Vale of Glamorgan Railway
Encyclopedia
The Barry Tourist Railway (formerly the Barry Island Railway) is a railway developed to attract visitors to Barry
in the Vale of Glamorgan
, South Wales
. It is a key element of the Barry Rail Centre which also includes engineering and training facilities.
An unusual aspect of the railway is that for several hundred yards across from Barry to Barry Island the trackbed used is directly alongside the Network Rail
track which uses the original down line, with the Barry Tourist Railway using the up. This continues across the Causeway bridge where the lines diverge into separate platforms at Barry Island. The Railway does not consider itself a line but more of a network as it has two different routes. This is reflected in the map below, with Network Rail shown in red.
In November 2008, the land owner the Vale of Glamorgan Council
, undertook a commercial tender
exercise, which terminated the lease of previous operator the Vale of Glamorgan Railway
in favour of a private operator, Cambrian Transport under a 20year lease. Operations commenced in December 2009 and a full years programme of services operated during 2010. Details are shown on the council website. Services have been operated by IRIS 2 railcars and 0-6-0 Pannier Tank locomotive, no. 9466.
. Evicted by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
, the company was offered a lease by the Vale of Glamorgan Council on Barry Island railway station
, with financial aid from the Welsh Development Agency
.
Following the December 2007 decision by landlords, the Vale of Glamorgan Council
to terminate the £65,000 funding of the Barry Island Railway, but the society maintained its services. However less than six months after withdrawing financial support, the council without warning decided to put the railway site out to tender
under a long term lease. There were three bids submitted with the successful bidder being the commercial company Cambrian Transport who have been the council's railway adviser and contractor since the Barry Railway Project started.
The other bidder NEWCO was submitted by Graham Lee – owner of the LH Plant, Hunslet Engine Company, Statfold Barn Railway
– and Mike Thomson – owner of Arrowvale who make "black boxes" for the rail industry. NEWCO had spoken to the VGR in advance and agreed a method of working together.
Cambrian Transport have successfully operated the railway at Barry since December 2009.
Heading north the line crosses the causeway bridge parallel to Network Rail before taking a sharp right-hand turn and splitting into two branches, one leading up to Hood Road (the Waterfront), the other heading past Woodhams halt to the new terminus at Gladstone Bridge next to the supermarkets. It is intended to extend the line to a site adjacent to Arriva Trains Barry Dock Station.
The running line runs near to the site of the former Woodham Brothers scrapyard. The former wagon repair works building at Barry is now the main running shed and is also used to store and repair rolling stock.
Some parts of the line, particularly around the Plymouth Road/Barry Island area, were used for several scenes in the Doctor Who
episodes "The Empty Child
" and "The Doctor Dances
" in January 2005. More recently filming of Being Human
and Ar-y-Tracs has taken place.
depot. (No public access to the depot).
Main-line steam locomotives
The last remaining locomotives from Dai Woodham's scrapyard, these locomotives are the remains of the last locomotives left when the yard closed - a group often called the Barry Ten
, as there were ten of them. Since then some of them have been removed for use in heritage railway projects and for restoration. These locomotives are not part of the Barry Railway proper, and indeed most are too large to ever run there. Instead the railway receives other benefits in the form of free equivalent steaming days from the recipients of the locomotives. All these locomotives and two tenders are rusting hulks, stored and are not publicly viewable. The Barry Ten are under the management and ownership of the Cambrian Transport, who publicly announced on 4 May 2010, various plans for the different engines (see below).
Diesel locomotives
Diesel Multiple Unit
Electro-Diesel locomotives
Electric Multiple Unit trailers
Barry, Wales
Barry is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. Located along the northern coast of the Bristol Channel less than south-southwest of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the Barry Island Pleasure Park...
in the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. It is a key element of the Barry Rail Centre which also includes engineering and training facilities.
An unusual aspect of the railway is that for several hundred yards across from Barry to Barry Island the trackbed used is directly alongside the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
track which uses the original down line, with the Barry Tourist Railway using the up. This continues across the Causeway bridge where the lines diverge into separate platforms at Barry Island. The Railway does not consider itself a line but more of a network as it has two different routes. This is reflected in the map below, with Network Rail shown in red.
In November 2008, the land owner the Vale of Glamorgan Council
Vale of Glamorgan Council
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It is run by the Conservative Party after the United Kingdom local elections, 2008, taking over the council from no overall control....
, undertook a commercial tender
Request for tender
A request for tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a formal, structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products or services. In the public sector, such a process may be required and determined in detail by law to ensure that such competition for the use of public money is open, fair...
exercise, which terminated the lease of previous operator the Vale of Glamorgan Railway
Vale of Glamorgan Railway
The Barry Tourist Railway is a railway developed to attract visitors to Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales...
in favour of a private operator, Cambrian Transport under a 20year lease. Operations commenced in December 2009 and a full years programme of services operated during 2010. Details are shown on the council website. Services have been operated by IRIS 2 railcars and 0-6-0 Pannier Tank locomotive, no. 9466.
History
In 1979, the Butetown Historic Railway Society was formed in Cardiff, running service along a short piece of line from ButetownButetown
Butetown is a community in the south of the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It was originally a model housing estate built in the early nineteenth century by John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute, for whose title the area was named...
. Evicted by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was set up by the United Kingdom Government on 3 April 1987 to redevelop of one sixth of the area of Cardiff to create Cardiff Bay.-Objectives:...
, the company was offered a lease by the Vale of Glamorgan Council on Barry Island railway station
Barry Island railway station
Barry Island railway station is a railway station, fifteen kilometres south-west of Cardiff Central, serving Barry Island in Wales...
, with financial aid from the Welsh Development Agency
Welsh Development Agency
The Welsh Development Agency was a QUANGO and later an Assembly Sponsored Public Body established in 1976 to encourage business development and investment in Wales, to clear derelict land and to encourage growth of local businesses...
.
Following the December 2007 decision by landlords, the Vale of Glamorgan Council
Vale of Glamorgan Council
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It is run by the Conservative Party after the United Kingdom local elections, 2008, taking over the council from no overall control....
to terminate the £65,000 funding of the Barry Island Railway, but the society maintained its services. However less than six months after withdrawing financial support, the council without warning decided to put the railway site out to tender
Request for tender
A request for tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a formal, structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products or services. In the public sector, such a process may be required and determined in detail by law to ensure that such competition for the use of public money is open, fair...
under a long term lease. There were three bids submitted with the successful bidder being the commercial company Cambrian Transport who have been the council's railway adviser and contractor since the Barry Railway Project started.
The other bidder NEWCO was submitted by Graham Lee – owner of the LH Plant, Hunslet Engine Company, Statfold Barn Railway
Statfold Barn Railway
The Statfold Barn Railway is a mixed gauge railway of , and gauges, near Tamworth, Staffordshire. It is privately owned by Mr Graham Lee, chairman of LH Group Services Ltd – which in 2005 bought what remained of the Hunslet Engine Company....
– and Mike Thomson – owner of Arrowvale who make "black boxes" for the rail industry. NEWCO had spoken to the VGR in advance and agreed a method of working together.
Cambrian Transport have successfully operated the railway at Barry since December 2009.
Route
The Barry Tourist Railway is centred at Barry Island railway station and platforms, which is shared with Arriva trains services. The station is maintained by Cambrian Transport and there are plans to open a shop, small cafe and museum as well as space for event displays and activities. At the Cardiff end of the building is the end of the Network Rail platform area. Access to the Barry Tourist Railway platform and two at-present unused bay platforms is at the pier (south) end of the station. The Barry Island Railway line exits the south end of the station to Plymouth Road where a museum is to be developed. A small platform will allow visitors to alight and see the historic artefacts and exhibits while the driver changes ends. In the past trains ran through Barry Island station and a tunnel to Barry Pier. At the moment the tunnel is blocked off and used as a shooting range. The railway has long-term ambitions to reopen the tunnel and route to Barry Pier.Heading north the line crosses the causeway bridge parallel to Network Rail before taking a sharp right-hand turn and splitting into two branches, one leading up to Hood Road (the Waterfront), the other heading past Woodhams halt to the new terminus at Gladstone Bridge next to the supermarkets. It is intended to extend the line to a site adjacent to Arriva Trains Barry Dock Station.
The running line runs near to the site of the former Woodham Brothers scrapyard. The former wagon repair works building at Barry is now the main running shed and is also used to store and repair rolling stock.
Some parts of the line, particularly around the Plymouth Road/Barry Island area, were used for several scenes in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episodes "The Empty Child
The Empty Child
"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
" and "The Doctor Dances
The Doctor Dances
"The Doctor Dances" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story and saw Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, join the Doctor as a companion. The first part, "The Empty Child", was...
" in January 2005. More recently filming of Being Human
Being Human (TV series)
Being Human is a British supernatural drama television series. It was created and written by Toby Whithouse and is currently broadcast on BBC Three. The show blends elements of flatshare comedy and horror drama...
and Ar-y-Tracs has taken place.
Rolling stock
Stock marked with an asterisk (*) is located at the former Barry EWSEWS
DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British...
depot. (No public access to the depot).
Main-line steam locomotives
The last remaining locomotives from Dai Woodham's scrapyard, these locomotives are the remains of the last locomotives left when the yard closed - a group often called the Barry Ten
Barry Ten
The Barry 10 is a collection of scrapyard locos that were removed from Woodham Brothers in 1990 when Dai woodham retired. They were then taken on by the Vale of Glamorgan Council. For the past 20 years the locos have been stored in scrapyard condition, although several have been bought.All these...
, as there were ten of them. Since then some of them have been removed for use in heritage railway projects and for restoration. These locomotives are not part of the Barry Railway proper, and indeed most are too large to ever run there. Instead the railway receives other benefits in the form of free equivalent steaming days from the recipients of the locomotives. All these locomotives and two tenders are rusting hulks, stored and are not publicly viewable. The Barry Ten are under the management and ownership of the Cambrian Transport, who publicly announced on 4 May 2010, various plans for the different engines (see below).
- BR 2-6-4T Class 4MTBR standard class 4 tankThe British Railways Standard Class 4 tank was a class of steam locomotive, one of the BR standard classes built during the 1950s. They were used primarily on commuter and outer suburban services.- Background :...
no. 80150* – (as of May 2010, owned by the Mid Hants Railway . Due to be restored). - BR 2-10-0 Class 9FBR standard class 9FThe British Railways BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for British Railways by Robert Riddles. The Class 9F was the last in a series of standardised locomotive classes designed for British Railways during the 1950s, and was intended for use on fast, heavy freight...
no. 92245* – (Stored. Due to be displayed as an example of an unrestored ex Barry scrapyard engine). - GWRGreat Western RailwayThe 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...
2-8-0 2800 ClassGWR 2800 ClassThe Great Western Railway 2800 Class is a class of steam locomotive designed by G.J. Churchward for heavy freight work. They were the first 2-8-0 class in Great Britain....
no. 2861* – (as of May 2010, owned by the Great Western Society . To be used for new GWR 47XX 2-8-0 Project). - GWR 2-6-2T 5101 ClassGWR 5101 ClassThe GWR 5101 Class or Large Prairie was a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway. They were medium-sized tank engines used for suburban and local passenger services all over the Great Western Railway system...
no. 4115* – (as of May 2010, owned by the Great Western Society . To be used for new GWR 47XX 2-8-0 Project). - GWR 2-8-0T 5205 ClassGWR 5205 ClassThe Great Western Railway 5205 Class is a class of 2-8-0T steam locomotives. They were designed for short-haul coal trips from coal mines to ports in South Wales....
no. 5227* – (as of May 2010, owned by the Great Western Society . Due for static display at Didcot Railway Centre). - GWR 0-6-2T 5600 ClassGWR 5600 ClassThe GWR 5600 Class is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotive built between 1924 and 1928. They were designed by C.B Collett for the Great Western Railway , and were introduced into traffic in 1924. Two hundred locomotives were built and remained in service until withdrawn by British Railways between...
no. 6686* – (Stored. Due to be restored). - LMSLondon, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
4-6-0 Class 5MT no. 44901* – (Stored. Due to be restored). - 3000 gallon GWR tender* – (as of May 2010, owned by the Great Western Society ).
- LMS Fowler Tender* – Under restoration for use by The LMS-Patriot Project with new build LMS Patriot ClassLMS Patriot ClassThe Patriot Class was a class of 52 express passenger steam locomotives built for the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The first locomotive of the class was built in 1930 and the last in 1934. All of the Patriot class locomotives were withdrawn from service by 1965...
4-6-0 'The Unknown Warrior'.
Diesel locomotives
- BR 0-6-0 Class 08British Rail Class 08The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
no. 08481 – Non-operational, awaiting overhaul. - Owned by Traditional Traction. - BR Class 20 Class 20British Rail Class 20The British Rail Class 20, otherwise known as an English Electric Type 1, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive. In total, 228 locomotives in the class were built by English Electric between 1957 and 1968, the large number being in part because of the failure of other early designs in the same...
no. 20228 (CFD no. 2004) – Non-operational, under overhaul. - Owned by Traditional Traction. - BR Class 47 Class 47British Rail Class 47The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
no. 47768* – Stored. Privately Owned.
Diesel Multiple Unit
- BR Class 101 unit (Iris 11)* – Operational. Owned by Cambrian Transport.
Electro-Diesel locomotives
- BR Class 73 Class 73British Rail Class 73The British Rail Class 73 is a United Kingdom model of electro-diesel locomotive. The type is unusual in that it can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail or an on-board diesel engine to allow it to operate on non-electrified routes...
no. 73118* – Operational. Operated by Transmart Trains
Electric Multiple Unit trailers
- BR Class 488/2British Rail Class 488The British Rail Class 488 are unpowered trailer sets, converted from Mark 2F coaches for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria railway station to Gatwick Airport....
unit 488206 (72505+72629) - BR Class 488/3British Rail Class 488The British Rail Class 488 are unpowered trailer sets, converted from Mark 2F coaches for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria railway station to Gatwick Airport....
unit 488311 (72620+72710+72621) - BR Class 489British Rail Class 489The British Rail Class 489 is a type of electrical multiple unit, specially converted for use on Gatwick Express trains, from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport....
unit 489110 (68509)