Garw Valley Railway Company (formerly Bridgend Valleys Railway)
Region North Wales Mid Wales South Wales National Network Route Sections Gazetteer of Stations About Wales	Location (Tondu): 51 32N 3 35W; UK National Grid Ref: SS 893 842 The Garw Valley Railway (GVRC) is perhaps one of the most unusual of the preservation societies in this survey, in that like the Llanelli and District Railway Society, it was for years a railway without any track - not that either group allowed that to get in the way of acquiring locos and rolling stock. Following the termination of support from the Vale of Glamorgan County Council, the Barry Island Railway is forming a new base at Pontycymmer, and will join forces with the GVRC in developing the railway in the Garw Valley. It is hoped that passenger services will begin later this year using one of the BIR's DMU units. Search WalesRails .......... Message Board	Preserved: Standard gauge Narrow gauge WalesRails: The Grand Tour Official Websites What's New Back to Welcome page

The Garw Valley Railway was formed as the Bridgend Valleys Railway Society (BVRS) in 1988 with the aim of preserving the line which runs through the Garw Valley in the county of Bridgend. The line is one of three which radiated from the junction at Tondu: The Ogmore Vale is closed and lifted; the Llynfi Valley branch to Maesteg was reopened to passengers in 1992; while the Garw was reopened for freight to carry screened coal from tips in the valley as part of a land reclamation scheme.
It was this branch on which the BVRS set its sights. The last train ran on March 6 1997 and is pictured alongside near Pontrhyl, in a setting which is typical of the topography of the valley.

Groundwork Bridgend (responsible to Bridgend County Council for the regeneration of the Garw valley) had negotiated the acquisition of the track bed for use as a Community Route with cycleway and other leisure activities. The steam railway is part of this project, and will parallel the cycleway for most of the route.
On March 23 2001, the Welsh Assembly made its first Transport Works Act order in favour of the  BVRS, and six days later Railtrack (the company which formerly had charge of the infrastructure of the national railway network) signed over the route to the company, clearing the way for steady progress to opening the line between Pontycymmer and Bryngarw Country Park, a distance of about 4 miles. Bryngarw Country Park, which will be the southernmost limit of operations in the medium term, but later it is hoped to extend as far south as Tondu, close to the Arriva Trains Wales station on the route between Bridgend and Maesteg - or even onto ‘The Bedford Line’ towards Margam should an opportunity arise.
At Pontycymmer, the BVRS erected an engine shed and workshop, and will build a platform with ticket office and waiting room on the opposite side of the tracks.
Bryngarw Country Park will take the form of a small halt, with waiting shelter, but the site is difficult of access and visitors will be required to walk or cycle from the Country Park car park area. The company's immediate target, therefore, will be to establish a similar facility near the level crossing at Llangeinor, at roughly the half-way mark between Pontycymmer and Tondu.

On March 4 2006, the Society changed its name to the Garw Valley Railway Company, and is taking legal opinion from the Heritage Railway Association on whether the GVRC can take over the Transport Works Act Order, or will need to operate trains as the BVRS.
During January to March 2008, the company has employed contractors to complete four projects that have been funded by the Garw Valley Regeneration Fund.  These projects include a concrete floor inside the existing engine shed at Pontycymmer complete with installation of a second 43 metre storage siding.  The entire railway line route has been cleared of all vegetation and overgrowth, culverts have been serviced or replaced and a railway engineering company has been commissioned to report on a track and river under bridge survey to allow accurate costs to be made for full restoration as an industrial railway with links to coal mining and the heritage of the Garw Valley.
With the assistance of the relocated Barry Island Railway (see below), it is hoped that the branch will open for passengers within ten years.

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• Steam
  RHS 0-4-0 ST
  Hunslet 0-6-0 ST Pamela
   
• Diesel
  Planet 0-4-0 DH No 3890, built 1958
• Planet 0-4-0 DH No 4006, built 1963 (pictured left)

DMU
Class 108 DMBS 51919 + DMC 52048

Other rolling stock
BR Mk1 BSO 9010
DB993721 Brake Van fitted with snow ploughs
BR Standard Brake Van

Planet 3890 was acquired from Hanson Aggregates at Machen Quarry, and replaced 3832, a diesel mechanical version which has now been sold to the Torridge Diesel group in Devon.
A Polish-built Tkh Ferrum  locomotive No 2871,  moved to Pontycymmer in August 2001, but has since been sold to the Spa Valley Railway at Tunbridge Wells.

Membership of the Garw Valley Railway is open to everyone. Membership runs from April to March each year, and current fees are: Adult £10.00; Unwaged and Over 60s £7.50; Children under 16 years of age £2.00.
Members joining after the 1st October can take up Pro-Rata subscription fees as follows: Adult £6.00; Unwaged and Over 60s £5.00; Children under 16 years of age £2.00.

Members receive a newsletter ‘On Track’ three times a year and can join in social evenings or volunteering on the railway.  To become a member a cheque made payable to Garw Valley Railway Company should be sent to:
Julia Gilbert, Membership Secretary, Pontycymer Locomotive Works, Old Station Yard, Pontycymer. CF32 8AZ

In December 2008 the Vale of Glamorgan County Council served notice on the Barry Island Railway to quit its site at Barry, and remove its locos, rolling stock and other artefacts. Many of the BIR's locos have been dispersed throughout Great Britain, but some were retained by the preservation group, and will form the basis of establishing a presence at Pontycymmer, from where it will work jointly with the GVRC at bringing to fruition the plans for a five-mile preserved railway in the valley.
More details are available on the WalesRails page on the BIR.

How to get there

Pontycymmer is served by buses from Bridgend. For details of connecting services, including travel planner and timetables, visit the Traveline Cymru website.

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Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13 by Deryck Lewis. All rights reserved.
Page created July 14 1996; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated January 24 2012
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