The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) is a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool via Castle Caereinion to the village of Llanfair Caereinion.
Welshpool is a market town and community in Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire, but currently administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys. The town is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name Y Trallwng means "the marshy or sinking land". The community includes Cloddiau and Pool Quay.
The Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles (370 km) of track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two of the larger railways to give connections to the northwest of England via the London and North Western Railway, and with the Great Western Railway for connections between London and Wales. The Cambrian Railways amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922 as a result of the Railways Act 1921. The name is continued today in the route known as the Cambrian Line.
The Bala Lake Railway is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is 4 1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth GWR route that closed in 1965. Another section of the former permanent way is used by the Llangollen Railway. The Bala Lake Railway, which runs on 600 mm -gauge preserved rolling stock, is a member of the Great Little Trains of Wales.
Welshpool railway station on the Cambrian Line in Powys, mid-Wales, serves the town of Welshpool.
The Sierra Leone Government Railway operated in Sierra Leone from 1897 to 1974. It was unusual in that it formed a national railway system constructed solely to a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge, whereas in other countries gauge of such a narrow width was usually confined to feeder railways.
The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia, built a number of experimental 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.
The Zillertal Railway or Zillertalbahn is a 760 mm gauge independent railway running along the valley of the river Ziller (Zillertal) from Jenbach to Mayrhofen within the Tyrol area of Austria and is nearly 32 km long.
The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a 15-mile (24 km) long standard gauge light railway. It ran westwards from Llanyblodwel in Shropshire, about 5 miles or 8 km south-west of Oswestry. It crossed the Wales–England border and continued up the Tanat valley, terminating at Llangynog in Powys. It opened in 1904, providing access to a fairly remote area, and transport facilities for slate production and agriculture.
The Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway (S&WR) is a standard gauge railway which connects the towns of Shrewsbury and Welshpool. It opened in 1861 and the majority of the railway continues in use.
Sylfaen Halt railway station, located in the tiny hamlet of Sylfaen on the A548, is an unstaffed request halt on the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway 2 3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) from the Welshpool Raven Square terminus. It has a short platform and waiting shelter.
Castle Caereinion railway station is a railway station on the 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Mid Wales. It serves the nearby village of Castle Caereinion and lies 3 3⁄4 miles (6.0 km) from the Welshpool Raven Square terminus. The station was opened on 6 April 1903.
Heniarth Halt railway station is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway serving the hamlet of Heniarth. This station is a request halt and lies 6 3⁄4 miles (10.9 km) from Welshpool's Raven Square terminus. Alighting passengers are required to step down onto the grass as there is no platform. The railway crosses the River Banwy Bridge 200 yards to the east of the halt.
Cyfronydd railway station lies 5 3/4 miles or 9.2 km (5.7 mi) from Welshpool's Raven Square station on the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Mid Wales. This is where trains pass each other when a two train service is operating. Passengers are able to alight and join trains here. The station serves the hamlet of Cyfronydd on the main Dolgellau to Welshpool road as well as Cyfronydd Hall.
Llanfair Caereinion railway station located in Llanfair Caereinion is the Western terminus of the 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. The locomotive running shed and workshops are located here, along with a tea room and gift shop. The original corrugated iron booking office and waiting room survive and have been restored for use as the registered office of the company.
Oswestry railway station is a Grade II listed heritage railway station in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was closed when passenger services were withdrawn in 1966. The station building today is used as commercial premises.
The Oswestry and Newtown Railway was a British railway company that built a line between Oswestry in Shropshire and Newtown Montgomeryshire, now Powys. The line opened in stages in 1860 and 1861. It was conceived to open up the area to rail transport, when local opinion formed the view that the trunk railway companies would not do so. Subscription money for the construction proved very difficult to generate. It was the action of a contractor partnership, Davies and Savin, in agreeing to accept shares as the majority of their payment for construction work, that saved the company from failure.
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway No. 1 The Earl and No. 2 Countess are narrow gauge steam locomotives. They were built by Beyer Peacock & Co. Ltd. at the Gorton Foundry, Manchester in 1902. They were delivered new to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in 1902, as No.1 The Earl and No.2 The Countess, where they continue to run today.
Golfa Bank is a particularly steep bank on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. The bank is nearly a mile at 1 in 29, which in its day, was the steepest section of the Cambrian Railways worked by passenger trains and is still a challenging climb. The line travelling up the slope is curvy, to make the climb easier. Golfa summit is 630 ft above sea level, meaning the locomotives have to travel from about 350 ft above sea level at the bottom of golfa bank, meaning they climb 280 ft in 1.5 miles. The locomotives had to be built specifically to manage the bank, due to its steepness.
Seven Stars Halt railway station was located in the streets of Welshpool on the corner of Union Street. Seven Stars was an unstaffed request halt on the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. It had a single ground level platform on the single track line, a name board, a sign warning passengers not to board until the train had stopped and a lean-to waiting shelter with a fence.
