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Vale Of Rheidol Railway
All photographs of this railway in date order.
![No 8 <I>Llywelyn</I> on shed at Aberystwyth (Vale of Rheidol) in August 1962.<br><br>[K A Gray 14/08/1962]](/images/31000/31978.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![The 10.00 to Devils Bridge stands at Aberystwyth on 14 August 1962.<br><br>[K A Gray 14/08/1962]](/images/34000/34681.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![Corporate rail blue never suited the stock or engines of the Vale of Rheidol - but at least they left the smokeboxes black. [See image 31978 for a proper livery.] No. 7 <I>Owain Glyndwr</I> waits to leave the Devils Bridge terminus and drop back down the valley to Aberystwyth in 1968.<br><br>[David Hindle //1968]](/images/32000/32040.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![<I>...and you!</I> Scene at Aberffrwd on the Vale of Rheidol line in July 1970.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore /07/1970]](/images/20000/20085.jpg "Aberffrwd")
![Panorama of the terminus at Devils Bridge in the early 1970s, taken from the overbridge at the station throat. No.8 <I>Llewellyn</I> has just run round its train of six coaches while two others wait in the sidings, probably to be added in to the last train of the day. Loco and coaches are all in BR Blue with the double arrow symbol. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett //1972]](/images/41000/41105.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![Scene on the Vale of Rheidol Railway in 1974 near Devils Bridge.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1974]](/images/41000/41798.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![A Vale of Rheidol locomotive running round at Devils Bridge in 1974.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1974]](/images/45000/45404.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![Front end close-up of Vale of Rheidol No 9 <i>'Prince of Wales'</i> inside Aberystwyth Shed at Easter 1975.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 28/03/1975]](/images/36000/36913.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![No. 9 <I>Prince of Wales</I>, on the 14.15 departure from Aberystwyth, having to cope with heavy snow as it struggles uphill about half a mile short of its destination at Devil's Bridge on 28 March 1975. The fireman can be dimly made out sanding from the front buffer beam in a scene more reminiscent of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 28/03/1975]](/images/38000/38254.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![BR No. 7 <I>Owain Glyndwr</I> simmers outside the shed at Aberystwyth prior to working the 13.30 service to Devil's Bridge on Easter Monday 1975. There's just a glimmer of sunshine and no hint of the winter conditions prevailing at the top of the line.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 28/03/1975]](/images/38000/38605.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![No 6 <I>Llywelyn</I> stands at Aberystwyth in July 1976 with the 1400 train to Devils Bridge. <br><br>[Ian Dinmore 12/07/1976]](/images/19000/19306.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![In line with the the new corporate image, BR repainted all three of the Vale of Rheidol locos in rail blue livery in 1968. The colour scheme was perhaps rather spartan, albeit enlivened by a red background to the name and numberplates, and was rather maligned at the time, although I find it not displeasing in monochrome. No. 8 <I>Llywelyn</I> simmers inside the old standard gauge shed at Aberystwyth while on stand-by duty at Easter 1977. <br><br>[Bill Jamieson /04/1977]](/images/44000/44027.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![In an effort to brighten up the VoR image, BR applied a modified blue livery to Nos 7 and 9 in 1976/77. The most obvious change was the application of black and white lining but in addition the positions of the name and number plates were altered and brass double arrow logos affixed to the cab sides. <I>Owain Glyndwr</I> and <I>Prince of Wales</I> were photographed outside Aberystwyth shed at Easter 1977.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson /04/1977]](/images/44000/44061.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![During the early 1980s all three VoR locos had historic liveries applied and, in the case of No. 9 <I>Prince of Wales</I>, it was the original VoR LB&SCR-style yellow, which it received in 1982. Here No. 9 forges uphill between Rhiwfron and Devils Bridge with the 13.45 from Aberystwyth on 2 April 1977.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 02/04/1977]](/images/44000/44122.jpg "Rhiwfron")
![No 7 <I>Owain Glyndwr</I> at Aberystwyth on the Vale of Rheidol line in April 1981. <br><br>[David Panton /04/1981]](/images/16000/16281.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![Scene at Aberffrwd on the Vale of Rheidol in July 1981. The passing loop had been removed at that time but seems now to have been reinstated. <br><br>[Colin Miller /07/1981]](/images/36000/36738.jpg "Aberffrwd")
![Resplendent in its newly applied LB&SCR-style yellow livery of the original Vale of Rheidol Railway 2-6-2Ts, No. 9 <I>Prince of Wales</I> should have been the star attraction over the Easter weekend in 1982, but apart from an official unveiling ceremony on Saturday 10th April, it had to be sidelined in the shed at Aberystwyth thanks to a crack in the regulator casting. Still considered at that time to be a GWR rebuild of the original VoRR No. 2 (Davies & Metcalfe 1902), it has since been established that what emerged from Swindon Works in 1924 was actually a completely new locomotive.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 12/04/1982]](/images/51000/51194.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![<I>Llywelyn</I> was given a lined blue livery in 1978, but this only lasted three years before the decision was made to apply 'historical' liveries to all VoR locos. This saw No. 8 appearing in GWR plain green in 1981. Apart from the GWR roundel on the cab side it was very plain indeed and, for best effect, needed to be seen coupled to a rake of chocolate and cream coaches, as here drifting down the valley at Capel Bangor in April 1983 with the 16.45 from Devil's Bridge.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 02/04/1983]](/images/44000/44080.jpg "Capel Bangor")
![When expertly handled, oil-firing should be virtually smoke-free, but fortunately for the photographer this is not always the case! No. 9 <I>Prince of Wales</I> clags its way out of the woods high above the River Rheidol near Rhiwfron Halt with the morning Aberystwyth - Devil's Bridge working on 29th May 1984.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 29/05/1984]](/images/51000/51574.jpg "Rhiwfron Halt")
![No 7 approaching Capel Bangor on the Vale of Rheidol line with a train for Devils Bridge in September 1988.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore 07/09/1988]](/images/20000/20396.jpg "Capel Bangor")
![The GWR green livery of Vale of Rheidol No. 8 <I>Llywelyn</I> lasted five years before it was changed to Cambrian Railways <I>invisible green</I> (black to you and me!), applied for the 1986 season. The nameplates were removed and the tanks sides lettered CAMBRIAN (the Cambrian Railways had taken over the Vale of Rheidol Railway in 1913 although of course No. 8 post-dates this period). The loco is standing in front of the shed at Aberystwyth in October 1988.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 27/10/1988]](/images/44000/44047.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![The black flags say it all - this was the real end of BR steam at the cessation of the 1988 Vale of Rheidol summer season, which extended into early November that year. No. 7 <I>Owain Glyndwr</I> waits to back down into Aberystwyth station to couple up to the 14.00 departure for the last time.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 04/11/1988]](/images/40000/40298.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![The blackboard states 'LAST TRAIN, NO RETURN' and it wasn't kidding. The 16.00 departure from Devil's Bridge on 4 November 1988, seen here in the fading light of a cloudless afternoon shortly before departure, would be the last service train operated by BR on the Vale of Rheidol line. (I believe a special ran the following day but that doesn't count!)<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 04/11/1988]](/images/40000/40991.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![The last of the VoR locos to lose BR blue was No. 7, which reverted in 1983 to a variation on lined BR green . However the name and number plates stayed in the same positions and the BR heraldic device was applied to the cab sides. <I>Owain Glyndwr</I> crosses the Rheidol bridge at Llanbadarn while returning to Aberystwyth from Devil's Bridge on 4 November 1988. The black flags mark it being the last day of scheduled BR operation prior to privatisation.<br><br>[Bill Jamieson 04/11/1988]](/images/44000/44101.jpg "Llanbadarn")
![Vale of Rheidol's Great Western Railway liveried VoR Class 2-6-2T No 8 <I>Llywelyn</I> awaits its 14.00 departure time from Aberystwyth on 10 May for the run up to Devils Bridge.<br><br>[David Pesterfield 10/05/2012]](/images/39000/39676.jpg "Aberystwyth")
![Vale of Rheidol No 8 lays over in the headshunt at Devils Bridge for some 30 minutes before running round the rake of carriages to form the 12.00 return to Aberystwyth on 30 May. <br><br>[David Pesterfield 30/05/2012]](/images/39000/39847.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![The new westbound platform at Capel Bangor in May 2012, seen from the 10.30 Vale of Rheidol service to Devils Bridge. <br><br>[David Pesterfield 30/05/2012]](/images/40000/40761.jpg "Capel Bangor")
![VoR No 8 runs back into Devils Bridge station in May 2012 to couple up to its rake of carriages and form the 12.00 return service to Aberystwyth. <br><br>[David Pesterfield 30/05/2012]](/images/41000/41046.jpg "Devils Bridge")
![The water tank at Nantyronen on the Vale of Rheidol line, used to replenish locomotives on the very demanding rising gradient when working towards Devils Bridge from Aberystwyth, seen here from a train on 30 May 2012. <br><br>[David Pesterfield 30/05/2012]](/images/41000/41061.jpg "Nantyronen")
![A view of the Vale of Rheidol Devils Bridge terminus looking towards the station throat from the buffer stops on 18th September 2016. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 18/09/2016]](/images/56000/56813.jpg "Devils Bridge")
