The Black Bridge and its Place in Welsh Railway History This is the story of how a small timber deck underline bridge which has been in service for 108 years has required innovative technology, human strength and £3.6 million to eliminate line closures due to flooding.
The Cambrian Line - A Chequered History of Ownership!
What we now know as the Cambrian Line was built in the mid-19th century, not by a single company but, by no less than five companies over a period of 14 years between 1855 and 1869. These were: • The Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway (between Shrewsbury and Buttington), • The Oswestry and Newtown Railway (between Buttington Junction and Newtown), • The Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (between Newtown and Moat Lane Junction) • The Newtown and Machynlleth Railway (between Moat Lane Junction and Machynlleth), and • The Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway (between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth/ Pwllheli). The section west of Buttington Junction became part of the Cambrian Railways in 1864, which in turn became part of the Great Western Railway under the Grouping Act of 1921. The chequered ownership continued as, on nationalisation these lines were operated first by the Western Region of British Railways and later by the London Midland Region. In a later reorganisation, passenger services were operated by the Regional Railways Central sector. Following privatisation in the mid-1990s, passenger services were first operated by Central Trains, then by Wales & Borders from 2001, Arriva Trains Wales from 2003 and, finally, Transport for Wales from 2018! Although the line escaped the Beeching Act, nevertheless 26 stations have been closed, although one, Bow Street, was reopened just this year and the reopening of Carno station
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Black Bridge
has been proposed and an application is at the final stages of approval. Today, in addition to its normal duties of providing services for people to get to work and for children to get to school, the line plays a key role as a scenic route, as well as linking many coastal resorts and connecting to seven narrow-gauge tourist lines (the Talyllyn Railway, Welshpool and Llanfair Railway, Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway and the Vale of Rheidol Railway). With long sections of single line and limited passing points, minor disruptions on the Cambrian Line quickly lead to compound delays and partial cancellations. This, combined with short turnaround times at each end of the route, led to severe unpunctuality during much of the first decade of the 21st century. The extension of the
Great Western Star Summer 2021
