CENTRAL WALES TRADITION WITH THE CONTINENTAL TOUCH
The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway differs from the narrow gauge lines that feature prominently in the new UNESCO North West Wales World Heritage Site in that it was not built for slate quarrying. However, its rolling stock fleet has given it a decidedly international flavour.
The railway’s history dates back to 1864, when a proposal appeared to build a line from the village of Castle Caereinion to the market town of Welshpool, connecting it with the Cambrian for the transportation of farm produce. It eventually came to nothing.
In 1876 there was another attempt following a similar route, and it was passed by Parliament only to fail in 1882 due to the inability of the promoters to raise sufficient funds for its construction. There was another bill in 1886 for a 3ft gauge line, but it expired in 1892 without any building works being started.
However, the 1896 Light Railways Act encouraged another attempt to get a railway to Llanfair Caereinion. The mayor of Welshpool, William Addie, proposed the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway bill in 1897 but the commissioners took their time deciding.
Their decision was swayed after the WLLR promoters persuaded the Cambrian Railway to pay for the line’s construction, and the Light Railway Order was granted in 1899. The Cambrian also provided two locomotives and three coaches.
Eventually, after 39 years and various attempts, construction of the line finally began in 1901 and it opened throughout in 1903, operated by the Cambrian Railway, which stood to benefit from transporting the goods after transhipment onto its standard gauge line at Welshpool.
The aim of the railway was to give the farming communities
