Donated rails boost for Welsh heritage railway

Nation.Cymru staff

A Welsh heritage railway has received its first delivery of donated rails from disused industrial sidings in Cheshire to help replace worn track.

Tata Chemicals Europe is supplying the materials from its Winnington site in Northwich to Llangollen and Corwen Railway, which operates an eleven-mile route through the Dee Valley.

The first 60-foot lengths have arrived, with further materials still to be recovered and transported. All donated track will need engineering inspections and assessment before it can be used.

The railway says the donation could support renewal work for decades.

Maintaining the line is a significant expense for the railway. Recent infrastructure work has included track replacement through the 690-metre Berwyn Tunnel, costing more than £100,000.

Tim Pulford, the railway’s heritage engineering manager, said: “Track is the very foundation of our Railway. Without it, we simply cannot run trains, and maintaining eleven miles of heritage railway is a constant and extremely expensive undertaking.”

He added: “Subject to the necessary engineering inspections and assessments, these materials could help us undertake track renewals for a generation. That is a tremendous prospect for any heritage railway, and it gives us the opportunity to plan for the future with greater confidence.”

The agreement followed a chance meeting between Pauline Yould, Tata Chemicals Europe’s HR and communications manager, and Neil Evans, a long-serving railway volunteer and former board member who lives in Winsford.

The industrial railway at the Northwich site is no longer in use, and the company wanted to find another use for the materials.

Ms Yould said: “When we considered the future of the railway track at our Northwich site, which is no longer in use, we wanted these valuable materials to benefit an organisation that could give them a meaningful new purpose.”

Some of the heritage railway’s volunteers previously worked for ICI and Tata Chemicals. Others regularly travel from Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to help maintain and operate the line.

Recovering the remaining track will require specialist lifting equipment, loading and heavy haulage. Once delivered, the materials will be assessed before being prepared for future renewal projects.