The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

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rogerfarnworth
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The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#1

Post by rogerfarnworth »

The abandoned length through the town ...

Those involved with the creation of the preservation line always intended to include the part of the line which ran through the centre of Welshpool. Sadly that was not to be. The local authorities were concerned about the effect of the railway traffic on road traffic in and around the town. Pretty much all that remains of that length of the line are photographs, short bits of film and memories. Road improvements and building clearance have changed parts of the old town.

Elements of the original route are difficult to identify. This is compounded by OS Mapping. The 1949 6" Ordnance Survey, which should have provided a definitive map of the town centre, seems to have used the route of an old tramroad to define the route of the line rather than undertake a local survey of the line. It also seems to have left the Seven Stars pub in place when it was actually demolished to make room for the railway. The result of these things being a rather unrealistic mapped route of the line through parts of the town.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/24/th ... t-railway/

For some time I'd thought about looking at the lost length of the line. I was reminded of this when my wife decided that it would be good for us to visit the preservation line. After that journey, my interest was rekindled. The linked article above is the result. ....
The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and runs eastwards from the village of Llanfair Caereinion via Castle Caereinion to the town of Welshpool. The headquarters of the line are at Llanfair Caereinion.
hunslet
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Re: The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#2

Post by hunslet »

In 1963 a school friend and myself decided to cycle round mid Wales stopping in youth hostels.
We rode to Birmingham Snow Hill station and took the train to Welshpool where we intended to
set out for the first hostel on our route which was Dinas Mawddwy.
We explored the W&L yard and found a work train there collecting items before the track through the town
was lifted and we were offered a lift to Llanfair Caerenion which we accepted and loaded our bikes into
the guards van.
The trip through the town was interrupted by parked cars and when we got to the outskirts the loco had trouble
getting up the bank ( Golfa ?) by the road to Llanfair. I think the loco was "Raven" which fits in with the dates
of our visit and the loco dates.
On the way a flag was lost and run over so my friend climbed out of the rear window and down the track to
retrieve it.
Just as we were about to haul him aboard the train went over a small culvert with a gap in the track which he
nearly went down !
After getting to Llanfair we rode to Dinas Mawddwy and the Hostel where we were treated to a spectacular
meteor shower that night - the lady hostel warden was rather occupied with a imminent birth so did not
enforce the usual night time curfew.
We had other adventures during that trip such as poling a slate wagon along the upper part of the
un-restored Ffestiniog railway and getting bogged down in mud on the conversion site of the Bala to Ffestiniog
branch into parts of the road.
The school friend is now my brother-in -law as I married his sister.
rogerfarnworth
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Re: The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#3

Post by rogerfarnworth »

Some fantastic memories! Thank you for sharing them.
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Chops
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Re: The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#4

Post by Chops »

Extraordinary. Every time I see/read this sort of thing I am struck with how fast people abandoned rail. Everyone wanted a car. True, it is a supreme convenience to be able to deposit oneself on any given door step, and one never has to wait. But how much was lost in this love affair for the personal chariot?

Rail in the USA blanketed the nation, and trams plied the streets in abundance. Relatively safe and convenient, they were obliterated by the pubically funded National interstate Highway System initiated by President Eisenhower, claiming it was needed to provide quick transportation of military vehicles should the USA be invaded (not that it doesn't work both ways). Elegant passenger service collapsed first, and soon former railways were tumbling on its heels.

The carnage of the IHS is monumental. The costs of shipping goods is off the charts. Well, that's progress! :(
rogerfarnworth
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Re: The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#5

Post by rogerfarnworth »

After my first article about the Town Section of the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway a number of folks got in touch with their photos of the line and I have, since deciding to write an addendum, found other photographs which people have kindly allowed me to include in this additional article. There are a few embedded links to Flickr images as well.

It has been a joy pulling all these together. ...

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/23/th ... -addendum/
rogerfarnworth
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Re: The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#6

Post by rogerfarnworth »

The OS map in the link below has the correct route across Church Street. This link was kindly pointed out to me by an acquaintance on another forum.

Ref SJ20NW - A
Surveyed / Revised: Pre 1930 to 1962, Published: 1964

https://maps.nls.uk/view/189186867
rogerfarnworth
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Re: The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

#7

Post by rogerfarnworth »

I was reading (in August 2024) the July 1903 Railway Magazine and came across an article about the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. The article marked the opening of the line at the beginning of April 1903.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/17/we ... pril-1903/
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