The Vale of Rheidol Railway – Aberystwyth to the Devil’s Bridge

The Great Western Railway built the locomotives and carriages currently in use between 1923 and 1938. The Vale of Rheidol Railway is the owner of an extensive collection of historical, narrow-gauge locomotives and rolling stock. Several items from the collection are visible in the brick-built Engine Shed Display Building/Museum, with exhibits being rotated. When I visited, steam locomotives of various sizes were on display, including Margaret, Drakensberg, and Fire Queen. 

The GWR livery of light yellow and brown coloured the carriages on my train, as well as the station buildings en route to the Devil’s Bridge. Most people seated themselves in the closed carriages. I thought I’d like to sit in the open carriage and possibly take pictures of the landscapes along the route. Perhaps I should have been suspicious why no one else came to sit in this carriage with me. 

Anyway, we set off, and the smoke from the steam engine was dispersing nicely, except under the tree canopy that allowed little smoke to pass through their leaves. Then I saw the tunnel approaching. I took a sip of water, swallowed, and took in a large breath of fresh air, closing my eyes as the smoke filtered all around me. The tunnel wasn’t long, and we were soon out in the sunshine. The greyness soon dispersed, and we were back amongst the fields and the landscapes.

My new book is available here.

The book covers not only the Great Little Trains of Wales but also other methods of transport in the UK.

I was eight years old when my interest in steam trains began. My parents and I lived close to someone who worked at Doncaster train station. The Flying Scotsman was the most famous train of the time, and for some reason it was at Doncaster for a few days. I was asked whether I’d like to see the train and go on the footplate. Of course I did. What I remember most was the enormous size of the train and that the driver’s cab seemed as big as my bedroom. Everything about the train, the colours, the gleaming metal, the gorgeous carriages, the mountain of coal, made a lasting impression – I wanted to go to places, and I wanted to go on a train like this one.

My father wanted to travel, and the plan was for my parents to see the world when he retired. Cancer cut short his life and their plan died with him. Once I had the finances, I felt duty bound to travel to the places he wanted to go, and if possible, go by steam train. This book is what I found.