Eight-month-old and still relatively 'tight' 78xx class 4-6-0, No 7820 Dinmore Manor departs Ellesmere with an Aberystwyth Whitchurch Express On the 21st of July 1951.
On a falling gradient of 1 in 200 'up' departing trains from Ellesmere passed beneath the Grange Road bridge and resumed their journey towards Whitchurch. After heading north-eastwards for a short distance, the route turned to an easterly direction Which was maintained as the line continued to Welshampton. The railway between these two points made its way through relatively flat countryside with trains experiencing a climb no greater than 1 in 132.
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Ex Cambrian Railways class 15 0-6-0 No 887 still earning her keep in 1952 as she prepares to depart Oswestry with a Welshpool service.
On the 28th of May 1932 sister engine, No 896 was dumped at Oswestry for failing a boiler inspection however after a visit to Swindon Works, she received the boiler belonging to No 893, which had been adapted with a Swindon superheater. No 896 emerged from Swindon Works adorned in express green livery with 'Great Western' painted onto her tender.
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Photographed on the 21st of July 1951 ex Cambrian Railways class '15' 0-6-0 No 893 (Cam Rlys No 99) departing Oswestry for Whitchurch. In the old days, No 99 was 'The famous 99', absolutely the best haulier of the class. Tom y Borth, always very jealous of his engine's reputation once was given an overlong train to take up Borth Bank and failed twice out of the station loop. He then overawed the signalman porter into turning a blind eye while he backed about a mile towards Ynyslas and then tore flat out through the station and disappeared triumphantly out of sight at the top of the incline.
By this time, she had a fair few miles under her belt and was looking slightly tired and worn out, a far cry from when she was photographed at Stafford Road Wolverhampton, for repairs and a new paint job, beautifully done over on the 12th of July 1935. When this shot was taken, she still had a further 19 months of service to complete, finally being withdrawn in February 1953.
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Leeds Midland Road depot and just arrived from Colwick depot on the 26th April 2024 for tyre turning on the wheel lath is Colas Rail Freight 56078.
Locomotive History
56078 was built at Doncaster Works and entered traffic in May 1980, allocated to Tinsley. After twenty four years service it was stored in April 2004, however it was soon repainted in Fertis livery and dispatched in September 2004 to France for engineering train duties. It returned from France in mid May 2007 and stored at Crewe Diesel Depot. Sold to Colas Railfreight in 2012 56078 re-entered traffic following overhaul at Washwood Heath in the summer of 2013.
Tags: 26th April 56078 New Photo Distillery
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Coasting on a falling gradient of 1 in 63 2301 Class 0-6-0 'Dean Goods' No 2407 threads its way through a narrow path of open countryside between Porthywaen Quarries and Llynclys Junction with a granite train from Llanddu Quarries. The train is just about to pass underneath the A483 road bridge and enter the myriad of sidings that radiate from the junction.
The route described Llynclys Junction -Porthywaen
On leaving the mainline at Llynclys Junction utilizing the double junction the branch curved sharply to the right with several loops coming off the 'Up' line to form storage sidings these formally being known as Machine siding (Llynclys Yard.)
Llynclys Junction Signal Box and a large water tank holding 15,750 gallons were located in the fork between the mainline and the branch. The water from the tank supplied two columns one of which was situated on the up platform at Llynclys station while the other was sited opposite the water tank next to the branch sidings.
Originally water for the tank was pumped employing a steam-driven pump of which Mawddwy No 30 as GWR 842 ended her days in sedentary semi-retirement supplying steam to the engine which pumped water from Llynclys Pool into the engine water tank. She would make her way down from Oswestry shed and park up next to the tank when the water supply was low. She finally stopped work in September 1940. By this time the pump had been converted to electric.
Machine sidings were situated between the junction and the A483 road bridge. these sidings were connected with the running line facing from the direction of Porthywaen, with the points being worked from a ground frame in conjunction with the Llynclys Junction Signal box. Original access to the yard was via a ground frame (located to the rear of this train).
The sidings were worked by Down trains (from Llynclys junction) and also by pilot trains when wagons may have been gravitated provided the work was performed by experienced men The line at this point was on a gradient of 1 in 65 falling towards Llynclys junction.
At the western end of the innermost loop, there was a weighbridge with a brick-built hut to house the weighing machine. Passing underneath the A483 road bridge the line continued in a westerly direction.
Climbing towards Porthywaen on a 1 in 63 and then easing slightly to a 1 in 77 for approximately half a mile trains passed en route a small track which led down to a nearby farm a little further beyond, the line then passed Dolgoch housing estate.
before the Porthywaen summit was reached. It was here a siding served the Dolgoch Quarry and Lime Kilns, however, at the turn of the 20th century the quarry had become disused, and the siding lifted. It was reinstated, however before the grouping. After passing the siding for Dolgoch Quarry the line curved sharply to the left, it was here in the 1860s that the junction for the short-lived Trefonen branch was located. This branch was built by Thomas Savin to serve his New British Colliery at Coed-y-go which opened in 1863. Originally the Morda Tramway was built in 1813 and used horses to pull trucks laden with coal from Coed-y-Go to the canal at Gronwen Wharf. In 1860 Thomas Savin constructed a railway from the mine at Coed-y-Go down to the mainline of the Cambrian Railway at Whitehaven. Three locomotives were used, and they were each given names: "Plas Ffynnon", "Milford" and "Little Tiny".
As the curve straightened out the line took a southwesterly direction and the causal onlooker in the early days of the TVLR would have seen the Crickheath Tramway converging in from the left. As the curve eased another siding was encountered Originally there had been a double-track formation here with a third line being situated to the right which served Nut Tree Wharf. Passing underneath the Sweeney Mountain Road bridge which carried a separate span for the Crickheath Tramway the Tanat Valley and the Porthywaen branch divided. The Porthywaen branch diverged off the loop siding and continued to climb along the side of a small hill, serving various quarries and lime kilns en route.
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