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In December 1966 a
group of Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society members from the East Midlands
formed what became The Corris Railway Society, with four goals :
1) to preserve
what remained of the line
2) to research its history
3) to open a museum to display relics and photographs
4) to look into the possibility of reopening a section of the original route to
passengers
Visible signs of
their activity came with the opening of the first stage of the Corris Railway
Museum in 1970, using the remaining buildings of Corris Station. A
"demonstration track" was laid at the south end of the Station Yard, adjacent to
the Museum, in 1971, but bureaucratic obstacles prevented it initially reaching
more than a few hundred yards.
In 1981, Maespoeth
engine shed and yard (about three-quarters of a mile from Corris) was returned
to the Railway after being used by the Forestry Commission, and the Society has
transformed it back into a well-equipped engine shed and workshop.
Approval for
reinstatement of track to connect Corris and Maespoeth was finally received in
1984, and in 1985 the Society celebrated by running the "First Train Back To
Corris" after a break of thirty-seven years.
The "First Train"
ran over lightly-laid construction track, and following the acquisition of
heavier rail from a number of sources, plus the necessary sleepers and ballast,
the line has been upgraded to passenger standards, and also extended a short
distance south of Maespoeth to provide storage space for rolling stock.
Maespoeth yard has been transformed, with the clearance of the Forestry
Commission's access ramp providing much-needed siding space, and the
installation of a platform for the first time ever - it had not previously been
used as a passenger station.
In 1996 a steam
loco returned to Corris for the first time since 1948, when No.4 was loaned from
the Talyllyn Railway to mark its 75th birthday, and hauled demonstration trains
between Maespoeth and Corris. However, as legal formalities were not then
completed, it was not possible for passengers to travel on the trains.
While the railway
was physically re-appearing, the Society had a long and tortuous struggle with
the local planning authorities to achieve agreement on the reconstruction of a
sufficient length of line to provide long-term viability. Happily most of the
outstanding issues have now been resolved, and the railway is moving steadily
towards achieving the necessary legal documents, in the form of a Transport &
Works Order, to permit the extension of the line a further one-and-a-half miles
to the proposed new southern terminus at Tan-y-Coed.
In the summer of
2002, the Corris Railway resumed passenger services after a seventy-two year
hiatus. Following a successful inspection from H.M.Railway Inspectorate on March
15th, and the obtaining of permission to operate from the body holding the
residuary powers of the British Railways Board, the first scheduled fare-paying
passenger train left Corris Station at 11 a.m. on Monday June 3rd.
On Saturday 7th
June 2003 the railway staged its formal Grand Re-Opening Ceremony, featuring a
very special guest - the 125-year-old original Corris steam locomotive No.3,
returned from its new home on the Talyllyn Railway, complete with a Corris
heritage train made up of an original bogie carriage, coal waggon and brake van.
No.3 ran passenger services every weekend in June before returning to Tywyn. The
Corris Railway is very grateful to the Talyllyn Railway for the loan of the loco
and rolling stock, which helped to make the occasion extra-special for all
involved !
The task of historical research has not been forgotten. A great deal of original research has been undertaken into the history of the railway, quarries and district, with the long-term aim of publishing a comprehensive history. A concise history, containing much new information, was published in 1988 under the title "A Return to Corris - the continuing history of the Corris Railway". An annual Journal, free to members and on sale to the public, includes articles on many aspects of the history of the railway and district, as new areas are researched.