Railway rocks 'n' rolls back to the 60s

* Steam-hauled passenger trains run during the weekend.

Llangollen will be full of Hippies, Teddy Boys, Mods and Rockers this weekend as Llangollen Railway shakes and grooves its funky stuff back to the 1960’s on August 2 and 3.

The ever-popular 1960’s Weekend is one of several that the railway is running this summer as it approaches it 50th anniversary of reopening and celebrates the 200th anniversary of railways. 

The 60’s Weekend has a packed programme of events and attractions for the whole family to enjoy. Children travel for £5.

A busy timetable of steam, diesel and railcar trains, all of which would have been seen at work around the country in the 1960’s, is planned.

Heritage Crosville bus tours from Corwen also run approximately every hour each day.

A noisy re-enactment of the 1960’s protests against the line closure takes place at 11.40 at Glyndyfrdwy and at 12.35 at Llangollen each day. Bring a placard and be ready to shout for your railway.

There will be live music and DJs on Llangollen station with a Saturday 2nd August Evening Dance. DJ Dave 'Boss' Griffin will be rocking through Saturday evening and LR Volunteer Harry Barber’s Band will headline, playing a range of 1960’s hits. Entry is £10 (£5 for railway ticket holders). 

Also featured is a Pop-Up Pub at Llangollen station, serving Wrexham Lager and a selection of Welsh real ales from Magic Dragon, Hafod and Purple Moose, wines, and soft drinks. A fish and chip van will be visiting for the evening on Saturday evening.

An evening railcar service will take passengers from all stations to Llangollen for the dance and return to all stations to Corwen later in the evening to get everyone home.

Tours of the engine sheds at Llangollen in return for a £5 donation towards locomotive restoration and upkeep is another attraction.

An impressive display of vintages vehicles at Glyndyfrdwy station will be on parade. The station tea room and Porter’s Bar will also be open 10-5, serving refreshments and a selection of bottled beers and wines on both days.

The chance to drive a diesel shunting locomotive at Corwen station and see an exhibition all about Dr Beeching is planned.

Goods loading demonstrations will take place at Llangollen throughout the weekend. 

Visitors are strongly encouraged to join in and dress up in 1960’s outfits. Hippies, Mods, Teddy Boys and Rockers are all welcome.

The 1960’s saw monumental political, social and technological change. The railways in Britain were no different, seeing the end of steam locomotives, the birth of the famous "double arrow logo" and the controversial closure of a third of Britain's rail network, masterminded by BR Board Chairman Dr Richard Beeching and controversial Transport Minister Ernest Marples. The Ruabon-Barmouth railway was one of the victims of the Beeching Cuts, closing at the end of 1964. The closure of rural railways was extremely unpopular and attracted considerable resistance from the communities about to lose their transport links. 

Demonstrations were not uncommon and LR volunteers, dressed in period clothes and bearing placards, will recreate anti-closure protests at Glyndyfrdwy station over the weekend. Thankfully volunteers worked for nearly 50 years to rebuild 10 miles of the abandoned line between Llangollen & Corwen, with the first trains running in 1985 and a brand new station at Corwen finally opening in June 2023.

* Mandy and Joe in 60s gear ready for the weekend.

The event is being organised for the second time by mother-and-son team Mandy Towers and Joe Walker, who both volunteer on Llangollen station. 

Joe said: “We'll be showcasing our railway as it would have been in the 1960s. The decade was a very changing time for the nationalised 'British Railways', as steam locomotives were being phased out and replaced with new diesel and electric traction. Many main lines were being electrified, whilst many branch lines were being ripped up following Dr Beeching's 'Reshaping of British Railways' Report.” 

"The event is being organised by myself, my mum, Mandy and friends and fellow volunteers Suzanne and Mike Cocking. We are all very passionate about the Llangollen Railway and the fashion, music and technology of the 1960s, so it's great to be able to link our interests together collectively in a way that tells the story of our line to our visitors.

"This year, we are celebrating 50 years of the Llangollen Railway as a reborn preserved railway run by volunteers following closure in 1965, as part of the national 'Railway 200’ celebrations.”

Mandy said: "Our very own Berwyn station has recently been voted Britain's most scenic railway station, and our entire Railway is an authentic representation of a typical Welsh branch line. The charm and character of our rural stations, blended with a number of reenactments during the '60s Weekend, as well as vintage cars, local musicians performing the grooviest hits of the Swinging Sixties, heritage bus tours, re-enactors and educational exhibitions will really bring our Railway to life.

"There will also be the chance to drive one of our heritage Diesel Locomotives, and take a tour of our fascinating engine sheds, where our dedicated volunteers maintain and restore our fleet of Steam and Diesel locomotives.

"There will also be a well-stocked Real Ale Bar, and our Saturday Evening Dance at Llangollen, which will feature a Live Band and Disc Jockey performing the best hits of the decade!"

* Visitors can find out more and book tickets on the Railway’s events webpage: https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/1960s-weekend/.