Ken Skates AM enjoys hard labour stint with Llangollen Railway team

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates got his hands dirty during a gruelling shift with a team of volunteers who are reinstating and extending a railway line.

The Labour Assembly Member rolled his sleeves up and got stuck into an afternoon stint with the Llangollen Railway group in Corwen on Thursday afternoon (April 24).

He said: “It was great fun – I really enjoyed it. This is a fantastic heritage project and a tremendous amount of work has gone into it so far, but it’s obviously a labour of love for the volunteers. They’ve made astonishing progress.”

Mr Skates, who is based in Llangollen, spent the afternoon shifting ballasts and helping the crew align quarter-tonne sleepers ahead of the planned opening of the Llangollen-Corwen route this summer.

He added: “It was hard work, but I don’t think I did a bad job keeping up with the volunteers and I was glad to be able to help. The next step is to build and install a 100-metre platform and access ramp leading off the embankment at Dwyrain Corwen East, but the laying of the track was completed recently ahead of schedule so it’s now full steam ahead.

“I’d like to thank the team for having me along and wish them the best of luck – I’m sure their wonderful vision will soon become a reality.”