GET on track at a Vale of Clwyd celebration.
As part of this year's Ruthin Festival, a special exhibition and lecture will detail the town’s railway history.
An exhibition on the history of the railway in Ruthin started on June 18 and it will continue until Friday, July 8 at the Old Courthouse in the town centre.
It comes after Ruthin and District Civic Association partnered with Ruthin Craft Centre to put together a project to conserve and repair the old railway crane in the centre’s grounds.
A successful application was submitted to the 15-Minute Heritage programme, which is funded by Cadw – the Welsh Government’s Welsh Government's historic environment service and delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The work was also sponsored by Ruthin-based company Jones Bros.
The repair work involved welding and painting work to the crane to conserve it for the future, as well as work to its base and was done by local contractors McCarter Bros.
Read more:
- Secrets of historic Ruthin Castle are set to be revealed this weekend
- Will the course of true love run smooth in Ruthin Shakespeare production?
The railway station was located where the Briec roundabout stands today.
It was a stop on the Vale of Clwyd line which ran from Rhyl to Corwen.
The station and line were closed as part of the railway closures following the Beeching Report in the early 1960s.
The line originally ran north to south through the town under Well Street, past Railway Terrace, and then through what is now the industrial estate towards Denbigh.
The exhibition will also feature a historical lecture this Sunday, June 26 in the Old Courthouse at 7pm.
At this event, the full history of the town’s railway station and Vale of Clwyd line will be detailed.
It is intended to collect the history and local people’s memories of the railway in the town into a bilingual digital history booklet later this year.
"To see such activities about the railway’s history in 2022 is very timely since it is exactly 60 years since the last passenger train passed through Ruthin on April 30, 1962," said project coordinator Fiona Gale.
Ruthin and District Civic Association is a voluntary membership organisation with over 100 members and annually organises the Open Doors weekend which will take place this year on September 10 and 11, where historical buildings in the town are opened for public viewing, and it also awards the distinguished Quayle Award each year.
"With the crane now restored, the exhibition details Ruthin’s railway past which many of its residents still remember," said Cllr Anne Roberts, the chair of the association.
"We have also been very fortunate to secure the services of Fiona Gale as project coordinator who has been very busy organising the community activities."
The exhibition is open from 10am until 4pm, seven days a week.
Anyone wishing to join or contact Ruthin and District Civic Association should email ruthincivic@btinternet.com
Read more: Railway crane in Ruthin set to be restored to former glory
To attend the lecture, due to limisted space booking is essential.
People can contact Siop Elfair on 01824 702575 before 5pm on Saturday, June 25.
It is also possible to view the lecture remotely via Zoom.
For people wishing to do this they need to e-mail Fiona Gale via fionaegale@hotmail.co.uk again by 5pm on Saturday, June 25 at the latest.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here