LAST WEEKEND’S Corris Railway Santa Specials were one of the casualties of Storm Darragh.
Railway volunteers, who from across the UK, were looking forward to welcoming excited children on a trip to Santa’s grotto but the storm had other ideas.
Saturday morning revealed landslips on the road north and south of Corris, loss of electricity at Corris and Maespoeth Junction and water from overwhelmed drains on the A487 cascading into the railway’s machine shop, engine shed and loco inspection pit.
A line inspection revealed three trees blocking the line in various places. By Saturday afternoon, local volunteers had cleared the road drains and stopped any further water entering the loco shed at Maespoeth.
Volunteers have started a clean-up operation to repair damaged railway infrastructure.
Larger heritage railways tend to run Santa Specials over multiple weekends but Corris Railway is unable to do the same because of its small number of volunteers.
Historically, the railway has relied on income from a busy Santa Specials weekend to provide a financial cushion for the winter months when it is not open. This year, that income has been lost, together with money spent on food and gifts.
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of one volunteer, all pre-booked passengers had received a refund by midnight on Saturday, save for some who generously declined the refund and donated the money to the railway.
The 2025 Corris Railway Santa Specials are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14.
