The main 2024 operating season on the Corris Railway will end on Saturday October 26th when trains will leave Corris Station for a journey along part of the Dulas Valley at 11.00, 12.00. 13.30, 14.30 and 15.30. As usual the Railway’s Museum and Shop will be open at Corris station. However there will still be the Railway’s traditional Santa Trains to come on December 7th and 8th, for which bookings are already coming in online.
Looking back over the last 10 months much has been achieved with the revival of the line which was closed in 1948. Work has progressed with building the new embankment which will eventually extend the length of the journey along the Valley. Further work is going ahead with planning the necessary bridge over the Nant Goedwig waterway.
The surviving member of the original trio of steam locomotives which were delivered to the Corris in 1878, No. 3, returned for a month long visit in June, its visit including a successful Gala Day when for the first time in over a century three steam engines were working on the line together. The other pair in action were “Tattoo” class No. 7 and No. 3’s much younger classmate No. 10, which became a resident of the locomotive shed at Maespoeth Junction in 2023.
In July No. 10 accompanied No. 3 to the Talyllyn Railway where it headed selected trains for a month including a Gala Event and the Awdry Weekend. It worked well on the longer line and was well liked by the Talyllyn’s loco crews.
Volunteers have continued to improve the machine shop area inside the locomotive shed with new walling and the delivery of a milling machine which is a considerable upgrade on the one previously in use and will enable more engineering work to be done in-house. In the carriage shed work continues on the construction of the next new carriage which, once complete, will allow the Corris to offer first class travel.
Although the line will be closed for public trains during the winter, after the Santa Trains have run, work will continue on the routine but necessary work of track maintenance, vegetation control, building maintenance and more. Extra volunteers are more than welcome and details of how to volunteer can be seen at www.corris.co.uk from where tickets for the Santa Trains can also be booked.
Congratulations on a year of great achievement. I paid my first visit to the line back in the summer and enjoyed it immensely. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Tony. Please be sure to come back in 2025 for a progress update!