Current Status
In 1974, the Gwili Railway was founded and, in 1978, began operating a service over several miles of the line from Bronwydd Arms, north of Carmarthen. The company intends to restore services between Abergwili Junction and Llanpumsaint.
In the north, parts of the trackbed from Aberystwyth to Trawsgoed, plus Ystrad Meurig via the Strata Florida station site to just south of the former Allt-ddu halt on Tregaron Bog (adjacent to the B4343 road) have been incorporated into the Ystwyth Trail cycle route. However, the section of trackbed from Trawsgoed station to just south of Ystrad Meurig including the tunnel adjacent to the former Caradog Falls halt is unavailable, being mostly in private ownership. On the Ystwyth Trail eastward from Llanilar to Trawsgoed, the flooding damage which caused closure of the line in December 1964 can be seen.
During the mid-1990s, a narrow-gauge railway was unsuccessfully proposed by the Ystwyth Valley Preservation Society—based on reopening a section of route from Llanilar to Llanfarian. Some items of standard-gauge rolling stock were moved into Llanilar station yard at the time - including an LNER compartment coach plus some 4-wheel tank wagons.
An E-Petition has been launched to ask the Welsh Assembly to consider reopening the Carmarthen - Aberystwyth line. The petition is open for signatures until 17th October 2012.
Quantities of trackbed and bridge abutments remain along the route, although some parts have been farmed over. Other surviving remains include, from north to south:
- Llanrhystyd Road (TBA)
- Llanilar station platforms - with remains of GWR fencing
- Felindyffryn (TBA)
- Trawscoed station, in a ruined state
- Caradog Falls Halt, intact but surrounded by private property
- Strata Florida signal box, under restoration by enthusiasts.
- Alltddu Halt.
- Tregaron station shelter, adjacent to Tregaron hospital, is now a viewing shelter for the Tregaron Horse Club; also, a GWR pagoda shelter remains on a farm near Tregaron High School.
- Pont Llanio: A GWR 1930s cast-iron water-tower is located next to the road bridge and the site of a former creamery
- Olmarch Halt: Parts of the GWR halt platform remain under a minor road bridge east of the A485 road.
- Llangybi: (TBA)
- Derry Ormond station building and platforms remain at the end of a narrow road from the village of Betws Bledrws— one of only two station buildings surviving on the line.
- Lampeter goods shed—the only surviving railway related building in Lampeter. A large concrete bridge across the River Teifi remains, adjacent to the A482 road south of Lampeter.
- Llanybydder (TBA)
- Measycrugiau (TBA)
- Bryn Teifi (TBA)
- Pencader: A steel overbridge remains over the road between Pencader and Llandysul
- Pencader Tunnel - The southern portal remains accessible from a forestry plantation road which joins a minor road between Pencader and Llanpumpsaint.
- Llanpumpsaint: An overbridge remains over the road through the village.
- Cynwyl Elfed station platforms and some rolling stock are owned by the Gwili Railway
Read more about this topic: Carmarthen To Aberystwyth Line
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