Sign in

Private company

Bala and Dolgelly Railway

Railway line in Wales

The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.2 It ceased to exist in 1877.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Jun 30, 1862Founded1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.2

The story

The line opened in stages by various companies:

Vale of Llangollen Railway – 1 December 1861 (goods); 2 June 1862 (passenger)

Llangollen and Corwen Railway – 1 May 1865. This section of the line had gained royal assent in 1860.

Corwen and Bala Railway – 16 July 1866 (Corwen to Llandrillo); 1 April 1868 (Llandrillo to Bala).

Bala and Dolgelly Railway – 4 August 1868.

Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway – 10 October 1867

The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was absorbed by the Cambrian Railways by the Cambrian and Coast Railways (Amalgamation) Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. ccxci). The Cambrian Railways amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR) on 1 January 1922 as a result of the Railways Act 1921.

The Bala and Dolgelly Railway was absorbed into the GWR by the Great Western Railway Act 1877 (40 & 41 Vict. c. cx).

Read the full text

The Vale of Llangollen Railway, the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, and the Corwen and Bala Railway were absorbed into the GWR by the Great Western Railway (Additional Powers) Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c. ccxxxii).

The line was double track from Ruabon (Llangollen Junction) to Llangollen Goods Yard. From there it was single line with passing loops at the following stations: Deeside Halt, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog, Corwen, Llandrillo, Llandderfel, Bala Junction, Llanuwchllyn, Garneddwen Halt, Drws-y-Nant, Bont Newydd, Dolgellau and Penmaenpool.

Connections

At Ruabon, the line connected with the Shrewsbury–Chester line (part of the GWR mainline from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside).

At Trevor an incline ran to the Monsanto works. This also connected to the Pontcysyllte Branch, which eventually rejoined the main line near Wrexham.

At Corwen the line connected with the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway line.

At Bala Junction the line connected with the Bala and Festiniog Railway.

At Barmouth Junction, the line connected with the Cambrian Coast Line, which was owned by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway.

From Wikipedia’s article on Bala and Dolgelly Railway, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. Jul 23, 1877Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. Jun 30, 1862Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3