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The Vale of Rheidol Railway ((ウェールズ語:Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol)) is a narrow gauge heritage railway that runs for between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge in the county of Ceredigion, Wales.〔Johnson 1999, page 15〕 Until privatisation, it was the sole steam-operated line on the nationalised British Rail network, steam traction having ceased in 1968 on all other parts of the system. Unlike some other preserved railways in the United Kingdom, the Vale of Rheidol Railway has never closed, with the exception of wartime and has operated a service for tourists through its life. The railway celebrated its centenary in 2002. ==History== A narrow gauge railway in the area of Aberystwyth was first proposed after the initial route planned for the Manchester and Milford Railway, from Llanidloes to Aberystwyth via Devil's Bridge, was altered, and then abandoned, before construction started.〔Johnson 2011, page 52〕 The original primary purpose of the line was to carry timber (for pit props in the South Wales valleys) and ore from the Rheidol Valley to the sea and the main line railway at Aberystwyth. Many lead mines in the valley were producing ore at the end of the 19th century. Following an Act of Parliament in 1897, it was not possible to raise finance as quickly as expected, and construction started in 1901. Rock was hand-hewn instead of being blasted, in order to save money. The chief engineer was Sir James Szlumper. He used the locomotive ''Talybont'', renamed ''Rheidol'', from the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway. By the time the railway was ready to open in 1902, lead mining in Ceredigion was in steep decline. However a significant growth in tourism was under way, and the carriage of passengers soon became the principal traffic of the railway. It opened for mineral traffic in August 1902 and for passengers on 22 December 1902, using two 2-6-2T locomotives built by Davies a Metcalfe and a 2-4-0T locomotive built by Bagnall.〔()〕 The original stations were Aberystwyth, Llanbadarn, Capel Bangor, Nantyronen and Pontarfynach. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vale of Rheidol Railway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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