Llangollen Railway Trust (The Trust) is a registered charity with limited company status. It has an extensive volunteer management framework and aims to work with all heritage and tourism partners to ensure visitors to the area enjoy a worthwhile experience. The Trust is able to offer a variety of heritage motive power including steam, diesel and railcar units, travelling between its terminal stations in Llangollen and Corwen. Llangollen station is located beside the River Dee Bridge in Llangollen Town. The railway then follows the River Dee along the Dee Valley, with stations at Berwyn, Glyndyfrdwy and Carrog, finally terminating at the recently built station in the town of Corwen. The Railway is located within the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and much of the area along the River Dee is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and home to wildlife as well as a rural local community. An area stretching from the Clwydian Range in the North to the Berwyn Mountains in the South is currently under consideration by Natural Resources Wales to become the fourth National Park in Wales.
Llangollen Railway is a Heritage Railway, operating under a Light Railway Order, which limits the maximum permissible speed to 25mph. The railway is the only standard gauge heritage railway in North Wales
The Railway is a stone’s throw from the World Heritage Site at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and plays an important role in preservation and interpretation of the area’s industrial history and is today one of Denbighshire’s most vibrant tourist destinations. Whilst there are a number of paid staff ensuring the railway is governed effectively the organisation by its nature is operationally delivered by an extensive volunteer network. These roles range from engineering to engine driving, to on board customer services (guards, ticketing) to signalling. Volunteers in turn represent the life blood of Llangollen Railway and without the dedicated volunteer commitment, the organisation would undoubtedly face significant service operational challenges and consequential economic effects on its commercial yet charitable business model.