Easter Saturday April 11th and Easter Sunday April 12th will see the revivalists of the Corris Railway narrow gauge line in Mid Wales running demonstration horse-hauled freight trains alongside its steam-worked passenger trains.

The special workings are part of the celebrations to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Corris line and are an evocation of its beginnings in 1859 when, as the Corris, Machynlleth and Rover Dovey Tramroad, it operated trains, principally loaded with slate from the quarries along the Dulas Valley, to and from shipping quays at Derwenlas and Moben on the river Dovey. The Tramroad in those days would have taken loaded trains down the Valley by gravity to as great an extent as possible and used horses on the more level sections and to take empty waggons back up to the quarries. The horses also moved waggons within the quarries themse.lves

The horse worked trains in 2009 will work a short distance over the line from Maespoeth Junction towards Corris with the return trips for the wagons being carried out by gravity. Meanwhile passenger trains will be operated by steam engine number 7 from Corris Station running hourly between 11.00 a.m. and the last departure for a round trip at 4.00 p.m.. Maespoeth Junction is only accessible by these steam trains.

For Corris Railway Society Chairman David Coleman and the CRS Membership 2009 is going to be an exciting year. “We are expecting that the historic recreation on Easter Weekend will attract plenty of visitors as we get into the Anniversary Year”, he commented, “and that they will be impressed with the progress to date and our plans for the future recreation of an important part of Welsh and narrow gauge railway history”

FOR COMMENT ON THIS RELEASE CONTACT: John Simms on 01823 323106 or via john.com@wsrail.net.
Corris is five miles north of Machynlleth and eleven miles south of Dolgellau in Mid-Wales.
Station Yard, Corris, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9SH