List of stations and halts on the Vale of Rheidol Railway

Last updated

This is a list of the stations and halts on the Vale of Rheidol Railway (Welsh : Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol), a 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) narrow gauge preserved railway line running for 11+3⁄4 miles (18.9 km) from Aberystwyth on the Mid-Wales coast to Devil's Bridge in the Cambrian Mountains. The line was opened in 1902 to carry lead from the mines and timber for pit props down to the harbour in Aberystwyth. It has carried passengers since opening.

Contents

Route

The main terminus of the line is at Aberystwyth, where the railway's administrative headquarters and the workshops are located. Leaving this station the line travels eastwards towards the village of Llanbadarn Fawr. There is a request stop at Llanbadarn. Trains towards Devil's Bridge pause here briefly to activate the level crossing before proceeding. A short distance from Llanbadarn, the line passes over the River Rheidol on a timber trestle bridge. The line then passes the Glanyrafon Industrial Estate which has developed over the last 25 years before heading out into open countryside. After 4.5 miles (7.2 km) Capel Bangor station is reached. There is a passing loop here and a station building. All trains stop here.

Leaving Capel Bangor the line passes the Rheidol Riding Centre before it begins to climb steeply through the woods at Tanyrallt. After about 10 minutes the train reaches Nantyronen a small country station and request stop. Here locomotives take water from the water column before the train continues on the climb to Aberffrwd.

Aberffrwd station is 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) from Aberystwyth, a journey time of approximately 40 minutes. There is a passing loop here and a station building. All trains stop here. Beyond Aberffrwd the line climbs at a gradient of 1 in 50 all the way to Devil's Bridge. This section of the line is isolated with no road access. The track sits on a ledge known as Pant Mawr and follows the contours of the terrain, passing through two request stops at Rheidol Falls and Rhiwfron before reaching Devil's Bridge.

List of stations and halts

NameImageDistance from AberystwythElevationGrid ReferenceNotes
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth Railway Station - geograph.org.uk - 606005.jpg n/a14 ft (4.3 m) [1] SN586812 The headquarters of the railway are at Aberystwyth a short distance from the mainline railway station. At the eastern end of the site is a purpose built workshop building and loco shed. New carriage sheds were constructed in 2020 on the site of the former mainline platforms. The former Great Western motive power depot is being developed as a museum.
Llanbadarn Llanbadarn(1).jpg 1.25 miles (2.01 km)25 ft (7.6 m) [2] SN598806 Llanbadarn is a request stop serving the village of Llanbadarn Fawr. There are no surfaced platforms or buildings. In the 1950s when the Royal Welsh Show was held in Llanbadarn, the VoR operated an intensive shuttle service from Aberystwyth to Llanbadarn, carrying tens of thousands of passengers in a very short period.
Glanyrafon Glanyrafon Station - geograph.org.uk - 769086.jpg 2.25 miles (3.62 km)33 ft (10 m) [3] SN614804 Glanyrafon Halt is a request stop serving the nearby industrial estate. There are no surfaced platforms or buildings.
Capel Bangor Capel Bangor Station view.jpeg 4.5 miles (7.2 km)75 ft (23 m) [4] SN647797 Capel Bangor station is close to the village of Capel Bangor. In the mid-20th century a carriage shed here provided additional accommodation for the line's stock, and a new shed built roughly on the same location was added in 2005. New platforms and a station building (a replica of the original) were built in 2012.
Nantyronen Nantyronen railway station platform.jpeg 6.75 miles (10.86 km)200 ft (61 m) [5] SN674781 Nantyronen is a request stop. Trains towards Devil's Bridge pause briefly here to allow the locomotive to take on water. A new platform and station building were completed in 2013.
Aberffrwd Aberffrwd railway station water tower.jpg 7.5 miles (12.1 km)280 ft (85 m) [6] SN687787 Aberffrwd station is close to the hamlet of Aberffrwd. A new platform and station building were completed in 2013.
Rheidol Falls Rheidol Falls railway station VOR.jpeg 9.25 miles (14.89 km)425 ft (130 m) [7] SN707787 Rheidol Falls is a request stop. A new platform and station building were completed in 2013.
Rhiwfron Rhiwfron railway station VOR.jpeg 10.75 miles (17.30 km)590 ft (180 m) [8] SN728778 Rhiwfron is a request stop. A new platform and station building were completed in 2013.
Devil's Bridge Devils Bridge Station.JPG 11.75 miles (18.91 km)680 ft (210 m) [9] SN738769 Devil's Bridge station is the railway's eastern terminus. It is a short walk from the Mynach Waterfalls.
Map of the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway in 2006 ValeofRheidolMap.png
Map of the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway in 2006

Related Research Articles

A44 road

The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.

Afon Rheidol

The Afon Rheidol is a river in Ceredigion, Wales, 19 miles (31 km) in length. The source is Plynlimon, the largest watershed in Wales with a catchment area covering 73 square miles (189 km2). Receiving an average annual rainfall of 40 inches (1015 mm) Plynlimon is the source of both the Wye and the Severn.

Vale of Rheidol Railway Welsh heritage railway

The Vale of Rheidol Railway is a 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of 11+3⁄4 miles (18.9 km).

Cambrian Line Railway line in Wales, and in Shropshire, England

The Cambrian Line, also known as the Cambrian Main Line and Cambrian Coast Line, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between the western terminals of Pwllheli, Gwynedd, and Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, with the eastern terminal at Shrewsbury, Shropshire as part of the Wales & Borders franchise. The railway line is regarded to be scenic, as it passes through the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales, Snowdonia National Park and along the coast of Cardigan Bay.

The Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway was a 2 ft 3 in gauge narrow gauge railway in Cardiganshire in Mid Wales. It ran from Llanfihangel station on the Cambrian Line, through the village of Tal-y-bont and the valley of the Afon Leri, into the foothills of Plynlimon Fawr. It was built to serve the lead mines at Bwlch Glas and stone quarries around Hafan and opened in 1897, closing just two years later. The line was a little over 7 miles (11 km) long and, despite running a short-lived passenger service, it served no communities of more than 100 people.

Aberystwyth railway station Railway station in Ceredigion, Wales

Aberystwyth railway station is a railway station in the town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It is served by passenger trains operated by Transport for Wales: it is the terminus of the Cambrian Line 81+1⁄2 miles (131.2 km) west of Shrewsbury. It is also the terminus of the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.

Llanbadarn railway station

Llanbadarn railway station is a railway station serving the ancient villages of Llanbadarn Fawr and Pwllhobi near Aberystwyth in Ceredigion in Mid-Wales. It is a request stop on the preserved Vale of Rheidol Railway. Alighting passengers are required to step down onto the grass as there is no platform. Tickets can be purchased from the guard.

Devils Bridge railway station Railway station in Wales, United Kingdom

Devil's Bridge railway station is a railway station serving Devil's Bridge in Ceredigion in Mid-Wales. It is the eastern terminus of the preserved Vale of Rheidol Railway.

Aberffrwd railway station Railway station in Aberffrwd, Ceredigion, Wales

Aberffrwd railway station is a railway station serving Aberffrwd in Ceredigion in Mid-Wales, and is an intermediate stop on the preserved Vale of Rheidol Railway.

Capel Bangor railway station

Capel Bangor railway station is a railway station serving Capel Bangor in Ceredigion in Mid-Wales. It is an intermediate station on the preserved Vale of Rheidol Railway. Facilities include a passing loop and sidings which also link the main running line with a storage shed. There is a station building, the current structure being completed in 2013.

Great Whipsnade Railway

The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is an English, 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England.

Llanbadarn Fawr, Ceredigion Human settlement in Wales

Llanbadarn Fawr is an urbanised village and community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is on the outskirts of Aberystwyth next to Penparcau and Southgate. It forms the eastern part of the continually built-up area of Aberystwyth. It holds two electoral wards, Padarn and Sulien which elect a Ceredigion County Councillor each and several Llanbadarn Fawr Community Councillors. At the 2001 census its population as a community was recorded at 2,899, increasing to 3,380 at the 2011 census.

The Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway was an independent branch line railway in south west Wales. It connected Aberayron to the former Manchester and Milford Railway line at Lampeter; New Quay was never reached.

Capel Bangor

Capel Bangor is a small village in Ceredigion, Wales, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Aberystwyth.

B4574 road

The B4574 is a road linking the villages of Pont-rhyd-y-groes in Ceredigion, Wales, and Devil's Bridge, 12 miles (19 km) east of Aberystwyth, and noted for three bridges built one above each other as well as for its falls and narrow gauge steam railway. The route is six miles (9.7 km) long, and has been described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world

GWR Rheidol Tanks

The GWR Rheidol Tanks are a fleet of 2-6-2T steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway design built between 1923 and 1924. They were designed by the railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Collett, for working services on the Vale of Rheidol Railway between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge.

<i>Rheidol</i> (locomotive) Former narrow gauge steam locomotive, built 1896 and scrapped 1924

Rheidol, formerly named Treze de Maio and Talybont, was a 2-4-0T steam locomotive built by W.G. Bagnall in Staffordshire, England, in 1896. Originally built to a gauge of 2 ft 5+1⁄2 in, it was ordered to work at a Brazilian sugar plantation, however the order was cancelled before it was exported. The locomotive was then regauged and renamed to work on the 2 ft 3 in -gauge Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway, in Wales, where the locomotive worked from August 1897 until 1899. It was then regauged and renamed a second time, to work on the 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in -gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway, which it did from 1900 until 1924, when it was scrapped.

References

  1. ↑ Green 1986, page 109
  2. ↑ Green 1986, page 128
  3. ↑ Green 1986, page 132
  4. ↑ Green 1986, page 135
  5. ↑ Green 1986, page 143
  6. ↑ Green 1986, page 145
  7. ↑ Green 1986, page 152
  8. ↑ Green 1986, page 155
  9. ↑ Green 1986, page 159

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.