Welshpool & Llanfair Railway

We arrived in Welshpool via the Cambrian Coast Line, at the new station, which is on the opposite side of the town to Raven Square, where the W. & L. R. starts. On our way, we thus crossed the bridge over the Montgomery canal and had a good view of the wharf, now the Powysland Museum, and moored boats, before entering the main part of the town. Passing on our left the entrance to Powis Castle, which we were to visit after our steam trip, we finally arrived at the W. & L. R. station. This is a smart, relatively new structure, which contrasts with the muddy field, which was the terminus at the time of our visit in the 80's! Here they very kindly gave us a complimentary ticket on presentation of our Rover pass.

The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, was one of the numerous branch lines built following the Light Railways Act of 1896, which provided government subsidy for the construction of essentially rural routes. Without this financial support, it is unlikely that construction would have started, as it did in 1901. Opening in 1903, the nine mile, 2ft. 6ins. gauge, route between Llanfair Caereinion and Welshpool was never really profitable, passenger services being halted in 1931. Only the second world war and petrol rationing brought a brief reprieve, as it did for so many other Welsh branch lines, as the dramatic drop in traffic after the war ensured closure in 1956.

The extremely picturesque nature of the route undoubtedly helped in the development of a preservation society, which was actively working engines over the route, even before the final lifting of the track through the town section to the main line in 1963. A mammoth task lay ahead in reopening the line to it's present extent, including the re-building of the bridge over the River Banwy, which was almost washed away, and the major civil engineering project involved in the realignment of the line to the new terminus at Raven Square, which was completed, although not in it's present form in 1981.

The Countess, 1902, one of the line's original locos.

No.14 from Sierra Leone

No.14 Built in Leeds in 1954 for the Sierra Leone Railway, she was rescued and shipped back to Britain in 1975.

No.14 watering!

No.14 taking in water.

Dougal

No.8, Dougal 1946, built for the Provan Gas Works, with No.7, Chattenden, a 1949 diesel in the background.

One of the 1900, Austrian Tyrol, Zillertalbahn carriages, now restored to splendid condition.

Countess being shunted by a diesel.

No.12, built for the Antiguan sugar trade in 1927, she is now a static exhibit at Llanfair Caereinion, awaiting a new boiler and general restoration.

Crossing the restored bridge over the Banwy on our return trip.

A view of a reversed No.14, at full speed pulling us back to Welshpool.
A SVHS video, in AVI format taken at this time, will follow shortly.