The Sudrians: Railways and Locations

Harwick and Cregwir Railway (CHR)

A recently revived railway, reconstructed and renamed from the old Cronk and Harwick Railway, the HCR was been around for a while, as an actual, revenue-earning tramway, only serving goods, but now a small heritage line that runs passenger trains.

Harwick

The line starts at Harwick. Before closing in the 1950s, it use to go to the northern parts of the harbour. This was when it used to take stone and zinc from the mines up near Cregwir and take them to the harbour where it was exported out to sea on ships. Now, it has buffers and a transfer table to move the engines over to the other track once ending their runs here. It also has a two-row engine shed as well as a small wooden farm-like shed near it where they store their maintenance diesel. Sidings for the maintenance crew and for heritage trucks are also there as well as a carriage shed nearby. The station was first built when the line was reconstructed in 1998.

Droghan-y-Claghan

This is the next station on the line, this began reconstruction in 2001 and opened in 2002. It only has a small station next to the line though for when passengers stop. It has a little stone building for people to cover themselves and a little picnic area nearby to watch the trains go by as well.

Cregwir

The top station along this small route, this line becomes two lines, with a run-around loop instead of a transfer system in Harwick. This station was built with the rest of the reconstruction of the line in 1998 and was completed in 2000, with a new station building and a car park close by. Other than that, the new heritage line has nothing more, as does the village, with a few houses and shops for tourists.

But if we are to walk up north from the station, we will find the tourist destination of the old Cregwir Quarry. This used to be the main quarry for the tramway that mined zinc in the area. The engines, Smudger and Bertram use to collect the zinc here and take it to Harwick Harbour. It was eventually closed in 1953 as well as the rest of the tramway when the zinc finally went dry in the mine. It was left abandoned until tourists decided to find a better use for it, it is now preserved, with exhibitions through the old mine shafts, a museum, and even zip wires and slides to entertain the younger people in the area. It is also where they found Bertram, now he is restored and works on the line as well.

Ballaswein

Having a mine of its own but closing in 1951, it was Ballaswein decided not to reconstruct the old line too. Yet, it is not fully of their societies' mines and it could possibly be reconstructed with a new station if they save enough money for it. The old mine was the first part of the tramway to be built and was the main source of income for the tramway until zinc was found at Cregwir later on, it was still mined until it went dry in 1951. The old track bed is still there and is now a walking/cycling trial. The section at Ballaswein though as been covered by houses and the old mine has been closed off, no plans are to turn it into a heritage sight.