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0:00:51 > 0:00:55- Robert Stevenson's majestic crossing - on the Menai Straits...
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- ..built originally in 1850 for - the passage of trains to Holyhead.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- But following the fire in 1970 - the bridge was rebuilt...
0:01:04 > 0:01:08- ..to carry the A5 roadway - above the old rail tracks.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27- The bridge is crossed - by a single track today...
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- ..now that the line from Chester to - Holyhead is quieter than it was...
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- ..but the rail service continues.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38- We're on Anglesey this week to look - at another of the island's lines...
0:01:39 > 0:01:43- ..the rural branch line - from Gaerwen to Amlwch.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48- The trains no longer run - but the tracks remain in place...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51- ..making our task so much easier.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00- Gwyn, our journey starts here.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04- The line to Holyhead is to our left - but we're on the line to Amlwch.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06- I'm looking forward to this journey.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- I'm looking forward to this journey.- - This is a line with a future.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16- So far, we've followed lost lines - but today we have sleeping sleepers.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32- From Gaerwen the line passes - through Pentre Berw, Llangefni...
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- ..Llangwyllog, Llanerchymedd - and Rhosgoch...
0:02:36 > 0:02:38- ..before reaching its end in Amlwch.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- Anglesey is often imagined - to be flat...
0:02:45 > 0:02:49- ..but much of the line's route had - to be cut and blasted through rock.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- Cutting and blasting - continues on Anglesey...
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- ..but today - it's because of road improvement.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18- Llangefni - is the line's biggest town.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- It's different from most towns - we've visited so far...
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- ..as the station is conveniently - located in the town centre.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- You could be forgiven for not seeing - the tracks beneath the grass.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- Many have strong feelings - that the line owners...
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- ..have completely - forgotten about Anglesey.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59- I don't think they know - where Anglesey is.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- They're talking now of upgrading - the line from Chester to Bangor.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08- They've forgotten about Bangor - to Holyhead - where the line starts.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- That's where transport coming in - from Ireland picks it up.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18- They have little idea of people's - aspirations for this line...
0:04:18 > 0:04:27- ..and they are quite insensitive to - what is going on here on Anglesey.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- I say that quite unequivocally.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- Looking around, it's easy to notice - the changes to the railway.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45- It's rather different - for the line workers too.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- It's changed a lot in terms - of the way we go about our work.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59- I remember working with the old - drivers when I was a young guard.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- Those old drivers had worked - on the steam engines...
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- ..and they'd look after you - as though you were their own sons.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- They'd make sure you were okay - and you got to know their families.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- So there was a real community. - They were friends you could rely on.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20- Today, instead of friends - you have workmates.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Everyone's watching their back - - the whole ethic has changed.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28- Much of it has to do with - privatisation - it's a business now.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32- It's not a culture - it's a business - that has to make a profit.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- There isn't more stress, because - the work is still enjoyable...
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- ..but there's - a business outlook now.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- It's not a railway - it's business, - which is there to survive.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- It must account for itself.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- So you get on with your work - and then go home.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- Once we're in Holyhead, - unless the engine needs fuel...
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- ..I'll be in the car - heading home past Rio Tinto.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- Years ago, we'd hang around for - a cuppa to play cards and to chat.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- Working on the railway is clearly - something close to your heart...
0:06:07 > 0:06:11- ..and so is this line - describe the - appeal of the Bangor-Amlwch line.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18- Well, think of towns like Amlwch, - Llanerchymedd, Llangefni, Gaerwen.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- They've grown into big towns...
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- ..and most people travel - to work in Bangor by car.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- Bangor is the main catchment area, - with Holyhead a major employer too.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33- They're building this new road - at the moment...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- ..which will be great - for the Ireland traffic.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- But local traffic - increases each year.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45- During the Bangor rush hours there - are tailbacks to cross the bridges.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Surely, the railway must - play a part in that somewhere.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54- A Bangor service on the hour would - at least give people a choice...
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- ..but the only alternative is - packed buses every thirty minutes.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- I'm sure we could play a bigger part - than we do at the moment.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07- People should remind themselves - that if this line is taken away...
0:07:07 > 0:07:11- ..it will never come back because - the cost will just be prohibitive.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- It's there now and it's important - not to let it go.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45- Owen Parry has fond memories of - working on the line as a signalman.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- I worked at Llangwyllog - for ten years...
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- ..and it was an important station.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59- It was the only point on the trans - Amlwch line where trains crossed.
0:09:03 > 0:09:09- Behind me here, you would often - see freight trains breaking up...
0:09:10 > 0:09:15- ..because they'd get this - far pulling too many wagons.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- They'd go on to Llangwyllog - pulling part of the train...
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- ..and then come back - to get the rest.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- It doesn't look too steep.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33- Well, they needed plenty of speed - from Llangefni to get up here.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38- You'd get different drivers - - some were cautious, others less so.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47- I remember they had a hymn book - at Llangwyllog station...
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- ..for the drivers or the guards.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57- If freight trains from Llangefni - had passengers from Llanerchymedd...
0:09:57 > 0:10:02- ..they'd pop in to see - the signalman for a sing-song.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09- I remember once they were - enjoying the singing so much...
0:10:09 > 0:10:14- ..another train had to wait fifteen - minutes before it could continue!
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- They'd forgotten all about it. There - was a vibrant culture on the line.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- I then moved from here - to the main line...
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- ..where they had Bibles and so on - in the signal boxes.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34- In one signal box, I remember a - Bible that was heavily annotated...
0:10:34 > 0:10:38- ..and it was clearly a copy - that had been vigorously debated.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Llangwyllog is roughly - halfway along our journey.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- The station has changed - considerably over the years.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- Today, the only sound here - is of the deafening jets overhead...
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- ..and the magical whistle of the - steam engine is a distant memory.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05
0:11:09 > 0:11:14- From Llangwyllog the line - continues towards Llanerchymedd.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18- Here we can enjoy Anglesey's - characteristic open countryside.
0:11:39 > 0:11:45- We're approaching the old, small - and rural station at Llanerchymedd.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- There's talk of how busy - these stations were...
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- ..but if they were that busy, - why close them?
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- They were extremely busy at times.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- Naturally, there were other periods - when it was quieter.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09- The site of this old station - is wonderful and compact...
0:12:09 > 0:12:13- ..and the bridge - is still visible today.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- I can well imagine this sleepy town - in between trains passing through.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- That'll do for me.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38- Some of my best friends - lived in Llanerchymedd...
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- ..so I used to ride on the train - from Llangefni to Llanerchymedd.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46- I remember a teacher - who had to come to the station.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- There was no corridor on the train.
0:12:49 > 0:12:55- The teacher made sure the boys and - girls were segregated on the train.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02- Once past the first stop - at Llangwyllog, it was all change!
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- Tell us about you stealing coal.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- That's a secret - but seeing as you asked nicely.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- As children, we grew up on - the Pencraig estate in Llangefni.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- Four children - and my father - only brought home a small wage.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- In winter, we'd be out collecting - whatever we could for the fire...
0:13:24 > 0:13:29- ..and things got really hard once - when money was short.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- So we went looking along the line...
0:13:33 > 0:13:38- ..and there was a coal yard a few - miles up the line at Pentre Berw.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42- There was plenty of steam coal - up there.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- So we borrowed some. - We didn't steal it - we borrowed it!
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- As with most railway lines - in Wales...
0:14:42 > 0:14:46- ..initially there was a shortage - of money to build this line.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- Spending was limited to expansion - in line with the budget.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- The stretch from Gaerwen to the - first wooden station in Llangefni...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- ..opened in 1865 as a result.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- The stretch from Llanerchymedd - to Llangwyllog opened in 1866...
0:15:02 > 0:15:05- ..and work on the line - was completed by 1867.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10- The principal aim was to reach as - far as the Parys Mountain mineworks.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- There hasn't been a train - near this line in years.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37- Railtrack, the owners, insisted - that we wore these orange jackets.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40- Just in case.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51- Rhosgoch station, like many other - rural stations around Wales...
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- ..has been adapted - into a dwelling.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- Many of them continue to evoke the - character and feel of the original.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- The Amlwch line wasn't - the only branch line on Anglesey.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26- Until the '50s a line ran from - Pentre Berw to Llanbedr Goch...
0:16:26 > 0:16:30- ..and to Traeth Coch, although it - had long closed as a passenger line.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- For once, Dr Beeching - had nothing to do with it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40- Former station master Gwilym Owen - recalls working on the line.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48- It was the line from Pentre Berw - as far as Benllech, or Traeth Coch.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- It actually stopped in a field - and didn't quite reach Benllech.
0:16:54 > 0:17:00- They used to say that London - North Western who built the line...
0:17:01 > 0:17:06- ..ran out of money and had to end - the line in that field.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- Today, you can still see - the gate to the old station.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13- When did the line close?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- It closed to passengers - in September 1930...
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- ..and later closed - to freight in 1950.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Tell us about - the appeal of the line.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30- You had a great deal of visitors - using the line to go to Benllech...
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- ..and to Pentraeth as well.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43- The train also carried freight to - the little station at Traeth Coch...
0:17:44 > 0:17:49- ..which was a busy little station - with a crane to lift heavy goods.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- The visitors continue to come...
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- ..some of whom unwittingly settle - down on the site of the old line.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05- Back on the line to Amlwch, - we're nearly at our journey's end.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19- Waiting for us at the site - of the old Amlwch station...
0:18:19 > 0:18:21- ..were Richard and Olwen Jones.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25- They were ready to reminisce - about the old railway.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- She heard she'd passed - the 'scholarship'.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- How did you get the news?
0:18:33 > 0:18:38- Well, I'm indebted - to the old railway to be honest.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47- The scholarship results reached - Llangefni a day before us in Amlwch.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57- My friends didn't like it that I got - the list before them...
0:19:00 > 0:19:07- ..because I lived close - to the second bridge, Pont Joseff.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- The back garden looked out - onto the line.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- The line ran - through the garden really!
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- The train passengers - threw the results into the garden...
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- ..and that's how she found out - she was going to the county school.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33- We were waiting for the train - to come at ten to five.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- Mam was on one side of the garden, - me on the other, waiting anxiously.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- We had been waiting - a long time for it.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47- The train finally appeared with - children hanging out of the windows.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53- They threw the results envelopes - out to all of us who were waiting.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- So a copy landed in our garden...
0:20:00 > 0:20:05- ..but who was going to - open the envelope - Mam or me?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- We decided that Mam should do it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:16- So she did, then turned to me - and said, "You've done alright".
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- That's all she said - until we got to the house...
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- ..where she told my father who said - I'd done better than he'd expected!
0:20:58 > 0:21:03- The passenger service ceased - in December 1964.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- But the chemicals industry - established in Amlwch...
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- ..kept the line open - for freight transport.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- The transport - was added to in 1974...
0:21:23 > 0:21:27- ..with the opening of the oil line - from the port to Cheshire.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31- In the same year, Anglesey council - investigated the possibility...
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- ..of reopening the line - for passengers.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40- How did Anglesey residents respond - when the line closed in the '60s?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- There was a lukewarm response.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- So many railway lines - were closing at that time...
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- ..and people felt quite helpless.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- I don't recall much opposition.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- I was in college in Bangor - at the time...
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- ..and the most you'd hear was people - expressing their disappointment.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- But few people felt - they could oppose it.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Does this line have a future?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- Does this line have a future?- - I'm pleased to say it has.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15- I think there's a general consensus - that it will reopen.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- The sooner the better, to inject - money back into the economy...
0:22:21 > 0:22:25- ..especially in Llangefni at first, - where we will be based.
0:22:25 > 0:22:31- Then, over time, we hope to work our - way to Llanerchymedd and to Amlwch.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36- It will be a tourist attraction - and they will come in droves...
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- ..if the evidence of other - branch lines is anything to go by.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- The society clearly - has plenty of work ahead...
0:22:45 > 0:22:50- ..and there are plenty of people - enthusiastic about the project.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53- But what makes it so unique?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- Its location on an island - makes it unique for me.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- There's no other line like it.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05- It's also standard gauge whereas - other lines are often smaller.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- There's nothing like this - in Ireland...
0:23:10 > 0:23:14- ..and we have existing links - to connect with this line.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20- The line runs through a part of - Anglesey where there are no roads.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25- As someone once said, it runs - through uncontaminated land.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30- With the clear air of Amlwch we're - literally at the end of the line.
0:23:30 > 0:23:36- Few lines that have closed - can boast a track as good as this.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43- It's been an interesting line - to walk along and learn its history.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- I'm sure we both hope - that when we next come here...
0:23:48 > 0:23:53- ..we'll be riding the line - on board the train.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- S4C subtitles by- Testun Cyf