Lost Lines of Wales Series

Take a nostalgic steam-powered journey back in time on the Cambrian Coast Line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli. At a time when steam was king and when the Cambrian Coast Express linked Pwllheli to Paddington, join holidaymakers and locals and travel along one of the most beautiful and evocative coastal routes in Britain. Includes an essay on the history of the line and photographs of its locomotives, trains and stations.

Take a nostalgic steam-powered journey back in time on the long-closed line between Ruabon and Barmouth. Starting off in the industrial north east, weave a path through the Vale of Llangollen, the magical Dee Valley and the remote and beautiful countryside of mid Wales before reaching the shores of Cardigan Bay at Barmouth Junction. Includes an essay on the history of the line and photographs of its locomotives, trains and stations.

Take a nostalgic steam-powered journey back in time on the long closed line between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen. Built by the ill-fated Manchester and Milford Railway, the fact that it didn’t go to either only adds to the romance of this once popular route which fell victim to the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Includes an essay on the history of the line and photographs of its locomotives, trains and stations.

The 80 mile long line from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth is not lost in the sense that some of the long closed railways covered in this series are lost. However, most of the infrastructure, character and charm it had in its steam age heyday has gone. This book takes a nostalgic look back to those days, when it had its own named train, the Cambrian Coast Express, goods trains and traditional semaphore signalling.

Though the railway from Chester to Holyhead is still busy today, serving those living along the coast of north Wales and travellers to Ireland as it has done since the 1840s, this is a nostalgic journey back in time to when the line was in its steam age heyday. The book includes a short history of the route and a selection of photographs featuring many of the stations and locations along the way.

Take a nostalgic steam-powered journey back in time on the long closed line between Brecon and Newport. Few Welsh lines offered greater scenic contrasts in the space of a few miles. Starting off in what later became the Brecon Beacons National Park, cross the picturesque River Usk, pass through the industrial heartland of the south Wales valleys before finally reaching the south Wales coast at Newport. Includes an essay on the history of the line and photographs of its locomotives, trains and stations.

The Mid Wales Line ran from 60 miles, from Moat Lane Junction near Caersws to Brecon, passing through the old counties of Montgomery, Radnorshire and Brecknock. It followed the river valleys of the Upper Severn, the Dulas, the Marteg and the Wye, serving the towns and villages along its route for just short of 100 years. This classic Welsh rural railway is recalled in a delightful selection of nostalgic photographs of its trains and stations.

Two different companies built the long-lost railway that once ran between Rhyl and Corwen through the rich farm lands of the Vale of Clwyd. Later in the 1950s, it became part of the route of hugely popular scenic rail cruises run for the benefit of holiday makers in the north coast resorts. This nostalgic photographic journey along its tracks will bring back many memories of the line and the trains which once ran on it.

The Vale of Neath line connected Pontypool Road to Neath and Swansea and included a branch to Merthyr. Promoted by two different companies using originally two different track gauges, it was built primarily to transport the abundant supplies of coal in the districts it served. The line featured severe gradients and perhaps the most magnificent structure built in Wales during the railway age, the Crumlin viaduct, which carried its tracks 200 feet above the Ebbw Valley.

Remembered with great affection by locals and railway enthusiasts alike, the railway between Bangor and Afon Wen once carried countless holidaymakers through the Llyn peninsula. Closed like so many Welsh lines in the 1960s, today the trains of the Welsh Highland Railway run on its trackbed between Caernarfon and Dinas Junction while other parts of the former railway are used by walkers and cyclists. This photographic journey along the route will evoke nostalgic memories of this attractive line in its heyday.

Take a nostalgic steam-powered journey back in time on the long-closed line from Abergavenny to Merthyr. This was one of the steepest gradients in Britain, offering spectacular views of mountains and gorges as it meandered across the wind-swept heads of the south Wales Valleys. The line was also built to capitalise on the rich coal mining and ironworks that sprang up during the Industrial Revolution, the birthplace of the railways that became famous throughout the world. Includes an essay on the history of the line and fascinating photography of its locomotives, trains and stations.

While the Conwy Valley railway is very much still with us, this survey aims to capture many ‘lost’ aspects of the line’s remarkable history. Its personality has changed dramatically over the years. Built in sections and lured up into the mountains of Snowdonia by the chimera of huge profits from slate, it became instead a firm favourite of tourists and walkers and is enjoyed to this day by well over 100,000 passengers a year.