This article describes the current heritage railway. For the historical railway, see Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway.
Logo of the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway charity

The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway[1] is a heritage railway whose stated aims are to re-instate as much as possible of the former Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway which closed in 1989.

History

The Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway (LMMR), earlier known as the Carmarthenshire Tramroad, was established in 1802 in Wales by an Act of Parliament. It began running trains in 1803, the initial line being a plateway, with motive power provided by a pair of horses. The Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway is claimed to be the oldest public railway in Britain. Although the Surrey Iron Railway was the first to be incorporated, it is believed that the LMMR was the first to open to traffic.

The Carmarthenshire Tramroad closed in 1844 but the railway reopened in 1883 operated by the newly formed Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway Co. That company disappeared in 1922 on being absorbed into the Great Western Railway, which itself was absorbed into British Railways in 1947. Throughout the twentieth century the line continued as a main artery for coal distribution from the Gwendraeth valley, until the closure of Cynheidre Colliery in 1989.

Llanelli and District Railway Society

Early days of the L&MMR, with development of the locomotive shed, 2008

The Llanelli and District Railway Society (L&DRS) ran an unsuccessful campaign lasting almost ten years to save the intact but derelict line. The railway was sold in the mid 1990s by the British Rail property board to the local authorities as part of a scheme to transform the track bed into a cycle way. This path is now labelled as the Swiss Valley Cycle Route, part of National Cycle Route 47, itself a part of the Celtic Trail.

Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway Company Limited

Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr
Railway (Proposed)
 Cross Hands
 Tumble
 Cynheidre North
 Cynheidre | Heritage Centre
Horeb
 Swiss Valley
 Llanelli West

Whilst the L&DRS's efforts were thwarted, a new charitable company (Registered Charity No. 1087985) was incorporated on 13 August 2001.[2] It is a non-profit making company limited by guarantee. The company is named The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway Company Ltd, therefore reviving the name of the former operator albeit with the later Llanelli spelling. The primary stated objective of the charity is to reinstate a railway on the historic line. A heritage centre will also interpret the history of coal mining in the area and in particular the industry which the railway served.

The charity's scheme will utilise derelict land on the site of the former colliery which is now owned by the LMMR outright as of 2005. In the long-term the railway, which closed to rail traffic in 1989, aims to be re-instated where possible. Work at the site at Cynheidre near Llanelli, South Wales is currently progressing. The first phase will include the placing of a loco shed on site as well as making the site available to the public. The primary objective is to achieve a running line of one mile (1.6 km) consisting of a platform, loco shed, heritage centre, gift shop and café. As of September 2007 the loco shed had been fully constructed and this allowed for the rolling stock to be transported to the site on 19–22 November 2007.

The railway held its first public open day on Sunday 3 September 2017 which saw the railway operate brakevan rides using Sentinel 0-4-0DH shunter no. 10222 and BR Brakevan no 981287.

Rolling stock

The LMMR operates and in some cases owns the following rolling stock:

Steam

Diesel locomotives

Diesel Multiple Units

In addition to a British Rail Class 122 Bubble Car unit, the L&MMR is currently host to four Pacer DMUs:

Electric Multiple Units

Coaching Stock

Wagons

  • No.35377 GWR Toad Brake van
  • No.B 951287 BR Brakevan Brake van
  • No.48325 British Rail Tar Wagon (Circa 1939).
  • No.40225 British Rail Tar Wagon (Circa 1950).
  • No.40229 British Rail Tar Wagon (Circa 1950).
  • British Rail Tippler Wagon - Cut down to flat bed wagon.
  • No.2135 GWR Bloater Fish Van (Circa 1919).

References

  1. ↑ In Welsh, Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr are pronounced [ɬaˈnɛɬi] and [ˈmənɨð ˈmaur], respectively.
  2. ↑ "LLANELLI AND MYNYDD MAWR RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED - Charity 1087985". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "0-4-0ST 1498 'Desmond'". llanellirailway. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Diesel Locomotives". llanellirailway. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  5. ↑ llanellirailway (5 November 2022). "From Portsmouth to Llanelli via the North Pole". llanellirailway. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Unit profiles - 122019 - 55019". llanellirailway. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Unit profiles - 142006 - 55547 & 55597". llanellirailway. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Unit profiles - 143606 & 143607". llanellirailway. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "DMU, EMU & Coaching Stock". llanellirailway. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Northcott, James (2 December 2022). "The Juicy Gossip! 315 856 Secured for Preservation!". Class 315 Preservation Society. Retrieved 15 March 2023.

Reading Material

  • The Llanelly & Mynydd Mawr Railway - 1st Edition - 1992 by M.R.C. Price - Oakwood Press ISBN 0-85361-423-7

51°44′37″N 4°11′00″W / 51.74356°N 4.1833°W / 51.74356; -4.1833

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