Editing Corris Railway (section)

==== {{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           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/43-44/54/pdfs/ukla_18800054_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{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           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
[[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>