A lineside appreciation of the former Cambrian Railways’ main line from the Dovey Estuary, continuing east on the northern edge of Montgomeryshire and with Merionethshire on the other side of the river, through Machynlleth and then on the famous climb to Talerddig summit. The collective work of a handful of photographers, British Railways regional boundary changes and closures elsewhere enrich the motive power and operational variety of this picturesque and much loved route.
Dovey Junction station occupies a remote location in the flat and largely featureless
Dovey Estuary and exists only as an interchange between the Aberystwyth and Pwllheli
lines. Collett ‘2251’ class 0-6-0 No 2286 waits for custom in the Pwllheli line platform
in 1959. Although unrecorded, the working is likely to be train 2980, the 11am all
station ‘stopper’ to Barmouth. The engine has run light from Machynlleth to attach
to the stock which had terminated here half an hour earlier on the 7.40am duty from
Pwllheli. The service provided a connection with train 2976, the 8.20am from Oswestry
to Aberystwyth, and train 2957, the 9.55am Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury. On the right
is the recently modernised station and replacement flat roof BR (Western Region) signal
box, which was commissioned on 22 February 1959. Churchward ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No
5553 waits in the loop.
W Potter/Kidderminster Railway Museum
An Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 pilots a BR Standard ‘4MT’ 4-6-0 between Machynlleth and Dovey
Junction around the curves at Derwenlas on a westbound morning goods on Friday, 18
March 1966. Closure of the former GWR route between Ruabon and Morfa Mawddach in January
1965 concentrated the remaining goods traffic onto this line, and poor main roads
helped to ensure its survival until the final regular traffic ceased in 1987.
T B Owen/Colour-Rail.com/390949
British Railways Standard ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No 80136 arrives at Machynlleth station with
train 1M72, the 12.35pm from Aberystwyth to Crewe, while Collett ‘7800’ 4-6-0 No 7828 Odney Manor waits for the road to clear with 2J72, the 9.45am from Whitchurch to Aberystwyth
on Friday, 9 August 1963. Both of these services avoided Shrewsbury and were routed
over the original Cambrian Railways main line via Oswestry, the route through Machynlleth
being traditionally designated as the ‘Whitchurch & Aberystwyth Line’.
Keith Pirt, courtesy Book Law Publications
Churchward ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No 5570 runs into Machynlleth station with empty stock
for a coast line train to Pwllheli in August 1958.
