Editing Corris Railway (section)

=== Commercial history ===
==== {{anchor|Precursor schemes|1850 to 1858}}Precursor schemes: 1850 to 1858 ====
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Corris Machynlleth and River Dovey Railway Act 1852
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for making a Railway or Tramroad from the Aberllefenny Slate Quarries in the Parish of Talyllyn in the County of Merioneth to the River Dovey in the Parish of Towyn in the same County, with Branches therefrom; and for other Purposes.
| year                  = 1852
| citation              = [[15 & 16 Vict.]] c. clxvi
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 1 July 1852
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/15-16/166/pdfs/ukla_18520166_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
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}}

[[File:View of Machynlleth.jpeg|thumb|right|Lithograph showing a horse-drawn train on the Corris Railway crossing the Dovey Bridge, probably drawn in the late 1860s]]

Before 1859, slate from the quarries at Corris, Corris Uchaf and Aberllefenni was hauled by horse-drawn carts and sledges to wharves on the banks of the River Dyfi. The first proposal to construct a railway connecting the quarries to the coast came in August 1850, when the owners of the [[Aberllefenni quarries|Aberllefenni]], [[Abercorris quarry|Abercorris]], [[Gaewern quarry|Gaewern]] and Hengae quarries met with engineer Arthur Causton to propose the ''Abercorris and Aberdovey Railway''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abercorris and Aberdovey Railway |work=Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald |url=https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3598721/3598725/16/ |page=4 |date=17 August 1850}}</ref> By November 1850, the name had changed to the ''Corris, Machynlleth & River Dovey Railway or Tramroad'' which was planned to run down the Dulas Valley and then along the north shore of the Dyfi past [[Pennal]] to Pant Eidal, near the later main-line [[Gogarth railway station|Gogarth Halt]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Railway or Tramroad |work=Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald |url=https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3598807/3598808/3/ |page=1 |date=16 November 1850}}</ref> A bill was submitted in early 1851, withdrawn, then resubmitted in December. The bill specified the tramroad's gauge as {{convert|2|ft|2+1/2|in|mm|abbr=on}}; due to the narrow gauge selected, the House of Lords committee imposed a restriction in the bill that forbade the use of [[steam locomotive|locomotives]].{{sfn|Johnson|2011|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}}

This 1851 scheme was authorised in the '''{{visible anchor|Corris Machynlleth and River Dovey Railway Act 1852}}''' ([[15 & 16 Vict.]] c. clxvi) but was not constructed, and was followed by two further proposals in the early 1850s. Following the plans for a {{Track gauge|uksg|allk=on}} railway along the Dyfi valley, these early proposals were shelved.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|pages=20–21}}

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Corris, Machynlleth, and River Dovey Tramroad Act 1858
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for making a Tramroad from the Aberllefenny Slate Quarries in the Parish of Talyllun in the County of Merioneth to the River Dovey in the Parish of Llanfihangel-Geneu'r-Glyn in the County of Cardigan, with Brandies therefrom; and for other Purposes.
| year                  = 1858
| citation              = [[21 & 22 Vict.]] c. xcv
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 12 July 1858
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
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| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
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}}
In December 1857, a fourth bill was set before Parliament to create the ''Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad'' (CM&RDT). This was similar to the 1851 scheme, except that it proposed to cross the Dyfi near Machynlleth and then follow the south bank of the river, and proposed a tramway from the "machine house" (i.e. the slate mill) at Aberllefenni, down to the wharf at "Cae Goch on the River Dovey" (Cae Goch was near to the later main line [[Glandyfi]] station). The gauge specified for the tramroad was increased to {{RailGauge|2ft3in}}, and the same restriction forbidding locomotives was imposed. This bill was passed on 12 July 1858, becoming the '''{{visible anchor|Corris, Machynlleth, and River Dovey Tramroad Act 1858}}''' ([[21 & 22 Vict.]] c. xcv).{{sfn|Johnson|2011|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}}

==== {{anchor|The Tramroad Era|1858 to 1878}}The Tramroad Era: 1858 to 1878 ====
After more than eight years of proposals, the 1859 scheme was the one that was built. Construction proceeded quickly, and by April 1859 the tramroad opened between Machynlleth and Corris.{{sfn|Johnson|2011|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}} The section from Aberllefenni to Corris was built later that year.<ref>{{cite news |journal=Chester Chronicle |title=Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire |page=4 |date=30 July 1859}}</ref> The section from Machynlleth to [[Morben]] was opened later. It is thought that the tramroad never extended beyond Morben.{{sfn|Johnson|2011|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}}<ref name=mrfs>{{cite journal |title=Corris Railway Stations at Machynlleth Before Steam |journal=[[Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review]] |last1=MRFS |first2=Dan |last2=Quine |author-link2=Dan Quine |publisher=RCL Publications |issue=139 |date=July 2024}}</ref>

On 3 January 1863, the standard gauge [[Newtown and Machynlleth Railway]] had opened, followed on 1 July of the same year by the [[Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway]]'s (A&WCR) line from Machynlleth to [[Borth]]. These two lines became part of the [[Cambrian Railways]] by August 1865. The opening of the standard gauge line to Borth made the section of the {{abbr|CM&RDT|Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad}} from Machynlleth to Morben obsolete. It was much easier to transship slates to the main line at Machynlleth and most of the lower section of the tramway was abandoned, probably in 1869.<ref name=mrfs/>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Corris Railway Act 1864
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to authorize the Corris, Machynlleth, and River Dovey Tramroad Company to make a new Railway; to abandon Part of their existing Undertaking; to amend their Act; and for other Purposes.
| year                  = 1864
| citation              = [[27 & 28 Vict.]] c. ccxxv
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 25 July 1864
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = {{ubli|Corris, Machynlleth, and River Dovey Tramroad Act 1858}}
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
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| status                = 
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| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/27-28/225/pdfs/ukla_18640225_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
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In 1862, a new bill was deposited, seeking to extend the [[Upper Corris Tramway]] to iron ore mines at '''Tir Stent''', near the [[pub]] at ''Cross Foxes''. The bill also sought powers to raise further capital for the tramroad and allow the use of locomotives. But the directors of the {{abbr|A&WCR|Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway}} objected and the bill failed.{{sfn|Johnson|2011|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}} Another similar bill was deposited in December 1863, and again the {{abbr|A&WCR|Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway}} opposed it. This time, however, they withdrew their objection; the {{abbr|CM&RDT|Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad}} company had been acquired by [[Thomas Savin]], who was the principal contractor in the construction of the tramroad, and Savin had offered to sell the company to the {{abbr|A&WCR|Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway}}.{{sfn|Johnson|2011|p={{page needed|date=August 2021}}}} The second bill passed on 25 July as the '''{{visible anchor|Corris Railway Act 1864}}''' ([[27 & 28 Vict.]] c. ccxxv); it formally converted the tramroad to a railway changing the company's name to the ''Corris Railway Company'', allowed the use of [[steam locomotive]]s and allowed the abandonment of the section west of Ffynnon Garsiwn in Machynlleth.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|page=23}}

In 1863, a new transshipment wharf was built at {{stnlnk|Machynlleth|Corris Railway}} to allow slate to be loaded from {{abbr|CM&RDT|Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad}} waggons into standard gauge wagons. Passenger and goods trains continued to run to Machynlleth Town station on the west side of Machynlleth, with some slate trains continuing to the wharfs at Morben.<ref name=mrfs/>

It took until the 1870s for work to begin to upgrade the Corris Railway to a standard where locomotives could be used. The original tramroad was laid with light [[bridge rail (rail)|bridge rail]] suitable for waggons <!-- Please note that 'waggon' is the correct contemporary local spelling--> to traverse as they were pulled by horses. These rails would not support the weight of much heavier steam locomotives.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|page=24}} Although the Corris Railway Act 1864 did not permit passengers to be carried, a timetabled passenger service was started in 1872.<ref name=early-passenger/> In 1874, a new goods warehouse and horse stable was built besides the transshipment wharves at Machynlleth, this was later converted to form the first passenger station here.<ref name=mrfs/>

In 1878, control of the railway passed to the [[Imperial Tramways Company]] of London. The new owners ordered new [[Passenger car (rail)|passenger carriages]] for the railway.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|page=24}} They also appointed Joseph R. Dix, son of the main-line stationmaster at Machynlleth, as Manager in succession to David Owen.

==== {{anchor|The Dix Years|1879 to 1906}}The Dix Years: 1879 to 1907 ====
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Corris Railway Act 1880
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to amend the Corris, Machynlleth, and River Dovey Tramroad Act, 1858, and the Corris Railway Act, 1864, and to confer further powers upon the Corris Railway Company; and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1880
| citation              = [[43 & 44 Vict.]] c. liv
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 9 July 1880
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
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| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/43-44/54/pdfs/ukla_18800054_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
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| collapsed             = yes
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{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Corris Railway Act 1883
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to enable the Corris Railway Company to use their Railways for Passenger Traffic and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1883
| citation              = [[46 & 47 Vict.]] c. xxxiv
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 18 June 1883
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
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[[File:Historic Corris Railway at Machynlleth.jpg|thumb|Locomotive No.1 with a train at Machynlleth, in the 1890s]]

Two new acts, the '''{{visible anchor|Corris Railway Act 1880}}''' ([[43 & 44 Vict.]] c. liv) and the '''{{visible anchor|Corris Railway Act 1883}}''' ([[46 & 47 Vict.]] c. xxxiv) were obtained which adjusted the tolls on the railway and permitted the carriage of passengers. The second of these acts was necessary because the owners of the quarries served by the railway objected that passenger trains would interfere with their mineral traffic. Initially the railway ran a test passenger service on the local roads; this proved to be so popular that they were able to pass the act of Parliament over the opposition of the quarry owners. It was also the first instance of a long history of the Corris Railway operating passenger road services in the area.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|pages=24–25}}

In December 1878 the first [[steam locomotive]] purchased from the [[Hughes Locomotive Company]] arrived.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Wrexham Guardian |title=New Locomotives |date=14 December 1878}}</ref> By February 1879 it had been joined by the other two that had been ordered and all three had begun work. Although the carriages arrived in 1878 it was not until 1883 that the Corris Railway Act 1883 was secured to allow the formal commencement of passenger services.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|pages=24–25}} A semi-official passenger service had been running since the early 1870s using adapted waggons <!-- Please note that 'waggon' is the correct contemporary local spelling--> to convey quarry workers and visitors.

The line was now in its settled form and began to operate a full service under Dix's energetic management. The railway was widely promoted to visitors as the best route to [[Tal-y-llyn Lake]] and [[Cader Idris]] (ignoring the claims of the rival Talyllyn Railway). The initial passenger service ran from {{stnlnk|Machynlleth|Corris Railway}} to {{rws|Corris}}, with new stations at {{rws|Esgairgeiliog}} and {{rws|Llwyngwern}} opening in 1884. The track was upgraded beyond Corris so that passenger services could reach the line's northern terminus at {{rws|Aberllefenni}}, with services starting on 25 August 1887, and in the same year stations were also opened at {{rws|Ffridd Gate}} and {{rws|Garneddwen}}.{{sfn|Boyd|1965|pages=24–25}}

[[File:Grand Tour Charabancs.jpg|thumb|Horse-drawn charabancs owned by the Corris Railway pass [[Tal-y-llyn Lake]] on the "[[Grand Tour (Corris Railway)|Grand Tour]]"]]

The railway developed a network of horse-hauled road services, including providing a link between Corris station and [[Abergynolwyn railway station|Abergynolwyn station]] on the Talyllyn Railway. This was promoted as part of a circular "[[Corris Railway Grand Tour|Grand Tour]]" which took in the two narrow gauge railways and the Cambrian service between [[Tywyn]] and Machynlleth.

In 1892, control of Imperial Tramways moved to [[Bristol]] and [[Sir George White, 1st Baronet|George White]] of [[Bristol Omnibus Company|Bristol Tramways]] became chairman and [[Clifton Robinson]] became managing director.<ref>Corris Railway Society Journal 1992 & 1993</ref> In the 1900s, Bristol motor buses were sent by the parent company to run the road services.

The closure of [[Braichgoch Slate Mine|Braichgoch Quarry]] in 1906 brought the railway its first loss, and although the line continued on through subsequent decades, serving the quarries around [[Corris]] and [[Aberllefenni]], it never again showed a profit. The bridge over the River Dyfi was rebuilt that year replacing the second timber viaduct with a steel bridge on slate piers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Corris. New Railway Bridge |work=The Aberystwith Observer |date=1 November 1906 |page=4}}</ref>

==== {{anchor|Decline|1906 to 1930}}Decline: 1907 to 1930 ====
Following a dispute with the directors, Dix was dismissed in June 1907,<ref>{{cite news |title=Machynlleth |work=Montgomeryshire Echo|date=15 June 1907 |page=8}}</ref> and replaced by John J O'Sullivan (formerly of the [[Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway]]). A new station building at Machynlleth was completed towards the end of 1907.<ref>{{cite news |title=Corris. A new railway station |work=The Aberystwith Observer |date=19 September 1907 |page=2}}</ref> As well as slate and passengers, the line hauled timber extracted from the Dyfi forest in the 1910s through 1930s. There was also a constant traffic in coal and general goods to the quarries and communities served by the railway.

After [[World War I]], the decline in slate traffic continued as cheaper foreign slate and alternative [[roof|roofing materials]] became popular. O'Sullivan had died in office in 1917; the parent company's Secretary, Frederick H Withers, acted as manager until a new manager, Daniel J McCourt (who had worked on Imperial's [[Middlesbrough, Stockton and Thornaby Electric Tramways Company|Middlesbrough]] system until that was taken over by the local municipality) took over in 1921 and was responsible for developing and extending the connecting bus services as partial compensation for the decline in rail traffic.

==== {{anchor|Takeover and nationalisation|1931 to 1948}}Takeover and nationalisation: 1931 to 1948 ====

In late 1929, Imperial Tramways sold the Corris to the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR), who by that time were the owners of the main line serving Machynlleth, whose primary interest was taking control of the railway's bus routes. After running a bus in direct competition with the railway in 1930, the railway's passenger service was withdrawn at the beginning of 1931. While the {{abbr|GWR|Great Western Railway}} did not relish owning another Welsh narrow gauge line, they did perform some track maintenance, and on at least two occasions the rolling stock was repainted.<ref name=Quine/>

On 1 January 1948, the line was nationalised along with its parent company, becoming part of [[British Rail]]ways (BR). While the {{abbr|GWR|Great Western Railway}} had tolerated the Corris, {{abbr|BR|British Railways}} was looking for an excuse to close the loss making railway. In August 1948, that excuse came when the River Dyfi flooded. The waters began to undermine the Corris Railway embankment on the south side of the Dovey Bridge, and although the track was never breached, it was the excuse that {{abbr|BR|British Railways}} needed to close the line. The last train ran on 20 August 1948 and the following day the railway was closed, without notice. The Aberllefenni to Corris section was lifted in November 1948, and 10 tons of the rail was purchased by [[Henry Haydn Jones]] for use on his Talyllyn Railway. By the end of 1950, track lifting had reached Machynlleth station.<ref name=Quine>{{cite magazine| title=Not to be: The sad end of the Corris Railway |magazine=Heritage Railway |volume=220 |last=Quine |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Quine}}</ref>

In 1951, the Talyllyn Railway became the first railway in the world to be [[heritage railway|preserved]]. The Talyllyn purchased the two remaining locomotives, which had been stored out of use at Machynlleth, along with several goods waggons <!-- Please note that 'waggon' is the correct contemporary local spelling--> and the brake van – see ''[[List of Talyllyn Railway rolling stock]]''. In 1958, the Talyllyn also purchased one of the Corris carriages, which had been in use as a summerhouse in a garden in [[Gobowen]].<ref>{{Cite book| title=Narrow Gauge Railways in Profile No. 1: Talyllyn Railway Locomotives & Rolling Stock| last1=Bate| first1=John| last2=Mitchell| first2=David| last3=Adams| first3=Nigel| publisher=Cheona Publications| year=2003| page=57| isbn=1-900298-21-X}}</ref>