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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 railway station on the Cambrian Line in Powys, mid-Wales, serves the town of Welshpool.
Abermule railway station served the village of Abermule in Wales. Served by the Oswestry and Newtown railway, it was situated on the English border. Until 1956 it was the junction for the short branch to Kerry, which had a passenger service until 1931 but was largely built for the local timber traffic.
Arddleen railway station served the village of Arddlin in Powys, Wales, sited on the former Cambrian Railways between Oswestry and Welshpool. Served by the Oswestry and Newtown railway, it was situated near the English border.
Welshpool Raven Square railway station, located in Welshpool, in Wales, is the eastern terminus of the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR).
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.
Balerno railway station was opened in 1874 and served the area of the village of Balerno that now forms part of the city of Edinburgh. Although primarily built as a goods line, with a dedicated goods station at Balerno, serving the many mills on the Water of Leith, a passenger service was provided by the Caledonian Railway using the Balerno Loop and after grouping by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, seeing formal closure to passenger traffic shortly after nationalisation. The station was the only one with a separately served goods station on the 'loop' line and lay in rural surroundings that had been popular with families having a day out in the country.
Horspath Halt was an intermediate station on the Wycombe Railway which served the Oxfordshire village of Horspath from 1908 to 1915, and then from 1933 to 1963. The opening of the halt was part of an attempt by the Great Western Railway to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage. The possibility of reopening the line through Horspath Halt has been explored by Chiltern Railways, the franchise holder for the Chiltern Main Line which runs through Princes Risborough.
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.
Dougal is a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge T steam locomotive, built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. Ltd., Kilmarnock in 1946. It is currently running on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.
Castle Caereinion is a small village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales upon the River Banwy, around 8 miles west of Welshpool, and 4 miles east of Llanfair Caereinion.
Hailes Halt railway station was opened as Hailes Platform railway station in 1908 and served the area of Hailes that now forms part of the city of Edinburgh with Hailes House nearby. Services were provided by the Caledonian Railway using the Balerno Loop and after grouping by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
Ravelrig Junction Platform railway station or Ravelrig Halt was originally opened in 1884 as a two platform station on the Shotts line on the edge of the Dalmahoy Estate in an area that now forms part of the city of Edinburgh. It stood just to the west of Ravelrig Junction that served the Balerno Loop Line. After closure in 1920 Ravelrig Platform for Dalmahoy Golf Course was opened at the same site around 1927 as a single platform when the Dalmahoy Estate became a hotel with a golf course, however it is stated to have closed in 1930. The site may have also served a military purpose.
Torrance railway station was opened in 1879 on the Kelvin Valley Railway and served the area of the village of Torrance in East Dunbartonshire until 1951 for passengers and 1959 for freight.
Leadhills railway station was opened on 1 October 1901 as the intermediate stop on the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Light Railway and served the lead mining area, farms and the village of Leadhills circa 5.5 miles (8.9 km) WSW of Elvanfoot railway station in South Lanarkshire until 2 January 1939 for passengers and freight. Until Wanlockhead station opened Leadhills was the highest standard gauge adhesion station in the United Kingdom.
Wanlockhead railway station was opened on 1 October 1902 as the terminus on the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Light Railway and served the lead mining area, farms and the village of Wanlockhead. Elvanfoot railway station in South Lanarkshire was the junction for the branch and was located on the west coast main line. It remained open until 2 January 1939 for passengers and freight. When Wanlockhead station opened in 1902, a year after Leadhills station, it became the highest standard gauge adhesion station in the United Kingdom at 1413 feet, seven miles and 24 chains from Elvanfoot.
References
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
- Rushton, Gordon (2015). The Welshpool & Llanfair Railway Travellers's Guide. Llanfair Caereinion : Welshpool & Llanfair Railway.
- Wignall, C.J. (1983). Complete British Railways Maps and Gazetteer from 1830 - 1981. Oxford : Oxford Publishing Co.
