Strata Florida railway station

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Strata Florida railway station
Station site at Ystrad Meurig - geograph.org.uk - 499020.jpg
Site of Strata Florida station
General information
Location Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion
Wales
Coordinates 52°17′14″N3°53′28″W / 52.2872°N 3.8912°W / 52.2872; -3.8912
Grid reference SN7109567143
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Manchester and Milford Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 September 1866 [1] Opened
22 February 1965 [1] Closed

Strata Florida was a railway station in Wales, on the former Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line; it served the villages of Ystrad Meurig, Pontrhydfendigaid and Ffair Rhos. The Manchester and Milford Railway (M&MR) opened from Pencader to Aberystwyth on 12 August 1867; [2] the line went into receivership from 1875 to 1900. The site is now part of the Ystwyth Trail, a shared-use rail trail between Aberystwyth and Tregaron.

Contents

History

The Ystwyth Trail, near the old station. The Ystwyth Trail at Ystrad Meurig - geograph.org.uk - 1158428.jpg
The Ystwyth Trail, near the old station.

The railway

The M&MR's original plan was to build a line through the mountains. One scheme involved the building of a six-mile tunnel to Llangurig, whence it would proceed to Llanidloes, reaching Manchester over other companies' lines through Moat Lane, Newtown, Welshpool, Oswestry, Whitchurch and Crewe. The required finance was not forthcoming and the prospect of such a route never being economic became apparent; only the section from Llangurig to Llanidloes was actually built. A line towards Aberystwyth, via Llanilar, was opened instead in 1867; from Aberystwyth, access to Moat Lane and onwards could be achieved, after a reversal, by way of Machynlleth and Caersws.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) took over the service in 1906 and fully absorbed the line in 1911. The station, and GWR, passed on to British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

Although proposed for closure in the Beeching Report, the line closed in December 1964; this was due to serious damage caused by flooding south of Aberystwyth, near Llanilar station, in December 1964. The cost of repairs was deemed unjustified and led to the withdrawal of passenger services in February 1965; however, milk trains continued to run from Carmarthen to nearby Pont Llanio until 1970. [3]

The station

The station was about 3 mi (4.8 km) from the old abbey of Strata Florida; Lord Lisburne of Trawsgoed, an influential local landowner, had tried to have the station named Ystrad Meurig after the village of that name. [4] The station was built at a point where it could serve three local villages, but its location made railway access difficult. The station itself was positioned on a tight curve, although the line from the south took a straight course across the Cors Caron bog. On leaving the station, the branch line towards Aberystwyth climbed out of the Teifi valley at a gradient of 1:43 for about 1 mi (1.6 km) to the summit of the line, before falling for 4 mi (6.4 km) at 1:41 into the Ystwyth valley and Trawscoed. [5]

The station had two platforms, basic buildings and a signal box. All have been demolished; there are a few artefacts remaining, including the stationmaster's house.

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Alltddu Halt   Great Western Railway
Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line
  Caradog Falls Halt
Manchester and Milford Railway
Aberystwyth
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BSicon KBHFa-R.svg
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BSicon STRl.svg
BSicon uUWu3.svg
BSicon exSTR3.svg
BSicon ABZq+l.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon uUWu1.svg
BSicon exSTR+1.svg
BSicon uSTRl+4.svg
BSicon mKRZu.svg
BSicon uCONTfq.svg
Llanrhystyd Road
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BSicon LSTR.svg
Llanilar
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BSicon xABZgl+xl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
Felindyffryn Halt
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BSicon exHST.svg
Llanidloes
Trawscoed
BSicon exHST.svg
BSicon exABZgl.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
Caradog Falls Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exSTR2.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon exLSTRa.svg
BSicon exKHSTe.svg
Llangurig
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BSicon exSTR2+4.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon exLSTR.svg
unbuilt connection
15 miles (24 km)
Aberayron
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BSicon exSTRc1.svg
BSicon exLSTRe.svg
BSicon exSTR+4.svg
Llanerch-Ayron Halt
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BSicon exHST.svg
Strata Florida
Crossways Halt
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BSicon exHST.svg
Alltddu Halt
Ciliau-Aeron Halt
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BSicon exHST.svg
Tregaron
Felin Fach
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BSicon exHST.svg
Pont Llanio
Talsarn Halt
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BSicon exHST.svg
Olmarch Halt
Blaenplwyf Halt
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BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Llangybi
Silian Halt
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BSicon exHST2+4.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Derry Ormond
Newcastle Emlyn
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BSicon exSTRc1.svg
BSicon exABZg+4.svg
Pontgoch
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BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Lampeter
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BSicon lDAMPF.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
Henllan
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BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Pencarreg Halt
Alltycefn Tunnel
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BSicon exHST.svg
Llanybydder
Pentrecourt Platform
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BSicon exHST.svg
Maesycrugiau
Llandyssul
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BSicon exSTRc23.svg
BSicon exHST3.svg
Bryn Teifi
Teifi Valley route
(Carmarthen & Cardigan Rly)
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Pencader Junction
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Pencader
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Pencader Tunnel
985 yd
901 m
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Llanpumpsaint
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Conwil
Danycoed Halt
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Llwyfan Cerrig
BSicon HST.svg
BSicon lDAMPF.svg
Bronwydd Arms
BSicon HST.svg
Abergwili Junction
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Carmarthen Town
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Carmarthen
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Today

Much of the route from Aberystwyth to Tregaron has now been turning into a walking and cycling route, the Ystwyth Trail. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Butt 1995, p. 222.
  2. "Manchester and Milford Railway (91660)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  3. "Olmarch Railway Halt, Olmarch (41352)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  4. History of Pontrhydfendigiad Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today Retrieved : 2012-09-29
  5. D S M Barrie, revised Peter Baughan, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume 12: South Wales, David St John Thomas, Nairn, 1994, ISBN   0 946537 69 0
  6. "Ystwyth Trail". Ceredigion.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2012.

Sources