Tanat Valley Light Railway

The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a 15 mile long standard gauge railway light railway connecting Llangynog with Blodwel in Wales. It opened in 1903 and closed in January 1964.Baughan 1980, pp 183-185]

History

As early as the 1860s, a series of narrow gauge railways were planned in the Welsh borders around Oswestry and Welshpool. One of these was a connection between Llanfyllin with Llangynog, first proposed in 1873. Although this railway was never built, the local communities continued to favor a railway connection, and the passage of the Light Railways Act of 1896 gave them hope that the proposal for a RailGauge|2ft6in gauge railway might be revived. Two rival applications were made under the act in 1897: one for the Llanfyllin & Llangynog Light Railway, and one for the standard gauge Tanat Valley Light Railway.

The narrow gauge railway was rejected and the TVLR was approved. Construction began in late 1899 and was largely complete by 1902, when the line was first inspected. By 1903 a second inspection found that goods traffic was already being carried by the railway, although the official opening did not happen until January 1904.

Although passenger services were run from the official opening day, it was always mineral traffic that provided the bulk of the railway's income. By the early 1920s the company was in severe debt and was acquired by the Cambrian Railways in 1921. In 1922 the TVLR became part of the Great Western Railway. Passenger services ended in January 1951, with most of the line being abandoned in July 1952. The last goods traffic over the remainder of the TVLR ceased in January 1964.

References

Notes

Sources

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* [http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Tanat_Valley_Light_Railway/frame.htm RAILSCOT on Tanat Valley Railway]