Llwyngwern was a station on the

Corris Railway The Corris Railway () is a narrow gauge railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire (now Gwynedd) and Montgomeryshire (now Powys) in Mid-Wales. The line opened in 1859 as a horse tramway, running from quays on the River Dyfi ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, built to serve the hamlet of

Pantperthog Pantperthog is a hamlet in southern Gwynedd in Wales, 2 miles north of Machynlleth and 14 miles southeast of Dolgellau. Nearby is the former Llwyngwern quarry, which is now the Centre for Alternative Technology. Governance Pantperthog is i ...

and the residents of Plas Llwyngwern, a house where a daughter of the 5th

Marquess of Londonderry Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry ( ), is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of ...

lived with her husband. Although the Plas was in

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

, the station was across the

Afon Dulas The Afon Dulas, or North Dulas, is a river forming the border between Merionethshire/Gwynedd and Montgomeryshire/Powys in Wales. Another river called Afon Dulas joins the Dyfi from the south, upstream of its confluence with the North Dulas: loca ...

Merionethshire Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is a ...

. The station was built at Llwyngwern, rather than at Pantperthog, because there is a very tight bend and a steep gradient on the railway at Pantperthog. The station was opened on 1884, and closed with the end of passenger services in December 1930.

Llwyngwern quarry branch

Immediately to the south of the station was the junction between the main line of the Corris Railway and the horse-worked branch that served the

Llwyngwern quarry The Llwyngwern quarry (sometimes known as Glandulas quarry or Maglona quarry) was a slate quarry in Wales that opened by 1828 and continued working until about 1950. The quarry is located on the western flank of Mynydd Llwyn-gwern. History ...

, which is now the home of the

Centre for Alternative Technology The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) () is an ecology, eco-centre in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclusively on al ...

. The branch was built after 1887. There was a short siding at the start of the branch, which was used to store wagons waiting to travel on the Corris Railway. The branch ran on top of a high slate embankment and crossed the

on a timber viaduct. On the east bank, another slate embankment took the branch over the Ffridd Gate to Pont Ifans road on a high bridge, and on to the bottom of the quarry. Here an incline led up to the quarry mill level, and a long tunnel ran to the bottom of the main quarry pit. Around 1927, the wooden bridge was declared unsafe and the branch was abandoned.

Remains

Part of the station building survives as a bus shelter. The much degraded slate embankment can still be seen on the west bank of the Dulas.

References

External links

Eco Dyfi Valley Partnership
Disused railway stations in Gwynedd Corris Railway Corris Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1887 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1931 {{Wales-railstation-stub