Llangurig branch

The M&MR was an ambitious proposal to connect Manchester, Northwest England and potentially the English Midlands with the deep water docks at Milford Haven. Not going anywhere near either location's name in its title, it was effectively a highly marketed connecting scheme using London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and Midland Railway rails as its feeder. Using the southern end of Oswestry and Newtown Railway, which connected to the LNWR for North Wales, Crewe and Manchester, the M&MR would connect to a junction at Devil's Bridge (for a branch line to Aberystwyth), and then onwards to connect with the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway (C&CR) at . Trains would then have run on the C&CR to Carmarthen, before connecting to the Pembroke and Tenby Railway for termination at . ==Competing railway companies==

During the Victorian era, the Welsh rail network was built piecemeal by many small companies. Parliament resultantly mistakenly granted two Acts of Parliament for two separate lines through the same piece of terrain, linking Llanidloes to Aberystwyth: one for the M&MR; the other for the Mid-Wales Railway (MWR). ==Llanidloes and Newtown Railway==

façade of railway station in 1990. The MWR and M&MR both knew that their approaches to Llanidloes covered exactly the same ground. This caused the M&MR to prioritise work on this section, working east from Llangurig. Resultantly, by 1861 the surveyors and navvies of the two competing workforces were physically clashing. With the help of a local third party, an 1862 Act of Parliament authorised the creation of the joint-owned Llanidloes and Newtown Railway, which would extend southwards of Llanidloes with of double track to Penpontbren Junction, where the MWR and M&MR would diverge. The M&MR and MWR were to pay 5% "per annum" on construction costs and maintenance. Also the three companies were to pay equal shares of interest and running costs for the new Llanidloes railway station. These charges were eventually to prove crippling for the M&MR. ==Construction==

Having moved its junction station for the branchline to Aberystwyth on cost grounds, from Devil's Bridge to Ystrad Meurig (later known as ), the M&MR had let the contract for construction of the western mainline to a combined team of David Davies of Llandinam and Fredrick Beeston but it excluded the route onwards to Llanidloes, as it required additional surveying to overcome engineering and resultant cost difficulties. ==Financial difficulties, closure==

By 1864 the M&MR had changed its plans for crossing the Cambrian mountain range. They now wanted to abandon the route through Pant Mawr, and instead intended to follow the Nant Troedyresgair from Llangurig. This caused any work west of Llangurig to be abandoned. The route change was, in the event, not authorised by Parliament. By 1876 MWR had still failed to build the new route, with the Act of Parliament permitting abandonment of the scheme. In 1882 the M&MR started to dismantle the Llangurig branch, lifting of the essentially unused track for maintenance purposes elsewhere. The M&MR opened the upgraded branchline to Aberystwyth in 1867. The initial 1861 route survey (which had Parliamentary approval) and a later 1864 route were locally controversial. The unbuilt section between Strata Florida and the railhead of the Llangurig branch would have been through very mountainous terrain, although only in length as the crow flies. ==Absorption into the GWR==

, in November 1998 After emerging from 25 years of bankruptcy in 1900, it was hoped by passengers, freight customers and the authorities that a large railway company would take over the residual western M&MR. After the passing of two Acts of Parliament, in 1906 the Great Western Railway took over running of the M&MR, finally absorbing the company in 1911. The GWR merged the M&MR with the C&CR, worked together to become the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line. In 1923 after grouping, the GWR absorbed the Cambrian Railways, which included the L&NR. In 1925 it looked at reviving the line to Llangurig and beyond as a branchline, but discovered it had itself sold-off the associated land when it had fully absorbed the M&MR in 1911. Penpontbren Junction signal box and signalling were recorded in a series of photographs in the L&GRP collection dated 1904. The signal box was boarded up with the access steps removed and the signals set at “proceed”. ==Present day==

A large part of the route east of Llangurig is marked on current Ordnance Survey maps as "dismantled railway". Much of the course is close to the A470 road through Nant Gwynwydd, being clearly visible. Some earthworks, including some 1.5 km west of Llangurig visible on Google Earth (including crop markings) north of the A44 and south of the road west of Pont Aberbidno, where old maps show the A44 was to pass under the railway. The tunnel headings survive from the original 1861 M&MR scheme west of Llangurig. as do the ruins of Llangurig station. The north entrance to Bryn Myherin Tunnel is visible on old maps published in the 1880s marked as an 'old quarry' south east of Cae Gaer Roman Fort at the junction of Nant Ceiliogyn and Pistyll Fawr at about 375m contour. The south end of the tunnel in the Blaen Myherin glaciated valley appears to be at a similar height 2.2 km south west at a point marked as 'old quarry' on old maps, about 800m north of Blaen Myherin farm, near the junction of Nanr Chwarelmelyn and the unnamed waterfalls to the north. Much of the easily graded forestry track along the north side of the Afon Merin valley down to its junction with the Afon Mynach, just east of Devil's Bridge, may have followed the proposed line of the abandoned railway and may have been constructed on the alignment to give access to the tunnel headings site. == See also ==