From Caterpillar to Chrysalis - How the Glyn Valley Tramway Trust was Born

At the Annual General Meeting of the Glyn Valley Tramway Group in 2006, the members voted to adopt a development plan devised by their appointed consultants Capita Symonds. This plan saw the member’s vision of an industrial museum being developed in Glyn Ceiriog, together with an associated steam experience. The latter to support the former, by drawing in the visitor numbers and so raising the necessary cash flow to fund and maintain the museum! Their second proposal was that to bring all this about, the Group must create a Charitable Trust, to which all the assets would be transferred, as the vehicle for taking the development forward. This would make the whole subject to constant scrutiny and be more acceptable to the public.

The task of creating the Charitable Trust was given to Dr Bernard Rockett, who was at the time the Chairman of the Group. On 22nd October 2007 Dr Rockett was able to report that after considerable negotiation a Glyn Valley Charitable Trust (No.1121437) had now been formed. Through a public consultation exercise on 28 and 29 September, the Group had received overwhelming public support for the proposals, and to this was added the almost overwhelming support of the GVT Group Committee, which at its meeting on 30 September by 11 votes to 1, with one abstention voted to proceed.

It was at this juncture that a member of the Group’s committee took objection to the plans because of decision to build with a gauge of 2 feet 6inches, instead of the original GVT’s last used gauge of 2 feet 4 ½ inches. The decision based on their being no other gauge of 2 feet 4 ½ inches anywhere else in the world, so requiring everything to be specially built, with all the associated costs. With the slightly larger gauge, which would not effect the outline or operational ability of any engines or rolling stock subsequently built, there were other lines with 2 feet 6 inches, as close as Welshpool.

The Group with its fledgling Charitable Trust continued now to work towards an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Group, when the final plans would be laid before the members and they be asked to approve or disapprove of the proposals which would see the Charitable Trust becoming the asset holder and operator with the Group as the management body.

The volume of dissent now grew, with meetings being disrupted and  committee members dissuaded from attending meetings. Then finally, just hours before the Extraordinary General Meeting, the Trustees were forced to cancel the EGM under the threat of legal action.

On the day of what should have been the EGM, members of the Group met at the Glyn Valley Hotel and formed a new Group Committee, which then set about cancelling the membership of all those who had been associated with the Trust, including Dr Rockett himself. Others associated with the Trust, simply resigned before they too were expelled.

So it was that on 15 February 2008, those who had either had their membership of the Group cancelled, or had simply resigned before being excluded, met in Chirk at the Parish Rooms and after reviewing their position, decided that in view of the support being given to them by both the Town Council and residents of Chirk, they should continue. Today they look back on just over a year of achievement and are now poised to face the future with confidence and return to Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley, once again, the sound of a steam engine as it climbs the Pontfaen Bank, heading for Chirk station! 

The Trust is committed to reinstating the former Tramway as a steam heritage railway and wishes to work with other organisations to deliver a viable project and provide benefits to the local economy. The Trust is seeking mediation with the GVT Group and is hopeful that both organisations will be able to cooperate fully again in the future.