THE CAMBRIAN COUNTRY

Dave Waldren gave an entertaining talk on the Cambrian Railway to the best attended meeting since lockdown restrictions were eased – 30 members and 17 visitors. Dave used only original media he has acquired for his presentation, including slides and negatives taken by a range of renowned photographers, as well as some of his own work. The main time frame was 1948 to 1980, with a few earlier pictures of narrow gauge railways and some more recent pictures of steam specials, featuring Bird, Dukedog, Manor and standard classes of steam locomotives, through to the Class 24 and 25 diesels and DMUs that supplanted them.

Starting at the Cambrian terminus at Aberystwyth, Dave showed us around the station, including some rare pictures of dual gauge track and a Hymek on a three coach Carmarthen service, before the trackwork was removed and became one of the several homes of the Vale of Rheidol narrow gauge line. We were also reminded that Aberystwyth was served by a weekly Class 25 hauled oil train, as well as the regular sight of Manor Class locomotives on the Cambrian Coast Express. We then proceeded to the remote outpost of Dovey Junction, with Dave illustrating all of the long forgotten halts along the route, such as Llandra and Glandyfi.

After a brief tour of Machynlleth and a look around the engine sheds, we returned through Dovey Junction en route to Barmouth, where the stations have largely survived the axe and still provide a valuable public service. Steam locomotives were still the main feature of the presentation but Dave also produced some rare gems of diesel traction, including English Electric Type 3 D6984 (Class 37) passing Towyn with a Shrewsbury to Barmouth service in July 1966 and an English Electric Type 4 (Class 40) on a special to the Ffestiniog Railway, which should never have been allowed onto the Cambrian line because of the weight restrictions but somehow made it through. Dave also showed an extreme rarity in the form of Class 08 shunter D3970 operating a tunnel inspection train, which must have been bound for the tunnel in Barmouth at a stately 15mph. After passing through the Friog avalanche shelter, erected by the GWR in the 1930s after fatal accidents in 1883 and 1933, we proceeded across the Barmouth bridge, where Dave surprised us again by showing a picture of the swing section in the open position, albeit for an examination, as it is known that it was never opened for the passage of shipping. Nonetheless, Dave was able to dispel the rumour that it had never been opened at all.

We then completed the journey to Pwllheli, noting the gunpowder factory at Penrhyndeudraeth, the connection to the Ffestiniog at Minfford and the right angle crossing for the West Highland Railway at Porthmadoc before arriving at the terminus, the home of the famous holiday camp that the Government paid Billy Butlin to build during the war and then gave it to him afterwards!