at 132 feet above Ordnance Datum and Llangynog at 320 feet. Baughan says that passenger carriages ran with the mineral trains from 1904, but this ended on
2850-413: Was agreed, as well as an interest-free loan of £6,000. Financial assistance was also made available from local councils; the share capital of the company was £15,000. The General Manager of the Cambrian Railways, Mr C. S. Denniss, estimated the capital cost of the line at £46,000. Receipts would be £2,950 per annum. After interest and fixed charges, this would enable a dividend of 4% to be paid. "The margin
2907-587: Was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire in 1896, a post he held until 1951. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Montgomeryshire and JP for the counties of Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, and Alderman of Shropshire County Council . He was Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem . In 1897 he served as treasurer of the Salop Infirmary in Shrewsbury . In 1898 he
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#17327873237442964-401: Was delivered to the railway. Around 2016 the railway acquired a portable industrial monorail, designed by Road Machines (Drayton) Ltd. and used for construction projects in the mid 20th century, along with several diesel locomotives and an 0-2-0 steam locomotive from its last permanent storage at Blaenau Ffestiniog. The Nant Mawr visitor centre includes a nature trail, various picnic spots and
3021-475: Was established, and in 2009 opened a heritage railway centre at Nantmawr , close to the earlier Tanat Valley line. There were many populous villages in the area between the Great Western Railway route through Llangollen , to the north and the Cambrian Railways line through Welshpool to the south. The Berwyn and Aran mountains (with steep gradients and sparse population) together formed
3078-611: Was granted on 28 February 2017. This permits the CHR to reopen the route from Gobowen to Blodwel Quarry subject to level crossings of the A5 and A483 being replaced by a tunnel and overbridge respectively. A new Tanat Valley Light Railway Company (TVLR) is based by the former lime kilns in Nantmawr, on the old Cambrian Railways branch. The TVLR plans to operate trains from Nantmawr to Llanddu by Blodwell Quarry. The TVLR operated its first trains over
3135-784: Was less than 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ). Wylam colliery's system, built before 1763, was 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ), as was John Blenkinsop 's Middleton Railway ; the old 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) plateway was relaid to 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) so that Blenkinsop's engine could be used. Others were 4 ft 4 in ( 1,321 mm ) (in Beamish ) or 4 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,410 mm ) (in Bigges Main (in Wallsend ), Kenton , and Coxlodge ). English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for
3192-427: Was made Honorary Colonel of the 4th (Royal Montgomeryshire Militia) Battalion, South Wales Borderers . In 1890, six months before inheriting the earldom, Herbert was married to The Hon. Violet Ida Evelyn Lane-Fox (1865–1929), the second daughter of The 15th Baron Darcy de Knayth . Violet's older sister, Hon. Marcia Lane-Fox , was married Charles Pelham, 4th Earl of Yarborough . Together, George and Violet were
3249-533: Was reported to have said that if he had had a second chance to choose a gauge, he would have chosen one wider than 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ). "I would take a few inches more, but a very few". During the " gauge war " with the Great Western Railway , standard gauge was called " narrow gauge ", in contrast to the Great Western's 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge . The modern use of
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