Beloved heritage railway on track to open its new station within weeks

The run was made to test the water tower and run-round line that will be used for all Llangollen & Corwen Railway services from June 3.

The 1943-built Austerity tank locomotive No 68067 was driven by Harry Barber, who has been a volunteer at the railway for over 30 years, and fireman Phil Morrey.

Dedicated volunteers are putting the final touches on the superb new £1.25 million station before it is officially handed over to the Operations Department for a grand opening weekend, starting on June 1 for Llangollen Railway members. The next day will see a special ceremony where Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chairman of both Network Rail and the Heritage Railway Association, will formally open the station, which has taken six years to build.

Members of the public will then be able to ride trains into the new station over the weekend of June 2 to 4.

There will be an hourly train service using steam, diesel and railcars and a large model railway layout of Corwen as it was in the 1950s on display in the nearby village hall. A vintage fire engine will also be on display at Llangollen station.

Phil Coles, chairman of the Llangollen Railway Trust, said: “Seeing our station open on June 2 will be a very special day. It is the realisation of the vision of our founders 50 years ago to reopen the railway between Llangollen and Corwen.

"It’s been quite a journey, but we have finally made it. We’ve seen such incredible commitment from dedicated volunteers and supporters; from those who have laid the bricks and tracks to those who helped secure government Levelling Up funding for our station canopy, including our local MP Simon Baynes. I am proud to have been part of the team that has put a station back on the map in Corwen after Dr Beeching closed the original nearly 60 years ago."

More information and advanced tickets for the opening weekend can be found by visiting llangollen-railway.co.uk.