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Railways of the Vale of Clwyd
Railways of the Vale of Clwyd - illustrated talk by Fiona Gale
Over 80 members of and visitors to the Llandyrnog and Llangwyfan Local History Society were delighted to welcome Fiona Gale MBE to their JANUARY meeting in the Village Hall, Llandyrnog. Fiona was Archaeologist within Denbighshire Countryside Service from 1996 – 2018 during which time she was involved in projects at the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio Mountain hillforts including Penycloddiau and Moel Arthur close to Llandyrnog.
Since retirement she has become involved in local projects in Ruthin, including organising Open Doors for Ruthin. One of these is the Ruthin Civic Association project to refurbish the old railway crane which is in the grounds of the Craft Centre. This led to a much bigger project about the history of the Vale of Clwyd Railway and Ruthin Station in particular, as well as people’s memories of travelling on the train. The talk, Denbigh Ruthin and Corwen Railway in the Vale of Clwyd explored some of this history and looked at some of the remaining features of the line.
Fiona gave a brief overview of the development of railways in the UK. The first purpose-built passenger railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1826 and between 1830 and 1870 a vast, sprawling network of railways was built all around the British Isles.
Before there were steam railways in the area, there were several mineral tramlines taking slate to the Canal in the Dee valley and coal and clay from works. There was a long tram line from the slate quarries at Horseshoe Pass to the Canal at Pentrefelin, near Llangollen.
The first railway built in Great Britain to use steam locomotives was the Stockton and Darlington, opened in 1825. It used a steam locomotive built by George Stephenson and was practical only for hauling minerals. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830, was the first modern passenger carrying railway.
The first passenger railway to come to North Wales was the North Wales coast line. The Chester and Holyhead Railway Act was passed in 1844, and construction began on 1 March 1845 with George's son Robert Stephenson as chief engineer.
The route was largely along the coast but some bold engineering was needed, especially the high bridge across the Menai Strait (required by the Government to give clearance for shipping). The Irish Mail went to Holyhead by train for the first time on August 1 1848, and on the same day the present Chester station was opened, replacing the separate stations previously used by Crewe and Birkenhead services.
Small companies such as the Chester and Holyhead rarely kept their independence, and in 1859 the north Wales coast line had become the property of the London and North Western Railway Company (LNWR) which had in fact been working the train services from the opening day.
The LNWR, which owned the west coast main line from London Euston to Carlisle, set out to promote traffic on the coast line by encouraging tourist traffic to the seaside resorts, notably Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, and Llandudno which was reached by a short branch line opened in 1858.
Other lines developed in the area with the line between Ruabon and Dolgellau/ Barmouth via Llangollen begun in various stages.
The Vale of Llangollen Railway was built as a spur from the Shrewsbury and Chester railway south of Ruabon to the town Llangollen. The line was built along the northern side of the Dee Valley and authorized by an Act of Parliament on 1 August 1859. It was initially opened for goods only on 1 December 1861 and to passenger traffic on 2 June 1862 it was worked from the outset by the Great Western Railway.
The Llangollen and Corwen Railway was formed as a continuation of the Vale of Llangollen Railway to continue the line along the Dee Valley to Corwen. This was opened on 1 May 1865 and was worked by the Great Western.
Once both the north Wales coast line and the Llangollen/Dee Valley line were planned or in place there was desire to link the two lines. However, the first section of the line was constructed in the north to link Denbigh to Rhyl and was built following the Act of Parliament of June 1856, before the line in the Dee Valley was started.
This northern part of the line from Rhyl to Denbigh opened to passenger traffic in 1858, with the permanent station opening at Denbigh in December 1860.
This was followed by the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway which gained Royal assent to the Act in July 1860. The original route proposed for the railway line in Ruthin was to the west of the Castle, through what is now Cae Ddôl park and close to the Park Place public house. This was built speculatively to serve the Railway. The Cornwallis Wests, living in the Castle, objected and it was built to the east of the centre of the town instead.
On the 4th of September 1860 Miss Florence West of Ruthin Castle cut the first sod of the line. By early 1862 the line had been constructed from Denbigh to Ruthin with stations at Llanrhaeadr and Rhewl. The part to Gwyddelwern was finished by March 1863 while the final section to Corwen was complete by October 1863.
Ruthin Station was intended to be the Headquarters of the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway but very soon after the line opened it was taken over by the LNWR (London and North Western Railway) and the grand offices became surplus to requirements.
The station had a main platform and second platform which was only used if two trains were in the station at the same time. There was a covered waiting area on both platforms and a footbridge over the line.
Initially there was a locomotive depot at Ruthin but this was closed by around 1900. There was a large Goods Yard at the station as there was a lot of produce coming in and out, coal, timber, and agricultural supplies.
Railway Terrace was built alongside the railway line in 1864 and it still stands today. There is a date on the terrace between numbers 7 and 8. The Terrace was designed by the architect John Jones (1810 – 69). He was the bard known as ‘Talhaiarn.’ The train went underneath the road at the bottom of Well Street. The station was situated where the roundabout by the craft centre is today and on the craft centre site, a goods shed, lines and signal box etc
Trains served Ruthin Station for nearly 100 years. Regular passenger services south to Corwen stopped in 1953 but freight trains continued south almost until the whole line closed to all traffic in 1964. The last passenger train through Ruthin was April 1962. The last Station Master, William Glynne Hughes, who had come to Ruthin with his family in 1955, retired when the line closed.
Formal closure was in 1965 and the line was lifted very soon after. The railway tunnel under the road at the bottom of Well Street was taken down. The line of the railway, heading north towards Rhewl survives next to the sewage works.
When the Railway was closed, the Crane that was used in the goods yard was ‘dug out’ and left in the old Station Yard. Until the early 1980s the Crane lay abandoned on the site. It was then put in store by the local authority and re-erected when the Ruthin Craft Centre was first opened in the mid-1980s. Funding received from the National Heritage Lottery Fund has enabled it to be serviced and refurbished. Also, working with The Book of You, it is intended to collect stories and memories of people who knew or were part of the Vale of Clwyd Railway.
All are welcome to society meetings with members paying only £8 for the yearly programme of 4 meetings and visitors £3 per meeting. Light refreshments are served for all at the end of every meeting.
The next history society meeting will be on Wednesday 15 May - "Don't look back" - the story of Guernsey children who were billeted in Denbigh during World War 2. Wendy Grey-Lloyd.
For additional details or queries or to join the society, or volunteer to be part of the projects, please e-mail the
Cymdeithas Hanes Lleol Llandyrnog & Llangwyfan Local History Society on llangwyfanhistory@hotmail.com
Cymdeithas Hanes Lleol Llandyrnog & Llangwyfan Local History Society on llangwyfanhistory@hotmail.com
