, type = Station on heritage railway , image = Welshpool Raven Square station, Joan at platform.jpg , borough =

Welshpool Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

, country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name =

Grid reference A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...

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Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) ( cy, Rheilffordd y Trallwng a Llanfair Caereinion) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) ...

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, platforms = 2 , years = 1903 , events = original halt opened , years1 = 1931 , events1 = original halt closed , years2 = 18 July 1981 , events2 = present station opened Welshpool Raven Square

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, located in

, in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, is the eastern terminus of the

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

(W&LLR).

History

The W&LLR was one of the few narrow gauge branch lines to be built under the provisions of the

1896 Light Railways Act The Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. History Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be ob ...

, and opened for operations on 6 April 1903 to aid economic development in a remote area. Originally operated by the Cambrian Railways, it started from a simple set of sidings located alongside the standard gauge line at

Welshpool railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = File:The old station at Welshpool (geograph 2299927).jpg , borough = Welshpool, Powys , country = Wales , coordinates = , gri ...

, and traversed the town by means of a twisting section of track which required continual use of the train's bell and whistle. After the merger of the Cambrian Railways into the Great Western Railway as a result of the 1923

grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

, on 9 February 1931 the line lost its passenger service, and became a freight-only line. It was temporarily re-opened to passengers between 6 and 11 August 1945 for the

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, ac ...

. Freight traffic lingered on until 1956, at which time British Railways decided to close the line. The original Raven Square station was a simple halt with a single low platform which opened with the line in 1903 and closed in 1931.

Preservation era

A group of volunteers and enthusiasts took the line over and started raising money to preserve and restore it. On 6 April 1963 the first section of the line was re-opened as a tourist railway. The line through the streets of Welshpool however could not be reopened, and so the Cambrian station at Raven Square was redeveloped on the western edge of the town, opening on 18 July 1981. The new station building was obtained from Eardisley in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

and is a historic example of a type once prepared from a wooden kit, similar to many built on rural lines. Also, a water tower built over 100 years ago was obtained from Pwllheli station. Also at Raven Square is a display shed which houses steam locomotive ''Monarch'', a static exhibit, plus several other items of rolling stock. At Raven Square passengers can disembark, watch the locomotive take on more water and run round the carriages.

Location

The Raven Square station is situated by the roundabout that is the junction of the A458, A490 and B4381 roads. There is a large car park for visitors to the line and pedestrians have a signposted twenty minute walk to the town's main street and the Montgomery Canal lock. It is on the western edge of Welshpool, one mile (1.6 km) from the Cambrian Line station, which is located in the eastern side of the town.

Powis Castle Powis Castle ( cy, Castell Powys) is a British medieval castle, fortress and grand country house near Welshpool, in Powys. The seat of the Herbert family, Earls of Powis, the castle is known for its formal gardens and for its interiors, the fo ...

and its substantial grounds, lie not far to the south of the station, though not directly accessible from this point. Raven Square also hosts the Raven inn, a family traditional pub which also takes its name from Raven Square

References

External links

Official railway website
3 minutes from Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion

The Raven Square at Welshpool. , - , colspan=5, Walking connection with Welshpool railway station, Welshpool on the Cambrian Line {{Transport in Powys Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Heritage railway stations in Powys Railway stations built for UK heritage railways Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1903 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1931 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1981