2’ 3” gauge revival
New Tattoo on the Corris
11 September 2005
The story of the Corris Railway's last two steam
locomotives is well known - disused since the
line's closure, effective after the bridge
washout in August 1948, they were bought by
the newly re-opened Talyllyn Railway in 1951
and have since put in many years of service as
that railway's "Sir Haydn" and "Edward
Thomas". In the meantime, the Corris passed
into history - until the formation of the
preservation group in 1966. A long hard slog eventually saw
diesel-hauled passenger services reintroduced three years
ago, on the stretch of line from Corris to Maespoeth.
Some years before the reopening, the group decided it needed a
steam locomotive, and began the project to build from scratch a
replica of the original no. 4, built by Kerr Stuart in 1921 to their
"Tattoo" design. It was originally
anticipated that it would take ten years -
and perhaps uniquely for such a project,
that's what it took! It should be mentioned
that the two coaches in use (a third is
under construction) are replicas of the
unique central-entry design, so the whole
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
train is now truly a Corris replica.
No. 7 was delivered in May, but introduction to passenger service
would await commissioning, driver training etc. I kept an eye on
the Corris website - until eventually it was announced that the
loco had entered service - on 20th August,
57th anniversary of the last goods train. I
thought perhaps we'd better pay a visit.
There is no run-round facility at Corris -
instead, the loco remains coupled at the
downhill end of the two-coach train,
hauling down to Maespoeth and propelling back. The journey is
short - however, an informative talk and visit to the shed / depot
makes the trip worthwhile, and the shop and museum at Corris
are well worth a visit.
The train we travelled on - the 2pm departure - was very lightly
filled however, though there were a few more passengers on the
3pm. Many more passengers are needed to help raise funds for
the planned extension - next time you're in that part of the
world, make a point of paying a visit to this friendly little line.
Link:
The Corris Railway
