Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
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Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Locale Wales Dates of operation 1 July 1863 – 5 August 1866 Successor line Cambrian Railways Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) Length 86 miles (138 km) Headquarters Aberystwyth
Legend Pwllheli Pwllheli Goods Abererch    Carnarvonshire Railway Afon Wen Criccieth Black Rock Halt Wern Goods Portmadoc    Croesor Tramway Porthmadog Harbour (FR) Afon Glaslyn Boston Lodge (FR) Minffordd    Ffestiniog Railway Penrhyndeudraeth Afon Dwyryd Llandecwyn Talsarnau Tygwyn Harlech Llandanwg Llanbedr & Pensarn Llanbedr Dyffryn Ardudwy Talybont Llanaber Barmouth Barmouth Bridge: Afon Mawddach Barmouth Junction Arthog Penmaen Pool Dolgelley    Bala and Dolgelly Railway Fairbourne Llyngwril Llangelynin Tonfanau Towyn Towyn Kings Wharf    Talyllyn Railway Aberdovey Penhelig Abertafol Gogarth    Corris Railway    Newtown and Machynlleth Railway Machynlleth Afon Dyfi Dovey Junction Glandyfi Ynys Las Borth Llandre Bow Street    Vale of Rheidol Railway    Manchester and Milford Railway Aberystwyth - Joint / VoR

The Aberystwith (sic) and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1863 connecting major towns on the Welsh coast.

History

The railway was authorised in 1862 and construction began in 1863 at Aberystwyth. The line was extended from Barmouth to Pwllheli via Porthmadog in 1867 the same year it was absorbed into the Cambrian Railways.¹ The use of Aberystwith stems from entries in the British Gazette (at least as published on November 25th 1862). In official records, now online, the reference is made to the modern Aberystwyth spelling.

Current Operations

The majority of the line is currently open except the line between Barmouth Junction and Dolgelley which closed on 18 June 1965.

A ten mile (16 km) section between Barmouth Junction and Dolgellau is also used as the Llwybr Mawddach (or "Mawddach Trail"), a cycle route and bridleway. Conversion of the trackbed to a path was incidentally assisted in 1976 when heavy floods washed away most of the remaining ballast.

Connections to other lines

• Carnarvonshire Railway at Afon Wen
• Bala and Dolgelly Railway at Dolgelly
• Newtown and Machynlleth Railway at Machynlleth
• Manchester and Milford Railway at Aberystwyth

References

Notes

1. ^ Awdry (1990); pp13/4

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 

• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137. 

• RAILSCOT on Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway