THE WestWales county of Carmarthenshire is set to be home to three heritage railways in due course with the Gwendraeth Valley Railway complementing the Gwili and Llanelli & Mynyndd Mawr railways.
The revival of the surviving section of the old Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway is now underway after Network Rail granted a lease to the Gwendraeth Valley Railway Society (GVRS).
The route is distinctive for having a restricted loading gauge, necessitating low-height rolling stock – a challenge the GVRS has plans to overcome. The infrastructure is a reminder that before becoming a railway in the mid-1860s, the route was originally a canal dating back to the 1760s – hence the long flat sections, short steep gradients and low canal bridges. Motive power in the early years included a pair of Double Fairlies – a boiler from which survives after being used as a drainage pipe.
Colonel Stephens was involved with the original railway as a consultant in 1908, which saw the unofficial carriage of passengers legalised after obtaining two Light Railway Orders, in 1909 and 1911. The Colonel also supervised reconstruction and reequipment over the years up to 1913, after which he had no further connection.