Ruabon to Barmouth Line

Legend

Shrewsbury to Chester Line

to Chester

Ruabon

Llangollen Junction

Shrewsbury to Chester Line

to Shrewsbury

via Monsanto works

Deeside Halt

Denbigh, Ruthin & Corwen Rly

to Denbigh

Bala and Festiniog Railway

to Blaenau Ffestiniog

Aberystwyth & Welsh Coast Rly

to Pwllheli

Barmouth

Barmouth Bridge

over Afon Mawddach

Arthog

Barmouth Junction

(Morfa Mawddach)

Aberystwyth & Welsh Coast Rly

to Machynlleth

The Ruabon to Barmouth Line was a standard gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.

Connections

At Ruabon, the line connected with the Shrewsbury to Chester line (part of the GWR mainline from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside).
At Trevor an incline ran to the Monsanto works. This also connected to the Pontcysyllte Branch, which eventually rejoined the main line near Wrexham.
At Corwen the line connected with the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway line.
At Bala Junction the line connected with the Bala and Festiniog Railway.
At Barmouth Junction, the line connected with the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway.

History

The line opened in stages by various companies:

Vale of Llangollen Railway - 1 December 1861 (goods); 2 June 1862 (passenger);^[1]
Llangollen and Corwen Railway - 1 May 1865^[2]
Corwen and Bala Railway - 16 July 1866 (Corwen to Llandrillo); 1 April 1868 (Llandrillo to Bala)^[3]
Bala and Dolgelly Railway - 4 August 1868^[4]
Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway - 10 October 1867^[5]

The Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway was absorbed by the Cambrian Railways which, with the other companies, was absorbed into the GWR.

The line was double track from Ruabon (Llangollen Jc) to Llangollen Goods Junction. Beyond, there were passing places at Deeside, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog, Corwen, Llandrillo, Llandderfel, Bala Junction, Llanuwchllyn, Garneddwen Halt, Drws-y-Nant, Bont Newydd, Dolgellau and Penmaenpool.

Closure

The whole line was officially closed to passenger trains as part of the Beeching Axe on 18 January 1965. Goods services between Morfa Mawddach (formerly Barmouth Jn) and Llangollen ceased in 1964. Although the whole line was planned to close for passenger services on 18 January 1965, services were suspended on 12 December 1964 following flooding. The section between Ruabon and Llangollen was subsequently reopened on 17 December for passenger trains until 18 January after which only freight services ran until 1968 when the line was closed completely. The section between Llangollen and Bala Junction was abandoned following flooding although a substitute bus service served the stations until 18 January 1965. The section between Bala, Bala Junction and Dolgellau was reopened on 17 December and the section Dolgellau to Morfa Mawddach reopened on 14 December.^[6]

Lifting of the track was completed in 1969.

Current status

Two sections of the line have been reopened as preserved railways; the narrow gauge Bala Lake Railway in 1972; and the standard gauge Llangollen Railway which first opened to passengers in 1981.

A 10 miles (16 km) section between Barmouth Junction and Dolgellau is used as the Mawddach Trail, a cycle route and bridleway, conversion of which was assisted in 1976 when heavy floods washed away most of the remaining ballast. The section between Bala Junction and Corwen remains disused and completely free from redevelopment, currently used as a path in the countryside.

Several sections have been used for road improvement schemes, including a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) section through Dolgellau, and the station site and trackbed west of Drws-y-Nant. The trackbed has also been redeveloped at the west end of Corwen and a number of houses and apartments have been built immediately east of Llangollen. Infringements occur between Llangollen and Acrefair (typically garden extensions and outbuildings) and the cutting through Cefn Mawr is partially blocked following land slips. At the end of Llanuwchllyn station, a house straddles the trackbed.

References

Notes

↑ Awdry (1990); p 48
↑ Awdry (1990); p 31
↑ Awdry (1990); p 23
↑ Awdry (1990); p 14
↑ Awdry (1990); pp 13 & 14
↑ Steam World magazine October 2012

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.
The Llangollen Line - Ruabon to Barmouth, by W G Rear & N Jones. ISBN 1-870119-10-X
Railway Walks: Exploring Disused Railways, by Gareth Lovett Jones. ISBN 0-7153-8543-7
RAILSCOT on Vale of Llangollen Railway
RAILSCOT on Llangollen and Corwen Railway
RAILSCOT on Corwen and Bala Railway
RAILSCOT on Bala and Dolgelly Railway
RAILSCOT on Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
Llangollen Railway site, including a detailed history of the whole line
Gwynedd Council - Recreational Routes - Mawddach Trail

Historic Welsh railway companies

Great Western Railway	Aberdare Railway Aberdare Valley Railway Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway Alexandra Docks and Railway Bala and Dolgelly Railway Bala and Festiniog Railway Barry Dock and Railway Barry Railway Blaenavon Tramroad Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Brecon and Merthyr Railway Bridgend Bristol and South Wales Union Railway Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway Cambrian Railways Cardiff Railway Cardiff and Ogmore Carmarthen and Cardigan Carmarthenshire Railway Clarbeston Road and Letterston Railway Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway Corris Railway Corwen and Bala Railway Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway Ely and Clydach Valleys Railway Ely Valley Railway Ely Valley Extension Railway Gwendraeth Valleys Railway Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway Kington Tramway Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway Llancaiach Branch Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway Llanidloes and Newtown Railway Llangollen and Corwen Railway Llangurig branch Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway Llynvi and Ogmore Railway Maerdy Branch Manchester and Milford Railway Mawddwy Railway Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway Mid-Wales Railway Monmouth and Hereford Railway Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway Neath and Brecon Railway Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway Newtown and Machynlleth Railway North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway North Wales Mineral Railway Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway Oswestry and Newtown Railway Pembroke and Tenby Railway Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway Port Talbot Railway Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Rhymney Railway Rumney Railway Ross and Monmouth Railway Shrewsbury and Chester Railway Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway South Wales Railway Taff Vale Railway Tanat Valley Light Railway Vale of Glamorgan Railway Vale of Llangollen Railway Vale of Neath Railway Vale of Rheidol Railway Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway West Midland Railway Whitland and Cardigan Railway Wye Valley Railway Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway

London and North Western Railway	Anglesey Central Railway Bangor and Carnarvon Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway Carnarvonshire Railway Central Wales Railway Central Wales Extension Railway Chester and Holyhead Railway Chester & Connah's Quay Railway Conway and Llanrwst Railway Knighton Railway Llanelly Railway Red Wharf Bay Sirhowy Railway Swansea and Carmarthen Railway Central Wales and Carmarthen Junction Railway Vale of Clwyd Railway

Joint lines	Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway Nantybwch and Rhymney Railway Quaker’s Yard and Merthyr Railway Taff Bargoed Railway Buckley Railway North Wales and Liverpool Railway Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway Vale of Towy Railway Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway Wrexham and Minera Railway

Independent lines	Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad Fairbourne Railway Ffestiniog Railway Festiniog and Blaenau Railway Glyn Valley Tramway Hay Railway Kinmel Camp Railway Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales Railway Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway Ruthin and Cerrig-y-Drudion Railway Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway Snowdon Mountain Railway Swansea and Mumbles Railway Talyllyn Railway Van Railway Welsh Highland Railway

Industrial railways	Bailey's Tramroad Beaufort Ironworks Tramway Bryn Oer Tramway Buckley Tramroad Carnarvonshire Slate Quarries Railway Cedryn Quarry Tramway Cowlyd Tramway Crawshay's Private Railway Crickheath Tramway Croesor Tramway Deeside Tramway Dinorwic Railway Dowlais Railway Eigiau Tramway Elan Valley Railway Gorseddau Junction And Portmadoc Railway Gorseddau Tramway Hendre-Ddu Tramway Kerry Tramway Little Ormes Head Quarry tramway Merionethshire Railway Morda Tramway Nantlle Tramway Padarn Railway Penrhyn Quarry Railway Penydarren Tramway Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry tramways Rhiwbach Tramway Saundersfoot Railway Trefor Quarry railway Tremadoc Tramway

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