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Strata Florida railway station | |
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General information | |
Location | Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion Wales |
Coordinates | 52°17′14″N3°53′28″W / 52.2872°N 3.8912°W |
Grid reference | SN7109567143 |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
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.
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 was about three miles 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 1:43 for about a mile to the summit of the line, before falling for four miles 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 |
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Much of the route from Aberystwyth to Tregaron has now been turning into a walking and cycling route, the Ystwyth Trail. [6]
Llangurig is both a village and a community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population was 723 in the 2011 UK Census. The community includes the hamlet of Cwmbelan.
Pencader is a small village in Carmarthenshire, Wales, in the community of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth. It is located around 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Llandysul and 6.5 miles (10 km) south-west of Llanybydder, in the valley of the Gwen brook, shortly before the confluence with the River Talog, to form the River Tyweli.
Ystrad Meurig is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies on the B4340 road northwest of the town of Tregaron, on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains.
The Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was originally a standard-gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway (GWR) in Wales, connecting Carmarthen and Aberystwyth.
The Manchester and Milford Railway was a Welsh railway company, intended to connect Manchester and the industrial areas of North West England with a deep-water port on Milford Haven, giving an alternative to the Port of Liverpool.
Llanidloes railway station is a former junction railway station in Llanidloes, Powys, Wales. The Cambrian Railways, which completed the building in 1864, designed it to be both the station for the town and its company headquarters. This dual purpose gave Llanidloes station an imposing appearance.
Tregaron was a railway station in Wales on the former Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line serving Tregaron, Ceredigion, Wales.
The Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (L&NR) was a railway company between Llanidloes and Newtown in Montgomeryshire, Wales. It was promoted locally when plans for trunk railways passing through the locality were cancelled; local people saw that a railway connection was essential to the flannel industry in the district. The 17-mile (27 km) line opened in 1859, and at first was isolated from any other railway, but from 1861 it became connected to Oswestry by an allied railway company, and other companies also connected to it. From 1864 the company was incorporated into the new Cambrian Railways company.
Caradog Falls Halt railway station was one of five new halts on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line, which were constructed during the 1930s.
The Llangurig branch was a part of a proposed scheme by the Manchester and Milford Railway (M&MR) to connect industrialised Northwest England with the West Wales deep water port of Milford Haven. After various financial and construction difficulties, the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the Llangurig branch is noted as being the shortest lived working branch line in the United Kingdom, receiving only one train.
Llanybydder railway station also Llanybyther railway station served the town of Llanybydder on the Carmarthen Aberystwyth Line in the Welsh counties of Carmarthenshire and extending into Ceredigion.
Derry Ormond railway station served the hamlet and rural locale of Betws Bledrws near Llangybi, as well as the mansion and estate of Derry Ormond on the Carmarthen Aberystwyth Line in the Welsh county of Ceredigion. Opened in 1867 as Bettws, it was renamed in July 1874 in honour of the local estate, owned by the influential Jones, later Inglis-Jones, family.
Olmarch Halt railway station, previously served the hamlet and rural locale of Olmarch near Llanddewi-Brefi and Pont Llanio on the Carmarthen Aberystwyth Line in the Welsh county of Ceredigion.
Llangybi railway station, previously served the village and rural locale of Llangybi on the Carmarthen Aberystwyth Line in the Welsh county of Ceredigion.
Llangurig railway station was intended to serve the village and rural locale of Llangurig in the Welsh county of Powys. The station, which was on the Llangurig branch, was built and operated by the Manchester and Milford Railway (M&MR). It was to be located in a shallow rock cutting just above the village.
Trawscoed railway station was located on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line. The station had a signal box on the single platform, a weighing machine, several sidings, and a corrugated iron waiting room and ticket office combined. The estate of Trawsgoed is located nearby.
Llanilar railway station was on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line.
Llanrhystyd Road railway station was located on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line, originally called the Manchester and Milford Railway, before being transferred to the GWR.
Felindyffryn Halt was located on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth Line, originally called the Manchester and Milford Railway, before being transferred to the Great Western Railway (GWR).
Pencarreg Halt railway station served the hamlet and rural locale of Pencarreg from 1930 to 1965 on the old Carmarthen Aberystwyth Line in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.