Barry Island Railway

Heritage Railway
name = Barry Island Railway


locale = South-Wales
terminus = Barry Pier
linename = Barry Island Branch
builtby = Barry Railway Company
originalgauge = Standard
preservedgauge = Standard
operator = Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company Ltd,
stations = 4
length = 2km
originalopen = 1885
closed = Pier 5.7.1976
stageyears = 1994
stage = Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company Formed
years = 1996
events = Bute Town Historic Railway Society Officially Becomes The VGR
years1 = June 1997
events1 = New Base opened at Plymouth Road
years2 = April 1998
events2 = First Operations Commenced
years3 = 2002
events3 = First Operations Across the Causeway
years4 = 2005
events4 = New High level Line to Woodham Halt Opened
years4 = Sep 2005
events4 = Marketing Name Changed to Barry Island Railway
years4 = Aug 2007
events4 = Extension to Gladstone Bridge Complete
years5 = Mar 2008
events5 = First Passenger Train to Gladstone Bridge

The Barry Island Railway is a heritage railway based at Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. There is a heritage centre (VoGRC) with running line at Barry Island, near to the site of the former Woodhams' Scrapyard. The former wagon repair works building at Barry is now used to store rolling stock undergoing restoration. Much of the line's stock was moved from Cardiff Bay railway station when that site was redeveloped as part of the Cardiff Bay redevelopment project. 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.

The railway infrastructure is owned by the local council with operation performed under the management of the Barry Island Railway who operate the services. The locomotives and rolling stock are owned by several different groups at the site including Barry Railcar Project, Cambrian Transport, the D9521 group, and other private owners.

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 BIR 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 blue.

Route

The Barry Island Railway is centred on the old Barry Island railway station and platforms. The station is now maintained by the railway and contains a shop, small cafe and museum as well as space for event displays and activities. On the other side of the building is the end of the Network Rail platform area and access to the Barry Island Railway platform and two at-present unused bay platforms. The Barry Island Railway line exits the south end of the station to Plymouth Road where most of the stock is kept and maintained. A small platform here allows visitors to alight and see the stock as well as further exhibits while the locomotive runs around the train. 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 but this will not happen in the short term.

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.

Rolling stock

Stock marked with an asterisk (*) is located at the former Barry EWS depot. The other stock is located at the VoGRC at Barry Island.

* 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 are rusting hulks, stored and are not publicly viewable except on certain event days such as the Barry Waterfront Festival. The Barry Ten are under the management and ownership of the local council.

**BR 2-6-4T Class 4MT no. 80150*
**BR 2-10-0 Class 9F no. 92245*
**GWR 2-8-0 2800 Class no. 2861*
**GWR 2-6-2T 5101 Class no. 4115*
**GWR 2-8-0T 5205 Class no. 5227*
**GWR 0-6-2T 5600 Class no. 6686*
**LMS 4-6-0 Class 5MT no. 44901*

*Industrial Steam Locomotives
**Hunslet 0-6-0ST No 3840 "Pamela". In service in dark red livery
**RSH 0-4-0ST No 7705 "Owen". Undergoing restoration, the frames and cab are complete and work is now focusing on the boiler which is away for restoration.

*Diesel locomotives
**BR 0-6-0 Class 08 no. 08481*. Non Operational, awaiting overhaul.
**BR 0-6-0 Class 08 no. 08511 . Operational (Arrived 09/07/07).
**BR 0-6-0 Class 14 no. D9521. Operational.
**BR Bo-Bo Class 20 no. 20228 (as CFD no. 2004). Non Operational, under overhaul.
**BR Co-Co Class 47 no. 47768*. Operational, awaiting repaint.
*Diesel multiple units
**BR Class 108 unit 51919+52048* and spare DT 54279. In service.
**BR Class 115 unit 51655+59664+51677*. In service.
**BR Class 117 unit 51339+51382*. In service.

*Electric multiple unit trailers
**BR Class 488/2 unit 488206 (72505+72629)
**BR Class 488/3 unit 488311 (72620+72710+72621)
**BR Class 489 unit 489110 (68509)

Events

* April 26-27 - Thomas The Tank Engine
* May 3-5 - Thomas The Tank Engine
* May 17 - DMU running day
* June 8 - Waterfront Transport Festival (Barry Eight viewable)
* June 21-22 - Rail Ale 2008
* July 12-13 and 19-21 Thomas The Tank Engine

External links

* [http://www.valeofglamorganrailway.co.uk Barry Island Railway website]