The Corris Railway has received planning permission to construct a new carriage shed at its Maespoeth works. This is to make it possible for the original 1878-vintage engine shed to revert to its original purpose of storing locomotives and providing a engineering workshop. The new building will house the railway's carriages and covered space for carriage construction and maintenance and work on goods vehicles. The new carriage shed has been designed to appear externally similar to the original Corris Station building (demolished in 1968), with a twin-arch roof with central valley. An application has been made to Gwynedd Council for grant support for the construction, and the outcome of this application is awaited. 

Volunteers have already started construction work on the railway's second new bogie carriage, sponsored by a Society member, with the frame assembly well under way. Until the new shed is available the metalwork for this carriage has to be brought in to the engine shed when being worked on, and stored outside at other times, and the availability of the new shed will provide space to allow the work-in-progress to be kept under cover. The carriage design is following the pattern laid down for carriage 21 (which came into service in 2003) appearing externally identical to the railway's 19th century carriages but constructed with a metal skeleton to provide 21 st century standards of crash resistance. The other main difference from carriage 21 is that the new vehicle will include a clerestory roof feature, similar to that fitted to two of the original vehicles in the early 20th century. 

The railway lodged a planning application early in 2004 for the construction of the Goedwig Deviation, which is necessary to replace a section of the original trackbed south of Maespoeth lost to highway improvements. The planning authorities requested a series of environmental surveys to be undertaken before the application could be considered, and the intervening period has been occupied with arranging for these surveys to be carried out by experts in each field, and their reports received and submitted. The surveys have not identified any insuperable problems and the railway is confident that permission will be granted in the near future, which 'will allow construction of the Deviation to commence. 

The railway's new-build steam locomotive, based on the Kerr Stuart "Tattoo" class that ran on the railway from 1921 to 1948, is progressing well, and it is currently expected to be completed in the Spring of 2005, although no date has yet been set for its arrival at Corris. Providing that all goes well, the railway is expecting to be able to run steam-hauled passenger services in the summer of 2005. 

For more information visit our web-site at :
"www.corris.co.uk"

RSG November 2004