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Mid Wales Steam Rail Tour

Leave the car behind for a few days and travel on the mainline Cambrian and Cambrian Coast Line and jump aboard five of Mid Wales'  great  little trains at locations along the route; the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, Rheidol Railway, Corris Railway, Talyllyn Railway, Fairbourne Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway. 

You will travel 170 miles on a scenic rural and coastal railway and 30 miles on narrow gauge steam railways, staying in Machynlleth, Barmouth and Porthmadog. You'll find information about places to stay on visitmidwales.co.uk so that you can pre-book and drop off your luggage when you arrive and not have to carry it around with you!

For each stage of the journey, there are notes available with points of interest along the line including old lines and stations that are now closed and, for the return journey, some details of services on our route from 50 or 60 years ago in the age of steam.

Day 1 | Depart Shrewsbury for Welshpool

Your journey starts at Shrewsbury with a short trip down the Cambrian Line to Welshpool which takes about 20 minutes. From Welshpool, you will depart to travel on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway.

Journey notes available for rail enthusiasts - see Points of Interest Shrewsbury-Welshpool.

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About the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway

Originally the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway ran through the town to exchange sidings here next to the goods yard. Today the narrow gauge line starts just to the west of the town at the terminus at Ravens Square. You'll need to drop off your luggage before joing the Steam Train; it is just under a mile between the two stations.

The Cambrian Line was realigned and the current main line station was built in 1993 to facilitate the provision of a new road to by-pass Welshpool. The adjoining old station, a lavishly designed and detailed French Renaissance style building, was constructed in 1869/60 to house the headquarters of the Oswestry and Newtown Railway; however the building's role as headquarters was short-lived - just a couple of years. We can visit this building as it now houses an Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s shop.

From the Old Station, straight ahead for the town; if you are staying at the Royal Oak , the hotel is at the crossroads on your right and you can drop off your luggage and have some lunch. Straight on at the crossroads/traffic lights for more lunch venues and shops. Continue in the same direction up out of the town to Raven Square station which is by the roundabout at the junction of the A458 and the A490. The terminus at Ravens Square is the former station building from Eardisley on the Hereford to Hay-on-Wye line.

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Afternoon in Llanfair Caereinion

Opened in 1903 to link the rural community of Llanfair Caereinion with Welshpool, this 2 foot 6 inch narrow gauge railway was built as a Light Railway to avoid some of the costs of railway construction. Passenger services ceased in 1931 but freight on the line continued until it was closed by British Railways in 1956. Restoration of the line began in 1959, the first passenger train ran from Llanfair to Castle Caereinion in 1963 and by 1981 the line was open again to Welshpool, some 8 miles.

All trains are steam hauled, either by one of the original locomotives built in 1902 (‘The Earl’ and ‘The Countess’) or one from abroad - Sierra Leone, Antigua in the West Indies and Germany. The carriages in regular use are from Hungary and Austria.

The Station at Llanfair Caereinion has a cafe on site and the Cloverlands Museum that houses a collection of model cars.

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Evening & Overnight in Aberystwyth

If time allows, take a stroll along the banks of the Montgomeryshire Canal or Powis Castle Parkland before jumping back on the Cambrian Line to Aberystwyth

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Day 2 | Depart Aberystwyth for Machynlleth

Day 3 | Depart Tywyn for Fairbourne and Barmouth

Day 4 | Depart Barmouth for Porthmadog