page_title: Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway
section_title: Manchester and Milford Railway
hierarchical_section_title: Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway / Manchester and Milford Railway
caption_attribution_description: English: Conwil Station, from train. View eastward, towards Lampeter and Aberystwyth; ex-Great Western Aberystwyth - Lampeter - Carmarthen line. I took the photograph from the 17.50 train from Carmarthen on a journey to Aberystwyth. No one seems to have got on or off on this June 1962 occasion, so not surprisingly passenger services ceased on 22/2/65, when the line was closed completely (Aberystwyth - Strata Florida two months earlier, owing to flood damage); freight traffic, principally milk and agricultural, continued between Carmarthen, Pencader, Lampeter, Newcastle Emlyn and Felin Fach (Aberayron branch) until 1/10/73.
context_page_description: The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in broad gauge railway line in Wales that was intended to connect Carmarthen on the South Wales Railway with Cardigan. In fact, it was unable to raise the necessary capital and was loss-making from the time of opening the first short section of its line in 1860, and it was in receivership for much of its life. It eventually reached Llandyssil in 1864, but was not extended further during its independent existence.
  Its station at Carmarthen became the focus of several independent cross-country railways which made junctions with it, and for a time the toll charges for the short distances used by their trains was useful income, but the line never became solvent and it sold its concern to the Great Western Railway in 1882. The GWR eventually extended from Llandyssil to Newcastle Emlyn, which improved the use of the line somewhat. Meanwhile, another railway was built to Cardigan from Whitland, and the C&CR line did not extend beyond Newcastle Emlyn.
  Passenger trains ceased operating on the Newcastle Emlyn branch in 1952 and on the rest of the line in 1965 apart from access to the creamery north of Pencader until 1973.
context_section_description: In 1860 the Manchester and Milford Railway received the Royal Assent to build a line from Pencader to Llanidloes, and the following year a branch to Aberystwyth was proposed; these lines were to join the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway at Pencader. However the Manchester and Milford Railway was a narrow (standard) gauge line, so through-running at Pencader would not be possible. In fact, the M&MR was riven by indecision and lack of money, and it had to seek an amending Act for a time extension, which it achieved in 1865. By then Parliament considered the broad gauge to be a "general irritant" and the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was to be obliged to lay a third rail (to enable narrow gauge trains to run) between Pencader Junction and Carmarthen, and to grant running powers to the M&MR. Failing compliance the M&MR would be entitled to lay the additional rails itself. Seeing this as an unfriendly incursion, the C&CR applied for running powers over the M&MR to Aberystwyth, but this was turned down by Parliament.
  The M&MR line from Pencader to Lampeter was opened on 1 January 1866 but the mixed gauge rails had not been laid; accordingly, Davies and Beeston, the M&MR's contractor, were instructed to lay the necessary rails; they received £20,000 of M&MR shares for their trouble. While the work was proceeding there was an exchange station called Pencader Junction, a short distance north of Pencader C&CR station. The M&MR opened its line from Lampeter to Strata Florida on 1 September 1866, and on to Aberystwyth on 12 August 1867.
  The mixed gauge track between Pencader Junction and Carmarthen was "ready" in August 1866 and M&MR goods trains started running through from 1 November 1866. Passenger train operation was delayed because of the difficulty in obtaining Board of Trade approval for passenger operation, which was not received until February 1868. In the meantime, southbound mixed (goods and passenger) M&MR trains detached their passenger coaches at Pencader and re-attached them on the northbound journey., In any case, the M&MR passenger trains ceased running south of Pencader in 1872.
caption: Conwil railway station (1962)
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