A recreation of a rural Welsh branch line can be experienced when the Llangollen and Corwen Railway in Denbighshire holds its Branch Line Gala in April.

The weekend, from Friday, 10th to Sunday, 12th April, promises to be the busiest time for many years along the 10-mile line through the Dee Valley. An added attraction will be a demonstration goods train, which is the first time in many years that such a train has run on the line.

As well as travelling in vintage carriages, passengers can travel in a train of freight brake vans, giving them the chance to view the spectacular Dee Valley from the open verandas that typify such vehicles. During the railway’s close season, some of the railway’s freight wagons were restored by the railway’s Youth Group and its younger volunteers.

Throughout the three days, visitors can hop on and off the trains at the beautifully restored stations at Berwyn, Glyndyfrdwy, or Carrog, where they will be able to photograph passing trains, enjoy a walk, or sample refreshments in a station tea room or a local pub.

At Llangollen, visitors can tour the engine shed, and on Saturday evening, there will be live music on Llangollen Station with folk superstar Chris Greve and Friends.

Throughout the weekend, there will be a strong Great Western feel to the event, which will feature four steam and one diesel locomotive with strong connections to the Great Western, with four built in the GWR works at Swindon and one built in Glasgow to a GWR design. Locomotives scheduled for the weekend are:

• 1366-class Pannier Tank No. 1369, which will be this engine’s first visit to the line.
• Small Prairie No. 4555, visiting the line for the first time since 1964.
• The railway’s resident 0-6-0 pannier tank No. 7754.
• Heavy freight 2-8-0 No. 3802.
• No. D9525, a Class 14 diesel-hydraulic, which has been at the railway for a year but is now leaving for pastures new.

Tickets cost £36 for one day, £65 for two days, and £86 for all three days, and include unlimited travel. Children’s tickets cost £6, £10, and £15, and £3 for dogs. Further information and booking details are online at https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/branchline-gala/.

In June, the Llangollen and Corwen Railway is hosting the Llangollen Garden Railway Festival, one of the UK’s largest model railway events.

“Getting the timetable out to the public is a major milestone after confirming our impressive loco line-up. We are all very excited and very busy behind the scenes getting everything ready for the biggest event at the railway in recent years. The strong Great Western theme is particularly poignant as the event will take place just a couple of weeks after the 40th anniversary of the closure of famous Swindon Works, where 4 of the locomotives taking part in the event were built. We can’t wait to the see the railway busy with people enjoying the spectacular show of trains and other attractions.”

Iain Ross, Event Organiser for the Branch Line Gala