Ruabon Barmouth Line
| Ruabon To Barmouth Line | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal stations (from east to west)
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The Ruabon to Barmouth Line was a standard-gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway in North Wales which connected Ruabon with Barmouth.
At Ruabon, the line connected with the Shrewsbury to Chester line (part of the GWR mainline from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside).
At Corwen the line connected with the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway line.
At Bala Junction the line connected with the Blaenau Ffestiniog branch.
At Barmouth Junction, the line connected with the Cambrian Line.
History
The line opened in stages, beginning with the Ruabon to Llangollen section in June 1862. The line to Corwen was completed three years later. The entire route was completed and opened by 1869 by a number of companies, all of which were absorbed into the GWR by 1896.
The line was closed as part of the Beeching Axe. Goods services across the whole line ceased in 1964, with the exception of the Llangollen to Ruabon section which remained open until 1968. The whole line closed to passengers on Monday 18th January 1965.
The track was lifted along the whole route during 1968/69 and work was completed at Morfa Mawddach in April 1969.
Current Status
Two sections of the line have been reopened as preserved railways; the narrow gauge Bala Lake Railway in the early 1970's and standard gauge Llangollen Railway which first opened to passengers in 1981.
A ten mile section between Barmouth Junction and Dolgellau is also used as the Llwybr Mawddach (or "Mawddach Trail"), a cycle route & bridleway. Conversion of the trackbed to a path was incidentally assisted in 1976 when heavy floods washed away most of the remaining ballast.
Several sections have been used for road improvement schemes, including a mile and a half section through Dolgellau and the station site and trackbed west of Drws-y-Nant. The trackbed has also been redeveloped immediately east of Llangollen.
Bibliography
Railway Walks: Explor|ing Disused Railways, by Gareth Lovett Jones. ISBN 0-7153-8543-7
