24 February 2021 · In Search Of The Red Dragon

Presenter: Colin Brading

Colin started his presentation with a nostalgic reminder that ‘The Red Dragon’ was a name bestowed in the 1950’s upon an up morning service from Carmarthen to Paddington and the evening return working.

He then embarked on a journey through Wales from south to north, reminding us that this has never been an easy journey – even before the line closures of the 1960’s.

The rich railway heritage of South Wales occupied the entire first half of the presentation. We were treated to a wonderful variety of interesting items, including the Pen-y-darren Tramway, now a leisure trail, dating back to the very beginnings of the railway age. The Taff Vale Railway engineered by Brunel was an early example of railways serving the ironworks and coal mining that underpinned the Industrial Revolution in South Wales. The topography of the Valleys resulted in some impressive viaducts, the most notable being the Crumlin Viaduct on the TVR extension line from Pontypool. We then moved north in the second half, dropping in on the Llangollen Railway before arriving on the coast at Rhyl with its delightful Miniature Railway. The Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno certainly justified a visit before we arrived in Conwy where the railway has blended well into its historic surroundings.

We then moved on to Caernarfon and for the remainder of our Welsh journey it was slate rather than coal extraction that the railways were built to serve. We were shown a veritable feast of preserved railways including the preservation ‘daddy’ of them all, the Talyllyn Railway that reopened as a tourist line in 1951.

The cab view of the ERTMS equipment being trialled on the Cambrian Line ended a thoroughly absorbing presentation given to over 110 participants via Zoom.