GOLDEN FISHPLATE COMPLETES LLANGOLLEN’S LINK TO CORWEN
A ‘golden fishplate’ ceremony on December 10 marked the completion of ten miles of track between Llangollen and Corwen.
92-year-old Bill Shakespeare MBE, the Llangollen Railway’s president, together with vicepresident Gordon Heddon, wielded the spanner to fasten the golden fishplate to the rails, above the site of the former ‘Gap’ where the breached embankment was rebuilt.
The project’s Road-Rail Vehicle then made a demonstration run across the completed track from Platform 1 of the LR’s new western terminus, using the run-round loop, on which the final sections of rail were laid in November (SR500). The project’s volunteers are now drilling the timber sleepers for the pointwork fastenings, and the siding was complete as this issue went to press.
As Mr Shakespeare commented, the completion of the Corwen extension realises the original ambitions of the LR, when he was one of its founder members.
He said: “Little did I think, when the first track was laid at Llangollen back in 1975, it would take so long to reach a new-build station at Corwen. The volunteer workforce has done brilliantly with the limited resources available. The job has been done, so it is right we pause for a little celebration and can look forward to the station opening in 2020.”
An opening date is still to be confirmed, and the arrival of the first locomotive is dependent upon ballasting and tamping of the track.
Project spokesman George Jones said: “It will open when it is ready. The winter weather will be one deciding factor – the next challenge is the platform” on which the infill and 40,000 paving slabs are still to be completed.
“This is possibly three months’ worth of work which would take us to Easter – maybe longer. Perhaps June, but that is not a target date at this stage.
“The devil will be in the detail of meeting the modern requirements for a new-build station – someone needs to be found to carry out the official inspection.
“It is not a project where a contractor is committed to working five days a week with all the necessary resources to hand – if it was, it couldn’t be afforded. “Completing Corwen station remains a challenge for the project volunteers but they are determined to get there in 2020.”