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Conwy Valley Railway Museum

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Conwy Valley Railway Museum
The miniature steam railway
Conwy Valley Railway Museum is located in Conwy
Conwy Valley Railway Museum
Location within Conwy County Borough
Established1970s (1970s)
LocationBetws-y-Coed, Conwy County Borough, Wales
Coordinates53°05′34″N 3°48′01″W / 53.092903°N 3.800207°W / 53.092903; -3.800207
TypeRailway museum
FounderAlan Pratt
OwnerColin Cartwright
WebsiteConwy Valley Railway Museum
The buffet coach
Conwy Valley Railway Museum
Transport for Wales Conwy Valley Railway Museum
Mainline Fence Miniature Tramway Miniature Railway Coin-operated Tram Isolated Section
Bi-directional not in use in use in use for catering rolling stock
           
To Llandudno
Balloon loops
(superimposed)
Bridge over pond
Crossing to car park
Alighting-only platform
Boarding-only platform
Betws-y-coed mainline station
Bridge between mainline
station and miniature railway
Junction to yard
To Blaenau Ffestiniog

The Conwy Valley Railway Museum (Welsh: Amgueddfa Rheilffordd Dyffryn Conwy) is located at Betws-y-Coed railway station, Betws-y-Coed, North Wales, on the site of the old railway goods yard.

Museum

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The museum was founded starting with a former standard gauge railway carriage which today acts as a licensed buffet and restaurant car. The current museum was built later, and contains various railway artefacts.

Miniature railway

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Other attractions include a 7+14 in (184 mm) gauge miniature steam railway which runs for 1-mile (1.6 km) on the site. The railway is a single track running around the perimeter of the site. It is curved round 180 degrees at the South of the site with a balloon loop at each end which are superimposed at the North of the site. Use of several spring points allow trains to complete a circuit without manual adjustment of any points. Passing loops allow more than one train to use the circuit simultaneously.

Tramway

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There is also a one-third full-size (1:3) electric tramcar which runs for a 0.5-mile (805 m) on the site, on track of 15 in (381 mm) gauge. This is one of only two electric tramways in Wales (the other being a short 18 in (457 mm) gauge electric tramway in Heath Park, Cardiff, owned by Cardiff Model Engineering Society).[1][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cardiff Model Engineering Society". www.cardiffmes.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  2. ^ Railway Track Diagrams volumes 3 & 4, published by Quail Track Diagrams