Steam & Heritage Track Record All change at Gwili
Passengers will be able to start their journey at Abergwili Junction, the Gwili Railway’s new southern terminus, from this season.
OPERATIONS at the Gwili Railway are set to be transformed this coming season, with services starting at Abergwili Junction (AJ) rather than Bronwydd Arms, which has served as the line’s headquarters since the section of the former Carmarthen to Aberstwyth route reopened as a heritage line in 1978.
AJ lies on the edge of Carmarthen. While the site of the junction itself is now under the roundabout on Carmarthen bypass, trains could once take the LNWR line to Llandeilo or the GWR route to Lampeter and Aberystwyth.
Gwili passenger trains have operated to AJ since summer 2017, although the station has been merely a bare platform. In the intervening period a vast amount of work has been underway on developing plans to create a southern terminus. Physical work began on the project in 2020.
With the site having been used as a ‘borrow’ pit for the construction of the Carmarthen bypass in the late 1990s, the land was made up of various mounds of differing materials. Therefore, the large flat spaces required for its new use as a station required a large amount of material to be removed from the southern to the northern end of the site. This resulted in levels at the northern end of the site rising between five and six feet.
Construction
After initial levelling, stone of differing grades was brought to site to help surface the car park area, which has
250 spaces – with room to expand. The finishing touches were then added at the end of October when the access road off the A485 road was tarmacked and painted, along with the installation of the new automated barriers.
A second flat area was created on the southern end of the site ready for the new carriage shed – foundations for which have been laid. The contractor for building the shed was appointed in mid-January. It is hoped that by next winter the equivalent of eight BR
Mk.1 carriages can be stored undercover.
The shed has been designed so that solar panels and rainwater harvesting can be fitted in due course.
While it will initially be two roads wide, there is scope to extend the shed to create a five road structure, with the addition of two further storage roads and a new workshop road. The railway’s motive power depot will remain at Bronwydd Arms.
Among the tasks currently underway by volunteers is the reassembly of the former Kings Dock Junction signalbox from a kit of parts. Built in 1905 by McKenzie & Holland for the Swansea Harbour Trust, it was first preserved by the Swansea Vale Railway (SVR), which rebuilt it at Upper Bank. Following the closure of the SVR, it was carefully dismantled and placed in storage.
The wooden top half will be mounted at ground level on a concrete base to become a shop and office. It will be located, so that it does not impact on plans for a purpose-built shop, in due course.
Since starting on the project in late October, a small skilled team has made great strides in reassembling the key components to form the outline of the building. It is hoped that it will be ready to welcome visitors at some point this summer.
Dewi Jones, head of the railway’s Carriage & Wagon Department told The RM: “The last ‘normal’ passenger train departed Bronwydd Arms on December 30, hauled by GWR 0-6-0PT No. 1369. Each train will now start and finish at AJ.
Options for Bronwydd Arms are being looked at – it may become a request stop in due course.”
The switch of the railway’s gateway station from Bronwydd Arms to AJ is a logistical challenge, with only weeks to ensure key features are in place.
“Moving many of the facilities can only be done in the closed season between New Year and Easter,” explained Mr Jones.
Facilities
“In mid-January the tea room, comprising two ex-Taff Vale Railway carriage bodies, moved from Bronwydd Arms to AJ, along with the public toilets which are housed in a portable building – plus a shed housing a second-hand bookshop. The long-term plan is to construct a new purpose-designed building – temporary structures will get us through this season.
“Because of all movements, things like walkways will be disturbed so there will only be limited public access at Bronwydd Arms.”
Other outstanding tasks to complete in the coming weeks include rerouting an 11 kilovolt overhead power line and connecting water, sewerage and electricity – plus the construction of walkways and fencing from the car park to the platform.
While the main season begins on April 1, a Mothering Sunday dining train is due to run March 19 – these being the first passengers to begin their journey at AJ.
By mid-January, negotiations for steam traction from another heritage line for the coming season were underway.
Having been hired for the
2022 season, GWR 0-6-0PT
No. 1369 was due to return to its South Devon Railway base. It was confirmed however, that RSH 0-6-0ST Moorbarrow (7849/1955) is to remain on the roster this year.
New volunteers are welcome in all areas of the railway. Visit gwili-railway.co.uk or call 01267238213 for details.