History

The line today

Trains on the Gwili start from Bronwydd Arms where the replica GWR station is dominated by a Signal Box brought from Llandybie on the Heart of Wales line. The Signal box, which is open to the public, was built in 1885 and has been restored to operate signals in the station area.
From Bronwydd, the line climbs between hills and meadows until it passes under a rusticated bridge close to its original terminus at Penybont.
Before further extension was possible, a bridge which crosses the River Gwili (one of eight with which the Gwili has to cope before Llanpumpsaint is reached!) had to be redecked.
This was achieved in time for 10th anniversary celebrations, and at the same time, the new terminus of Llwyfran Cerrig was opened. The photograph shows one of the celebration trains crossing the bridge.
Llwyfran Cerrig (in English, Stone Platform) was a former quarrymen's halt, and the Gwili has created a nature trail which winds through the old quarry and emerges above the stock sheds. The station building, which originally stood at Felin Fach on the spur to Aberaeron and dates from 1911, has been restored and furnished in authentic 1950s style.
From the platform, a path leads to a picnic area on the bank of the Gwili River, where kingfishers and heron can sometimes be glimpsed. A special leaflet gives details of other attractions at Llwyfran Cerrig, including a treasure hunt and a miniature railway. (Your ticket includes a round trip on the miniature railway.)
Now that the new half-mile extension to Danycoed is completed, the Gwili will turn its attention to southward extension towards Carmarthen.
The Gwili owns the track as far as Abergwili Junction, two miles south of Bronwydd Arms, where a new station will be built alongside the new Carmarthen by pass.

The Gwili has a large collection of locomotives and rolling stock, and there are too many to list here (though perhaps it will be included in a later update) but two items are worthy of special mention.
One is a Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Austerity 0-6-0 saddle tank No 71516 (7170 of 1944),  pictured right near the village of Pentre Morgan. This was built for the Ministry of Defence, but did not join the war effort in Europe, instead entering service in the Northumbrian coalfield, later transferring to west Wales. After being withdrawn from service and a spell stored as a source of spares, it arrived at the Gwili where it received a three-year refurbishment at a cost of £25,000. It was named Welsh Guardsman/Gwarchodwr Cymreig in a bi-lingual ceremony in June 1993, though it had hauled a demonstration freight train and worked some of the Santa Specials the previous year.
The other item which is worthy of special mention is a Taff Vale Railway coach built in 1891. Withdrawn in 1926, it was discovered 50 years later in a Herefordshire field. In 1982 it was bought as a restoration project by Brynteg Railway Preservation Group based in a Bridgend Comprehensive School. Beginning in 1986, some 250 students, £7,600 and four years of work went into refurbishing the coach, rebuilding it onto the chassis of a former London and North Eastern Railway brake van. Fitted with wheelchair clamps for the disabled, the coach (pictured left) entered service in October 1991. The project was awarded a Blue Peter Badge by the prestigious British children's television programme.

2007 Days, times and fares

Times

Fares

Adults: £5.50; Children; Senior Citizens, and unemployed: £4.50; Family (2 adults and up to 2 children) £15,00.
Party Rate for 10 or more fare-paying passengers: 10% reduction.

Tickets are valid all day on date of issue except for certain special events

Blue Peter badge holders travel free except on Special Events days.

Nearby attractions

Carmarthen stands on the Towy River and is founded on the Roman town of Moridunum, but is also steeped in Arthurian legend. One legend states that when the Carmarthen Oak falls, the town will fall with it. All that is left of the oak is the stump, but what remains is guarded with meticulous care at the Carmarthen Museum in Abergwili.
Of the Norman Priory there is no trace, but it is famed for the Black Book of Carmarthen: a collection of Welsh poetry, and the oldest manuscript book in the Welsh language (now at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth).
Parts of the 11th century castle remains, but has been encroached upon by more modern structures.
Near the Guildhall, a statue to General Sir William Nott - a hero of the Afghan Wars - stands on the spot where, in 1555, Bishop Ferrar was martyred at the stake for his Protestant beliefs.
For how long the Church of St Peter has stood is uncertain. Parts of the building have been dated to the 13th century, but there are references to the church during the reign of Henry I.

It was Henry I who also built the Castle at Kidwelly, 9 miles south of Carmarthen. One of the best preserved castles in the region, it featured prominently in the battles of the Welsh Uprising of 1257.
Opened on April 24 2000 is the National Botanic Garden of Wales, located at Middleton Hall, Llanarthne, 8 miles west of Carmarthen.

On the opposite side of the Towy estuary is Llanstephan Castle, and the village of Laugharne, briefly the home - and finally the resting place - of Welsh poet and dramatist Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), and said to be the model for Llareggub in Under Milk Wood, though this he always denied - perhaps wisely in view of what the cod-Welsh name reads backwards!