Conway Valley Light Railway

00, British Rail 1973/4

Description    between the 1850’s and 1910’s there were plans to build a railway from Conway along the Vale of Gyffin, then via Dolgarrog and Trefriw on the western side of the Conway Valley to Llanrwst. The only outcome was a short light railway build to service the Aluminium plant at Dolgarrog. I have rewritten history with the proposal in 1908 of the 10.5 mile long Abbey, Dolgarrog & Trefriw Light Railway approved in 1910 by the Dolgarrog Light Railway Order coming to fruition and like the Derwent Valley [Light] Railway being neither grouped (1923) nor nationalised (1948). In 1926 regular passenger services were withdrawn but workman’s trains continued to stop at the railway’s low platforms until 1932. Goods traffic was largely and by the late 1950’s wholly moved in mainline goods wagons. In 1960 the Aluminum plant at Dolgarrog, switched to road transport and the railway between Tal-y-bont and Llanrwst closed, traffic was incoming coal and out going aggregate. In 1969 the railway broke with tradition and replaced its hired locomotives with two diesel mechanicals locos bought from British Rail. 1971 bought a small preservation group who carried passengers in brake vans and converted open wagons. The layout is set in 1973-4 when the TOPS code was introduced. Goods traffic is all out going with timber in 16 ton mineral wagons and river stone and crushed river stone in TOPS coded tipplers.