A taste of the future… or the past?
Lurking behind ‘Chirk’ station is an ‘N- 6.5’ take on the Glyn Valley Tramway. The train itself is 3D-printed and runs on a ‘Z’ gauge Marklin chassis. The length of track is only about 2ft, but Allen decided to include it in order to commemorate the tramway that disappeared in the 1930s. This eight-mile 2ft 4½in gauge railway was built to link the communities and, more importantly, the nine quarries of the Ceiriog Valley to the Llangollen Canal at Chirk. Work started on the route in 1873, but when costs rose after the First World War and the introduction of a bus route provided a competitive alternative for passengers, the tramway was finally abandoned in 1933. Freight continued for another two years until the line was completely closed in 1935 and the locomotives scrapped in 1936. Some of the carriages were sold to local farmers and a couple survived long enough to be saved by the Talyllyn Railway. No. 14 was a First Class vehicle that was obtained from Chirk vicarage in 1956. No. 15 was originally Third Class and acquired from a farm near Glyn Ceiriog in 1958. Both have been restored to First Class condition. The derelict land behind Chirk station has been earmarked for restoration by the Glyn Valley Tramway Trust ( www.glynvalleytramwaytrust.co.uk). Meanwhile, the New Glyn Valley Tramway and Industrial Heritage Trust ( www.glynvalleytramway.org.uk) has restored the former shed in Glyn Ceiriog village.