Vale of Glamorgan Railway

I’ve heard this is no longer running.
It was expensive so I never supported it — its a shame to see it go though.

Update: September 2014
The local authority (which owns the track and facilities) has awarded a tender for its operation to another company, Cambrian Transport, which has long term plans for the site, and after some delays has finally re-​opened the site and ran some specials (mostly heritage diesel trains) over the summer.
The former operator, Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company, has dispersed much of its stock to other railways in the UK, but will be establishing a new base at Pontycymmer on the Garw Valley Railway, north of Bridgend.
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The Barry Island Railway is a heritage railway, operated by the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company.
Unlike many heritage railways, however, this is not a preserved line as such: indeed, the route runs parallel to the existing suburban line from Cardiff to Barry Island. Instead, the route is on land which was once part of the huge dock complex which made Barry one of the greatest coal exporting ports in the world until the Second World War.
In fact, the town of Barry was almost purely the creation of the railway: until the 1880s, it was a series of sleepy villages, and rabbits roamed over Barry Island. However, the coal mine owners were becoming increasingly concerned at the monopoly of the Taff Vale Railway and Cardiff docks on shipping the coal from their mines for export, so the Barry Railway was created to provide an alternative, and an entirely new series of export docks was built between Barry and Barry Island, and opened in 1884. Thereafter, Barry Island also became a seaside resort, with pleasure steamers calling regularly.
The history of Barry in recent times has mirrored that of the industrial history of South Wales more generally: as coal mining declined, most of the docks at Barry were closed udring the 1960s and 1970s, and the vast expanse of railway sidings ripped up. At one time, some of the sidings were, famously, owned by Woodhams Brothers’ scrapyard, and became a graveyard for hundreds of steam locomotives. Many of these were subsequently saved and are now running on preserved railways.
The Barry Island Railway is a more recent invention: it is the marketing name for the heritage line operated by the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company Ltd. Mainly volunteer run, the line has been steadily extended since its arrival at Barry Island in 1996. Formerly the Butetown Historic Railway Society, based at Bute Road station in Cardiff Bay, the move to Barry saw a change in name and the beginning of train operation. The new base at Plymouth Road station, Barry Island, was opened on June 1^st 1997, with the first operations commencing in 1998.
The line now runs from Plymouth Road, via Barry Island station and Woodham Halt to Gladstone Halt (recently opened next to Morrisons Supermarket). A short branch also runs down to the Waterfront Station at Hood Road, and trains tend to alternate between the two lines. A quaint feature is that trains stop at the junction for the points to be changed manually. The other feature is that line has a remarkable number of stations in such a short distance.
They operate both steam locomotives and heritage diesel trains, and special events such as Santa Specials and Thomas the Tank Engine days. There is also a small shop, museum and small refreshment facility housed in the former main building of Barry Island station. Unfortunately, a number of the facilities are in need of some serious tlc, as there are quite a lot of weeds along parts of the route. However, none of this seems to spoil the fun of the younger visitors! Staff (all volunteers) are very friendly and keen to help.
Access for wheelchair users is available at some stations — see the website for details — but not all trains are suitable, so it is advisable to telephone ahead.