- Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
Heritage Railway
name = Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
caption = 823 "The Countess" - one of the two original W&LLR engines
locale = Mid-Wales
terminus =Welshpool
linename = Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
originalgauge = RailGauge|30
preservedgauge = RailGauge|30
era =
owned =
operator =
stations =
length = 8.5 miles (14 km)
originalopen = 1903
closedpassengers=1931
closed=1956
years1=1963
events1=Re-opened as a heritage railway
years2 = 1981
events2 = Opening of extension to Raven SquareThe Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) is a narrow gaugeheritage railway inPowys ,Wales . The line is around 8.5 miles (14 km) long and runs westwards from the town ofWelshpool (Welsh: Y Trallwng) via Castle Caereinion to the village ofLlanfair Caereinion . The track gauge is RailGauge|30.History
The W&LLR was one of the few narrow gauge branch lines to be built under the provisions of the
1896 Light Railways Act . Noted narrow gauge promoterEverard Calthrop appeared at the Light Railway Inquiry, and proposed the use of transporter wagons. However the line ended up being built by theCambrian Railway s engineer, with consequent conservative 4-wheel wagon and other provisions.Original operations
It was opened on
4 April 1903 to aid economic development in a remote area. It never made a profit. It was originally operated by theCambrian Railways . The line is built through difficult country, having a great number of curves in order to reach the summit of 600ft. The original terminus at Welshpool was located alongside the main line station and trains wound their way through the town, using the locomotive bell as a warning.In the 1923 Grouping of railway companies, Cambrian Railways, including the Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion line, was absorbed by the
Great Western Railway (GWR). On9 February 1931 the line lost its passenger service, which was replaced by abus service, and it became a freight-only line. It was temporarily re-opened to passengers between 6 and11 August 1945 for theEisteddfod . The GWR itself was nationalised in 1948 and became part ofBritish Railways .Freight traffic lingered on until 1956, by which time
British Railways decided to close the line.Preservation
A group of volunteers and enthusiasts took the line over and started raising money to restore it. On
6 April 1963 the western half of the line, from Llanfair Caereinion to Castle Caereinion, was re-opened as a tourist railway. The line through Welshpool however could not be reopened, so the line now has a newterminus at Raven Square on the western outskirts of the town, originally opened on18 July 1981 .Because of the gauge, unusual for the
British Isles [WLLR is the longest of only 6 railways of this gauge in the British Isles which total less than 30 miles of track in totalList of Rail Gauges#Narrow gauge railways, by gauge and country ] , locomotives and rolling stock to supplement the originals have had to be obtained from a cosmopolitan variety of sources including theZillertalbahn in Austria. A major grant from theHeritage Lottery Fund permitted restoration of both original locomotives together with several coaches and original wagons, and provision of new workshop facilities, ready for the line's centenary.Locomotives
Locomotives of the preserved railway* = Name added by WLLR
Coordinates
*Welshpool station: coord|52.6597292|N|3.1600821|W|display=inline
*Llanfair station: coord|52.651978|N|3.3221465|W|display=inlineee also
*
British narrow gauge railways References
* ISBN 1-900622-06-8
External links
* [http://www.wllr.org.uk/ The Weshpool and Llanfair Railway's website]
* [http://www.welshpoolnarrowgauge.org.uk The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - an online photo album]
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