Another year has begun, and so starts again the working parties of the Glyn Valley Tramway Trust clearing the trackbed of the G.V.T. as part of the ongoing detailed surveying and design work by TIR Railways Ltd, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, Wrexham County Borough Council , Rural Development Fund and administered by Northern Marches Cymru.
After last year’s highly successful work on the clearing of the track from Baddies Wood down to the Chirk Fisheries on the Glyn Ceiriog road, the effort this time had moved to the clearance of ‘the cutting’ in the garden of Ty Rhirid near to the end of the line at Chirk railway station. A team of 12 volunteers had been assembled on the 23 January and work had quickly got underway as everyone involved realised here was a golden opportunity to work off some of the Christmas excess!
As the day progressed, it was both satisfying and encouraging to all onsite as ‘the cutting’ slowly but surely revealed itself again nearly seventy five years after the last train hauled itself up the steep gradient from the Chirk Fisheries road crossing to Chirk station in a deafening mix of steam and grinding metal.
The cutting itself is still in remarkably good condition, possibly due to it being protected from the incessant British weather by all the undergrowth and trees over the past few decades. While we were working, we all saw an abundance of snowdrops beginning to sprout on the cutting sides. One wonderful result of all the work that we did last year on the Baddies Wood section of the track was the
transformation the woodland went through after our clearing and felling allowed much more light onto the woodland floor, and wild garlic, snowdrops, bluebells, wild primrose, wood anemones and lesser celandine just erupted after many decades of being dormant in the gloomy woodland light. The flowers in the recently revealed ‘cutting’ may go through a similarly spectacular revival this spring.
Since we began, our work on the trackbed has been done with
sensitivity and care with this resultant rejuvenation of the woodland in mind, the flowers all looked amazing, and this will be one of the many attractions that the Tramway will provide for visitors when it is steaming through the wood again in the near future.
With most of the work now complete in ‘the cutting’, our attention now is directed towards the rest of the track between Matchbox Bridge and Baddies Wood. Some of the track was cleared of small trees last year where it was safe to do so, but progress was stopped due to the very close proximity of the Glyn road to the trackbed as it winds its way down the hill from Chirk to Pontfaen Bridge. This is a more involved job, as it would be too dangerous for the Trust alone to try and fell some of the trees so close to the road. However, it is in our sights, and even now we are planning this next phase of clearance, one which will be so visible and its results so startlingly obvious to travellers on the Glyn road as the trackbed is revealed. Some work also remains to be done on the stretch from ‘the cutting’ to the Hand Lane bridge at Chirk station, but this is a relatively straight forward affair.
This year has started very well, and with very many thanks to the land owners Myddelton Estates, Caravan Club and Mr Ben Williams for their ongoing permission, support and encouragement and with an increasing membership and volunteer base, the work is progressing well, and the revival of the G.V.T edges closer to reality.
As always, we are very keen for new members, anyone can join and help this great project to come to fruition and to bring a new source of income to Chirk and the Glyn Valley during these difficult and uncertain economic times. Some of you, like me, may have a direct link to the G.V.T through family; maybe your grandad, like mine, worked on it, or maybe an uncle, or maybe even your dad. My own dad, who rode on the tramway as a young lad, always said to me ‘if the Tramway was open today, it would be making a fortune’. Of course he was right.
Whatever your skills and abilities, whatever you can offer, however small you think your contribution will be, come forward and speak to us, for it will be warmly welcomed and appreciated, and will make a big difference to this project. Working parties, administration, publicity, fundraising and making a cup of tea are all hugely important, and so whatever you think you can offer, we want to hear from you….
You can contact us on www.glynvalleytramway.co.uk and we look forward to hearing from you, and one day soon, sooner than you think, the sound of steam will be heard in the Glyn Valley again.
Ian Davies
Archaeological Officer and Working Party Supervisor.
Glyn Valley Tramway Trust http://www.glynvalleytramway.co.uk.
