Welshpool and Llanfair Railway
Region North Wales Mid Wales South Wales National Network Route Sections Gazetteer of Stations About Wales	Location: 52 39N 3 10W; UK National Grid reference: SJ218 075 The Station, Llanfair Caereinion, Powys, United Kingdom. SY21 0SF Tel: +44 01938 810441 Fax: +44 01938 810861 Email: info@wllr.org.uk Scroll down to read the entire article, or select subject heading to move directly to your topics of interest Search WalesRails .......... Message Board	Preserved: Standard gauge Narrow gauge WalesRails: The Grand Tour Official Websites What's New Back to Welcome page

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The Welshpool and Llanfair Railway celebrated the centenary of the line in 2003, and the fortieth anniversary of its reopening as a preserved railway.
It is one of the eight Great Little Trains of Wales: narrow gauge railways located throughout the principality which have a combined marketing strategy giving bargain travel through purchase of a Wanderer Ticket valid either for eight days out of fifteen, or for four days out of eight. Steep gradients and balcony saloon coaches from Austria feature on an eight-mile trip which starts a mile from Welshpool station on the national railway network.

Once known as The Farmers' Railway on account of the crops which formed its principal freight cargo, the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway was a 9-mile, gauge line which was built 1901/3. It opened in March 1903, and although an independent railway until it was grouped with the Great Western Railway in 1923, it was worked by the Cambrian Railway.
Passenger services ceased in 1931, but the line survived for freight until 1956.
The line was purchased for preservation, and was reopened between Llanfair and Castle Caereinion in April 1963. The opening of the extension to Welshpool in May 1982 was marked with a tree-planting ceremony using the same ornate spade used to cut the first sod in 1901.
The railway uses a different terminus from the original at Welshpool, which reduces its operating length to eight miles.
There are intermediate stations at Heniarth, Cyfronydd and Sylfaen which, together with Castle Caereinion, are request stops.

On May the 4th 2001 the railway re-enacted the sod-cutting ceremony of 1901 with speeches and music played by the Newtown Silver Band.

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Vintage Weekends (Advance booking essential)
Saturday and Sunday July 21st and 22nd; and August 11th and 12th