THE Vale of Rheidol Railway near Aberystwyth has held an event to launch one of four accessible carriages that will enable wheelchair users to ride on the carriages for the first time.

Special guests, including Ben Lake MP, Elen Jones AM and Simon Thomas AM, plus councillors, trustees and local businesses joined the memorable occasion.

Local resident Carwyn Daniels agreed to test the new carriage and the railway was delighted to get the thumbs up.

Carwyn hasn’t been on the railway since he was a small child so this was a special day for him and his family.

The project was funded by the Coastal Communities Fund in 2017 to develop heritage skills training within the working environment of one of Wales’ premier scenic railways.

It has supported the development of a sustainable training school and engineering business within the railway’s new workshops and has granted a ramped access for wheelchair users onto the trains for the first time.

The project has employed two new apprentices who have been heavily involved with restoration and rebuilding of four of the VoR carriage fleets.

Carriage No 15 is the first carriage that has undertaken the modifications to enable wheelchair access.

The chassis and bogies dates from the first batch of carriages from 1901, rebuilt to its current form in 1923.

The accessible carriage is the first of four, so will have to be booked in advance.

After everyone boarded the carriages, guests were taken to the Devil’s Bridge station for a second special launch which was the newly restored weighbridge building which was partly funded by The Rob Strachan Memorial Fund and the Vincent Wildlife Trust.

Cefn Croes Wind Farm Community Trust has also provide generous financial support to this joint venture which now houses a new information centre called the Pine Marten Den, which tells the story of a remarkable project – the return of the native pine marten to mid Wales.

On arrival the guests were entertained by Mynach Community School choir and flautists who provided an exceptional performance.

Vincent Wildlife Trust CEO Lucy Rogers then gave a warm welcome to the guests and explained about the pine martens and there importance to the area.

After officially declaring the exhibition open, guests were treated to a fabulous buffet catered by Two Hoots café and also a chance to drive Margaret, the railway’s Quarry Hunslet No 605 engine.