Mid-Wales Railway
The Mid-Wales Railway was a British railway company based in Wales .
history
The company received on August 1, 1859 the concession to build a 75-kilometer north-south railway line from Llanidloes to Llandovery and on July 3, 1860 from Newbridge-on-Wye to Three Cocks . The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway (HH&BR) took over the Hay Railway in August 1860 . When dividing their route, the Mid-Wales Railway took over the section Three Cocks - Talyllyn Junction. In Llanidloes there was a connection to the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway, which was built at the same time .
The first groundbreaking took place on September 2, 1859. Construction work was suspended until 1862. During the construction of the line south of Llanidloes there were conflicts with the Manchester and Milford Railway , which also built a railway line in this place. Eventually, the Llanidloes and Newton Railway was awarded the 2.4 kilometer route between Llanidloes and Penpontbren Junction. The two companies each received a right to use the route.
After opening on August 23, 1864, scheduled freight traffic began on September 1. There was no need to build a separate route from Builth Road to Llandovery. Instead, a compound curve to the November 1, 1866 railway line of the Central Wales Extension Railway completed.
After the merger of HH&BR and the Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway , which took place in 1865, proved illegal, the Mid-Wales Railway was responsible for operations from October 1, 1868 to October 1, 1869.
Traffic on the Mid-Wales Railway never lived up to expectations, despite the fact that it created a continuous connection between Manchester and Swansea / Cardiff . The railway company therefore got into financial difficulties. They sold their locomotives and wagons and signed an operating agreement with Cambrian Railways . This came into force on April 2, 1888. On June 24, 1904, the company was finally taken over by Cambrian Railways.
literature
- Christopher Awdry: Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies . Stephens, Wellingborough 1990, ISBN 1-85260-049-7 .