The RCTS: then and now
THE Great Western Railway introduced a series of titled expresses in its 1920s heyday, including in 1927 a Saturdaysonly ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ from Paddington to Aberystwyth. But the service came into its own in the 1950s, when in 1956 a ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 (or a ‘King’ after receiving clearance to go beyond Wolverhampton) took the train as far as Shrewsbury.
Reversal here would see the stock, by this time BR chocolate and cream Mk.1s, taken forward by one of Machynlleth shed’s immaculate ‘Manors’, gleaming in spotless Brunswick green livery. Passing through Welshpool and Newtown, then over Talerddig, the train reached the Cambrian hub of Machynlleth, where it divided. The main named section went on to Aberystwyth, but we will follow the less celebrated portion heading northwards from Dovey Junction. This has a significantly longer journey, much of it hugging the Cambrian coast, until it reaches Pwllheli, some 57 miles from Machynlleth.
Motive power in steam days varied somewhat too, a Class ‘2251’ 0-6-0 perhaps, maybe a ‘Dukedog’, or even a tank engine of GWR Class ‘41XX’ or BR Standard Class 3. Those miles up the coast gave the passengers some wonderful coastal views, as they do to this day, and much of railway interest.
Sadly, much of that is lost to the modern-day traveller, the passing of each faithfully recorded in the pages of the Railway Observer. The coast is reached at Aberdovey, with its beautiful beaches, followed soon after by Tywyn, where in 1951 the Talyllyn Railway became the world’s first passengercarrying preserved railway. The narrow gauge terminus at the Wharf is clearly viewed from the main line.
Soon after comes a marvellous section along the cliffs, culminating in the avalanche shelter at Friog, then Fairbourne is reached, the terminus of a miniature line along the beach. Today’s Morfa Mawddach station was formerly Barmouth Junction, with the GWR line from Ruabon via Dolgellau swinging in from the east, after which the line immediately crosses the spectacular Bont y Bermo, the 900-yard long Barmouth Bridge. From Barmouth the line is situated below the cliffs, with the all-surveying Harlech Castle towering over the town’s station.
There is more narrow-gauge steam to come, and at Minffordd we go under the Ffestiniog Railway, with the Cob taking that line into Porthmadog sadly out of view, but we reach Porthmadog station only after traversing a modern-day flat crossing with the reborn Welsh Highland Railway. Then it is back to the coastline at Criccieth, with its own castle prominent. The last junction, long-lost now, was at Afon Wen, where the exLNWR branch from Caernarfon came in, all trace gone now.
Like many coastal termini, Pwllheli is a pale shadow of itself in the heyday of steam-hauled holiday trains, but Class 158 DMUs still give good service after 30 years. Now in the white and red livery of Transport for Wales – Trafnidiaeth Cymru – they are due to be replaced by new CAF Class 197 soon, an event certain to be featured in the Railway Observer.
For information on the Society visit www.rcts.org.uk.