Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway
Encyclopedia
The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a broad gauge
railway from Carmarthen
, Carmarthenshire
, to Newcastle Emlyn
, Wales
. Part of the route is now used by the Teifi Valley Railway
and the Gwili Railway.
Despite the name, the line never reached Cardigan
. Instead, that was achieved by the Whitland & Cardigan Railway
which took a more westerly route and became a branch of the Great Western Railway
,
's abortive attempt to create a rail link from Carmarthen
to Cardigan
. By 1860 the Company manage to construct the line as far as Conwil before having to cease further works until it could raise enough capital to build the line to Pencader in 1864. The line was extended to Llandyssil a few months later but by that time the Company was in severe financial difficulties and went into receivership. In 1867 attempts to run the line were made with horse drawn buses covering the uncompleted sections but in 1881 the Company was wound up. The line was then bought by the GWR
who completed the line up to Newcastle Emlyn in 1895. A quiet line that primarily served the local market and tourism it was transferred to British Rail
at nationalisation The line closed to passengers in 1952 and completely in 1973.
The first two locomotives for the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway were 4-4-0
locomotives with straight side tanks, built by Sharp Stewart and Company in 1861.
After the line was converted to standard gauge in 1872, they were sold to the South Devon Railway
and Cornwall Railway
respectively, although the locomotives for both these railways were worked as a common pool. They were both rebuilt with saddle tanks.
In 1876, they became the property of the Great Western Railway
and carried the numbers 2134 and 2135. Magpie was withdrawn in 1889 but Heron lasted until the gauge conversion. It worked the last broad gauge train from Tavistock to Plymouth Millbay railway station
on 20 May 1892 before pulling the empty carriages to Swindon railway works for dismantling.
The locomotives were named after birds. See Heron
and Magpie
.
Two more locomotives were built by Rothwell and Company in 1864, this time with saddle tanks rather than side tanks.
Etna was sold to the South Devon Railway in 1868, and Hecla followed when the gauge was converted in 1872. They received the numbers 2132 and 2133; at some time Etna received a new saddle tank and its name was lost. They both survived until the end of the broad gauge in 1892.
The locomotives were named after volcanoes. See Mount Etna
and Hekla
.
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
railway from Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, to Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn is a town straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in west Wales and lying on the River Teifi.Adpar is the part of the town that lies on the Ceredigion side of the River Teifi...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Part of the route is now used by the Teifi Valley Railway
Teifi Valley Railway
The Teifi Valley Railway is a gauge railway operating between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn along the River Teifi, South Wales. It is a narrow-gauge tourist railway built on the GWR part of the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway and currently operating on about two miles of track...
and the Gwili Railway.
Despite the name, the line never reached Cardigan
Cardigan, Ceredigion
Cardigan is a town in the county of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire. It was the county town of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population was 4,203...
. Instead, that was achieved by the Whitland & Cardigan Railway
Whitland & Cardigan Railway
The Whitland & Cardigan Railway was a fourteen and a half mile long Great Western Railway built branch railway line that ran between on the West Wales Line to via nine intermediate stations, , , , , , , , , and .-History:...
which took a more westerly route and became a branch of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
,
Line History
The line was authorised in 1854 as the Carmarthen and Cardigan RailwayCarmarthen and Cardigan Railway
The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a broad gauge railway from Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, to Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. Part of the route is now used by the Teifi Valley Railway and the Gwili Railway.Despite the name, the line never reached Cardigan...
's abortive attempt to create a rail link from Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
to Cardigan
Cardigan
Cardigan may refer to:In geography:* Cardigan, Prince Edward Island, Canada* Cardigan , an electoral district in Prince Edward Island* Mount Cardigan, a mountain in New Hampshire, U.S.* Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales...
. By 1860 the Company manage to construct the line as far as Conwil before having to cease further works until it could raise enough capital to build the line to Pencader in 1864. The line was extended to Llandyssil a few months later but by that time the Company was in severe financial difficulties and went into receivership. In 1867 attempts to run the line were made with horse drawn buses covering the uncompleted sections but in 1881 the Company was wound up. The line was then bought by the GWR
GWR
GWR is an acronym that can stand for:* Great Western Railway , the name of several different railway operators* The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway — a heritage railway that has taken the initials of the former Great Western Railway Company* Great Whipsnade Railway* GWR Group, former...
who completed the line up to Newcastle Emlyn in 1895. A quiet line that primarily served the local market and tourism it was transferred to British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
at nationalisation The line closed to passengers in 1952 and completely in 1973.
Stations
In order, North to South:- Newcastle EmlynNewcastle EmlynNewcastle Emlyn is a town straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in west Wales and lying on the River Teifi.Adpar is the part of the town that lies on the Ceredigion side of the River Teifi...
- HenllanHenllanHenllan is a village in Denbighshire, Wales with a population of approximately 750 and lies in the countryside, approximately 2.25 miles north-west of the walled-town of Denbigh.-Church and tower:...
- Pentrecwrt tunnel
- Pentrecourt halt opened 1912PentrecwrtPentrecwrt is a village in north Carmarthenshire, Wales on the A486 road half way between Carmarthen and New Quay.-History:Pencastell is a bracken and tree-clad motte that can be seen on the hillside above Pentrecwrt....
- LlandysulLlandysulLlandysul is a small town in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The community of Pont Tyweli lies directly across the Teifi River in Carmarthenshire. It is in the valley of the River Teifi and is visited for its fishing and canoeing....
- Pencader Junction
- PencaderPencader, CarmarthenshirePencader is a small village in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire, and is part of the Community and Parish of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth. It is located around 5 km south-east of Llandysul and 10 km south-west of Llanybydder....
- Pencader TunnelPencader TunnelPencader Tunnel is an abandoned railway tunnel on the old trackbed of the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth main line in south-west Wales. It was originally bored for the Llanpumsaint-Pencader section of the Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway....
- Pencader Tunnel
- LlanpumsaintLlanpumsaintLlanpumsaint is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. In the 2001 UK Census, Llanpumsaint community had a population of 595...
- Conwil
- Llwyfan Cerrig
- BronwyddBronwyddBronwydd is a village in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated about three miles north of Carmarthen in the valley of the River Gwili.In Census 2001, Bronwydd community had a population of 572...
- Abergwili Junction - junction with Llandeilo and Carmarthen
- CarmarthenCarmarthen railway stationCarmarthen railway station is situated south of the River Towy on the edge of the town of Carmarthen. It is located on the West Wales Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, who operate most of the passenger trains serving it...
– junction with South Wales RailwaySouth Wales RailwayThe South Wales Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales.-History:The need for the railway was created by the need to ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London, and secondly to complete Brunel's vision of linking London with...
, still open.
Sharp, Stewart 4-4-0Ts
- Heron (1861–1872)
- Magpie (1861–1872)
The first two locomotives for the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway were 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotives with straight side tanks, built by Sharp Stewart and Company in 1861.
After the line was converted to standard gauge in 1872, they were sold to the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
and Cornwall Railway
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
respectively, although the locomotives for both these railways were worked as a common pool. They were both rebuilt with saddle tanks.
In 1876, they became the property of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and carried the numbers 2134 and 2135. Magpie was withdrawn in 1889 but Heron lasted until the gauge conversion. It worked the last broad gauge train from Tavistock to Plymouth Millbay railway station
Plymouth Millbay railway station
Plymouth Millbay railway station was the original railway terminus in Plymouth, Devon, England. It was used for passenger trains from 1849 to 1941.- History :...
on 20 May 1892 before pulling the empty carriages to Swindon railway works for dismantling.
The locomotives were named after birds. See Heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
and Magpie
Magpie
Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia...
.
Rothwell 4-4-0STs
- Etna (1864–1868)
- Hecla (1864–1872)
Two more locomotives were built by Rothwell and Company in 1864, this time with saddle tanks rather than side tanks.
Etna was sold to the South Devon Railway in 1868, and Hecla followed when the gauge was converted in 1872. They received the numbers 2132 and 2133; at some time Etna received a new saddle tank and its name was lost. They both survived until the end of the broad gauge in 1892.
The locomotives were named after volcanoes. See Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
and Hekla
Hekla
Hekla is a stratovolcano located in the south of Iceland with a height of . Hekla is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes; over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874. During the Middle Ages, Icelanders called the volcano the "Gateway to Hell."Hekla is part of a volcanic...
.