Maespoeth Junction
Encyclopedia
Maespoeth Junction lies to the south of Corris
in Gwynedd
and was where the horse-hauled tramway (known as the "Upper Corris Tramway") from the slate quarries around Corris Uchaf
met the main line of the Corris Railway
coming from Aberllefenni
. The name, which translates as "Hot Field", is shared with a nearby house.
In 1878 the railway built its engine shed
at Maespoeth, in the vee of the two lines; it held the railway's three steam locomotives and was equipped to handle all but the heaviest repairs to the locomotives and rolling stock, but much of the machinery was removed after the line became part of the Great Western Railway
in 1930. The engine shed survived the closure of the railway in 1948 and served subsequently as a winter working base for the Forestry Commission
. In 1981 it was returned to railway ownership under the auspices of the Corris Railway Society and now again serves its original purpose as a home for the railway's locomotives and as its engineering headquarters. Passengers on the first restored section of the railway are given a guided tour of the shed.
Immediately to the north of the engine shed is a small stream, and a section of the stream was lined with slate and a wooden dunny or latrine built over it to provide toilet facilities with constant running water.
In the early 1920s a small wooden building was built against the south wall of the engine shed, initially to hold one of the railway's original three locomotives when the arrival of a fourth meant that the engine shed was no longer large enough, and latterly this building was used to store carriages under repair. It disappeared in the early 1930s.
A second, smaller stone building, used as a stable and Signals & Telegraph store, was built to the south of the engine shed and this survives, now being used as a volunteer's mess and small museum. Originally this building was physically separate from the engine shed but the space between the two has now been roofed to provide a toilet block.
A wooden signal cabin, with a stone chimney, was built to protect the lever frame controlling the points and signals at the south end of the site, but this disappeared in the 1940s. A new signal box was built on the same site in the 1990s.
In 2009 a new carriage shed, largely built by volunteers from the Corris Railway Society, was opened on the east side of the site.
The original railway did not have a passenger station at Maespoeth, although most up trains halted there to take water from a pipe overhanging the track, fed from a slate water tank inside the engine shed, which was itself fed from a mountain stream. The heritage railway has built a platform alongside the engine shed, and this currently serves as the southern terminus of the line.
Corris
Corris is a village in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
and was where the horse-hauled tramway (known as the "Upper Corris Tramway") from the slate quarries around Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf
Corris Uchaf , locally known as Top Corris, is a village lying in the south of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name is believed to be derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround the village are its most prominent historical feature.The...
met the main line of the Corris Railway
Corris Railway
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales....
coming from Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
. The name, which translates as "Hot Field", is shared with a nearby house.
In 1878 the railway built its engine shed
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
at Maespoeth, in the vee of the two lines; it held the railway's three steam locomotives and was equipped to handle all but the heaviest repairs to the locomotives and rolling stock, but much of the machinery was removed after the line became part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
in 1930. The engine shed survived the closure of the railway in 1948 and served subsequently as a winter working base for the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
. In 1981 it was returned to railway ownership under the auspices of the Corris Railway Society and now again serves its original purpose as a home for the railway's locomotives and as its engineering headquarters. Passengers on the first restored section of the railway are given a guided tour of the shed.
Immediately to the north of the engine shed is a small stream, and a section of the stream was lined with slate and a wooden dunny or latrine built over it to provide toilet facilities with constant running water.
In the early 1920s a small wooden building was built against the south wall of the engine shed, initially to hold one of the railway's original three locomotives when the arrival of a fourth meant that the engine shed was no longer large enough, and latterly this building was used to store carriages under repair. It disappeared in the early 1930s.
A second, smaller stone building, used as a stable and Signals & Telegraph store, was built to the south of the engine shed and this survives, now being used as a volunteer's mess and small museum. Originally this building was physically separate from the engine shed but the space between the two has now been roofed to provide a toilet block.
A wooden signal cabin, with a stone chimney, was built to protect the lever frame controlling the points and signals at the south end of the site, but this disappeared in the 1940s. A new signal box was built on the same site in the 1990s.
In 2009 a new carriage shed, largely built by volunteers from the Corris Railway Society, was opened on the east side of the site.
The original railway did not have a passenger station at Maespoeth, although most up trains halted there to take water from a pipe overhanging the track, fed from a slate water tank inside the engine shed, which was itself fed from a mountain stream. The heritage railway has built a platform alongside the engine shed, and this currently serves as the southern terminus of the line.