A Brief History of the CR&DJR Railway
A Brief History of the CR&DJR Railway |
|
In the years following the 1896 Light Railways Act, renewed interest in minor railways meant that many plans were dusted down and re-examined. A second attempt to build a Ceirig Valley Railway was undertaken, this time to tap the agricultural potential of the valley. Again the proposal failed, because the revenue from farm transportation proved too limited to support the capital expenditure.
Just before the turn of the century the forestry industry in the Dyfi Valley area began to flourish. The logging industry were looking to access the remote forests at the head of the Ceirig Valley. Finally all the necessary conditions for a railway were in place and construction started in 1899. The line was named the Cemmas Road and Dolfor Junction Railway, after the main passenger stations on the line.
The 1923 summer timetable of the CR&DJR, showing the short-lived passenger service to Nant-yr-Nele. |
 |
The CR&DJR began at the small village of Cemmaes Road, where it connected with the Cambrian Railway's mainline to Machynlleth, Aberyswyth and Dollgellau. Much like the Corris Railway’s station at Machynlleth, the CR&DJR’s station was situated on the flood plain of the Dyfi Valley, below the standard gauge station.
From Cemmaes Road, the line ran northwest across the floor of the Dyfi Valley. Crossing the river by a steel bridge the line reached its first junction, at Mathafarn. Here a branch line to the village of Llanwrin turned off, while the mainline headed due north along the Ceirig Valley towards Brynmelin.
The village branch to Llanwrin ran almost due west from Mathafarn, along the north side of the Dyfi valley. The branch line was very easy to work, being almost flat and straight. It ended near the Ty-uchaf Inn at Llanwrin in a simple station with run-round loop.
The main line followed the Afon Ceirig to Brynmelin. Here a passenger halt by the riverside served the small farming community and a short, steep branch ran to the sawmill. Freshly cut timber from the forest was carried down to Brynmelin on bolster wagons, and stored at the mill. Cut lumber was taken down to Cemmaes Road to be loaded onto the Cambrian Railway.
Meanwhile, the CR&DJR continued north east along the valley past Cefn Gader to Dolfor. This was the northern most extent of passenger workings on the line for most of the history of the line, though for a while in the 1920's passenger services were extended northwards. Just before reaching the station the line turned sharply north west, following the river valley.
| A return ticket from the 1930's |  |
North of Dolfor the line was worked as a mineral branch, although between the wars a passenger service was run for the forestry workers. The main route followed the Ceirig Valley, towards Glyn Cerig. At Dolfor Junction was an interchange with the short lived Caecyno Tramway. This 1' 10 1/2" gauge line tapped the forest east of Dolfor via two steep inclines one climbing Cefn Llwyd, the other running up to Coed y Glyn.
The main line continued north west to Glyn Ceirig. This small farm was passed in the most impressive civil engineering work on the line. Here the river passes through a narrow ravine about 200 yards long. The line was built through this narrow gorge, at time threading over the churning waters on a narrow wooden tressle. Nowhere else in Wales does a narrow gauge railway follow such a distinctive course.
Once through the Ceirig Gorge, the line follows the river upstream for another half mile, until it meets the confluence of two minor rivers below Mynydd Du. Above is the farm of Nant-Annelau (Nant-yr-Nele), once the site of a railway-connected perfume factory. Here local heathers were processed into ladies toiletries - needless to say this venture was not a tremendous success.
The railway branched here, with one line following each of the tributaries of the Ceirig. The northern branch ran for another half mile into the forests of Cwm Nele on the eastern slopes of Mynydd Du, again ending in a pair of inclines. The longer branch headed almost due west towards the isolated farm of Cae'rfelin. Here a final incline climbed into Coed Penlan, giving access to the rich pine forests covering the slopes.
Sadly, there never was a CR&DJR nor to the best of my knowledge were there every any plans for one. However, there was at one time a narrow gauge railway in the Ceirig Valley. In the late 1970s I was walking the main forestry road below Nant Annelau and came across about half a mile of 2' gauge jubilee track to the side of the road. On closer examination, there was a ledge just below the roadway that was clearly once a forestry railway. I don't know anything more of the history of this line, although it had obviously been out of use for many years before I discovered it. Over the years the road was widened, obliterating much of the ledge and the jubilee track has rusted away to almost nothing.
The only other railway connection in the valley that I am aware of is the small collection of industrial machinery once owned by Mr. Jones of Brynmelin farm. This included at least two mining tubs of unknown gauge that Mr. Jones had recovered from a local mine. He planned to incorporate these into a small museum of Welsh industrial heritage on his farm, but I don't know what became of that plan.
Certainly a railway as described would have been possible, although the section through the Glyn Ceirig gorge would have been hard to build and harder to operate. I very much doubt that the economics would have made such a line possible, even to the most optimistic Edwardian. However, stranger lines have been built (the Kerry Tramway and Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway spring to mind), so who knows?
By the way, if you think the story about a heather perfume factory on an isolated Welsh hillside was far-fetched, you should think again. This really was the original purpose of the large barn that stands opposite the Nant-yr-Nele farmhouse.
Home - Trackplan - Construction - Stock - Movies - Gallery - Links