A HERITAGE railway enjoyed a “momentous occasion” following the compilation of track works.

On Monday, 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 has stood at Green Lane, Corwen.

During the course of an engineer’s possession of the line for weed killing purposes, the class 08 diesel shunter ran down the line and through the station loop to the head shunt at the end of the track where it reversed.

In doing so it was the first locomotive to run over the new track laid across the site of the former gap in the embankment which was infilled last year.

The weed killing exercise was a very necessary first step in preparing to reopen the heritage railway as required by the Office of Road and Rail before passenger services may be able to resume in some form during August.

General manager Liz McGuinness described the event as a “momentous occasion” following the completion of the track works.

Construction on the new station at Corwen is ongoing and is expected to be completed in the summer, she added.

After the lockdown period which saw work on the new Corwen station suspended, site activity resumed on Monday, when members of the volunteer workforce assembled to begin preparations for the start of building work to complete the platforms.

Project Leader, Richard Dixon-Gough said, “It has been a day of quiet celebration as another milestone was reached after all the frustrations of the lockdown period which has delayed completion of the works by at least four months.

"Fortunately, during the shut down, the works site has survived quite well, but the need now is to try and catch up with the planned laying of the 40,000 pavers for the platform surface.

"The dry weather during the lockdown period would have been ideal for the work by a contractor once the base layer of fine limestone sand has been spread and the project members now hope for a further spell of fine summer weather so that work can proceed.”

Llangollen Railway has received £19,000 in donations through its Covid-19 appeal.