VIEWED from Corwen town car park, visitors can see that the Llangollen Railway’s station project has made dramatic progress over recent weeks.

Following the erection of steelwork to form the structure of the on-platform waiting room, the block paving of the platform surface has proceeded apace.

The steelwork was fabricated and erected by Barnett Engineering Ltd of Rhosllanerchrugog to provide the internal structure measuring 15x 4 metres within the foundations of the waiting room.

It is now a feature of the skyline as seen from the car park; it forms an integral structure with the columns to support the canopy which requires six ‘A’ frames fabricating for future erection.

Starting at the eastern end of the platform, local contractors Wrexham Paving Co. laid the tactile edging and blockwork through to the final pair of canopy columns, followed by a second phase of work at the western end around the emergency exit and the subway stairwell.

With the project team members now working to complete the platform reinstatement and drainage channels around the base of the waiting room and toilet block, a final phase of block laying will complete the platform surface in October. Some 40,000 block will have been laid using a brickwork design for the outer areas and a herringbone design for the inner spine. As seen in the photo below, the view looking westward with the steelwork in the background;

Project leader Richard Dixon-Gough said: “Progress with the steelwork and paving are further examples of how the overall project is now coming together after many years of planning and hard work by a small band of volunteers on site.

“Once completed and passed fit for purpose, the new build station and infrastructure will be opened to the public and, when the trains arrive, will increase footfall within Corwen helping to boost the local economy.”

There was “momentous occasion” for the railway in July, when the first locomotive ran the length of the line from Llangollen to the end of the track at Corwen.

This was the first time since December 1964 that a locomotive had stood at Green Lane, Corwen.