Corris Railway

The Corris Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Corris) is a preserved two-foot three-inch (narrow gauge) railway based in Corris, situated on the border between Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd) and Montgomeryshire (now part of Powys) in Mid Wales.

The line opened in 1859 and originally ran from Derwenlas, south east of Machynlleth, north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni. Branches served the slate quarries at Corris Uchaf, Aberllefenni, the isolated quarries around Ratgoed and quarries along the length of the Dulas Valley.

The railway closed in 1948, but in 1966 a preservation society was formed, initially opening a museum; a short section of line between Corris and Maespoeth was re-opened to passengers in 2002. The railway now operates as a tourist attraction. A new steam locomotive was built for the railway and delivered in 2005 while a second one is under construction and is nearly complete. The two surviving locomotives, plus some of the original rolling stock, are preserved on the nearby Talyllyn Railway.

Trivia

 * The Corris Railway, as well as the Ffestiniog Railway and Snailbeach Railway, were the bases of the Mid Sodor Railway.
 * A book named "Hugh Goes Sliding", written by Christopher Awdry, featured Sir Haydn and Edward Thomas working on the Corris Railway. It was based on a true life event, reminiscent of the Railway Series. It implies that before being purchased by the Talyllyn Railway, Sir Haydn was named "Hugh" after his designer Henry Hughes, and Edward Thomas was named "Kerr" after his designer, Kerr Stuart.
 * With permission from Christopher Awdry, Cora was featured in the Corris Railway's newsletter, known as the "Corris-Pondent", along with "Hugh" and "Kerr". Cora was depicted as a brake van who worked on the Corris Railway but moved to the Talyllyn Railway. A narrow gauge Diesel engine named "Willy the Rushton", after The Railway Stories' narrator Willie Rushton, was featured in a story for the newsletter.