One of my absolute favourite feelings in the world is boarding the trên (train) at Amwythig (Shrewsbury) when traveling from England to Wales. That moment marks the start of my journey on Rheilffordd Canol Cymru (The Heart of Wales Line), and it never fails to make me smile.
It’s a sleepy, scenic little llinell (line), often with only one cerbyd (carriage), and most gorsafoedd (stations) are request-only. And even I have to admit it’s not the most reliable gwasanaeth (service) in the world!
But the idyllic golygfeydd (views) and the cyhoeddiadau dwyieithog (bilingual announcements) make these trenau (trains) feel like home.
trên
train
It may be pretty easy to tell that this word, trên, has been borrowed from English. The to bach (little roof) style of acen (accent) on the e shows that it’s pronounced as a long vowel, making it sound more similar to the English word.
It’s a masculine noun, and it mutates like this:
Soft mutation
drên
Nasal mutation
nhrên
Aspirate mutation
thrên
Though trenau is the technically correct plural, a lot of people just say trêns. In many parts of the country, this sounds more natural.
Interestingly, there was once a native word for train in Welsh, which was cerbydrhes, literally meaning row of carriages. But I don’t think most Welsh people would know what you meant if you said this word to them these days!
Remember that trên strictly refers to the kind of train that travels on rheilffyrdd (railways). The verb to train is hyfforddi, a train as in a sequence may be described as a llinell (line) or cadwyn (chain), and what Welsh people call a train on a dress varies very much throughout the country.
Another difference, despite the word being the same, is how we talk about trains in Welsh. Not every expression translates as you might expect, so here are some useful phrases to help you navigate train-related conversations.
- mynd ar y trên / mynd i’r trên = to get on the train
- dod i lawr o’r trên / disgyn o’r trên = to get off the train
- taith drên = train journey
- ar y trên / yn y trên = on the train
- colli trên = to miss a train
- teithio ar y trên / teithio gyda’r trên = to travel by train
- rhedeg y trên = to use a train without buying a ticket
The latter is a bit of a cheeky inclusion by me as it’s a dialect phrase, attested in parts of Anglesey, that you’re not likely to hear elsewhere in the country. Literally, it means to run the train. I’m determined to make it catch on, though! (And if you were wondering, ticket is tocyn or ticed).
O diar, anghofiais (i) fy nhocyn trên!
Oh dear, I forgot my train ticket!
Another really fun piece of regional train lingo is the phrase trên y rodnis. Rodni is Southern slang for a rowdy young man, often drunk, who’s being a bit of a nuisance. Trên y rodnis refers to the last train home in the evening, particularly a Saturday… because it’s very often full of rodnis.
Coming back to the basics, a train is a kind of cerbyd (vehicle) powered by a locomotif (locomotive), known colloquially as an injan drên (train engine). The traciau (tracks) on which they run may be known either as llinellau or simply leins (lines), following the pattern of much Welsh rail-related vocabulary being borrowed directly from English.
This makes sense as in the grand scheme of things trenau are a pretty recent dyfais (invention), and in many countries around the world, not just Cymru (Wales), vocabulary related to modern dyfeisiau (inventions) is borrowed from the country in which they were invented.
Mae’r trên yn rhedeg mymryn bach yn hwyr.
The train is running a bit late.
The first kinds of trains ran on ager-beiriannau / injans stem (steam engines), and for this, of course, they relied on glo (coal). Glo has an important history in Cymru as for decades this tiny country was the site of glofeydd (coal mines) that powered the world.
Trenau were also relevant here as they were often, fittingly, relied upon to carry workers to the mines and quarries where they worked. In South Wales, these trains were referred to as trên y glowyr (the colliers’ train), whereas in the North they were known as trenau gweithwyr (workers’ trains).
Although later scientific discoveries have revealed that the burning of glo is a serious environmental hazard, Wales’ history of cloddio glo (coal mining) is important to its national identity, especially for those hailing from the parts of South Wales where cloddio glo supported whole pentrefi (villages). Indeed, the closure of the glofeydd in the 1980s led to very real personal disaster for many families and communities that relied on this industry.
Today, many trenau run on trydan (electric), meaning that they’re actually one of the most environmentally friendly ways to teithio (travel). This has also enabled the development of super-speedy express trains, known in Welsh as trenau cyflym (fast trains) or trenau gwylltion (wild trains).
Mae Siapan yn enwog oherwydd ei threnau cyflym.
Japan is famous for its express trains.
Still, their past and their origin very much relies on Welsh industry. You can learn more about this complicated and sad history by visiting various interesting museums in De Gymru (South Wales), such as the fascinating Big Pit National Coal Museum, situated in Blaenafon.
But there also much happier examples of the significance of trenau in Wales. Most famous has to be Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa (Snowdon Mountain Railway), the wonderfully scenic tourist train that takes you all the way to the summit of Wales’ highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).
You can’t miss out on Yr Wyddfa if you’re visiting North Wales – the views are absolutely stunning. So taking the train up is a great option if you don’t fancy the heic (hike)!
