Tanat Valley Light Railway

Tanat Valley Light Railway
Heritage locomotive no. 1827 on the TVLR in 2009.
Commercial operations
Original gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Length	1⁄3 mile (0.536 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	1903/1904
Closed	1952 Passenger 1964 Freight
Preservation history
2009	Re-opened

v t e Tanat Valley Light Railway & Llanfyllin Branch
Legend
Great Western Rly to Gobowen Oswestry, Ellesmere & Whitchurch Rly to Whitchurch Oswestry Llynclys Junction Weston Wharf Porth-y-waen branch Llynclys Porthywaen Halt Pant (Salop) Ellesmere Canal Rock Siding Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Rly to Shrewsbury Abbey Nantmawr Branch Llanymynech Blodwell Junction Hoffmann Kilns Rhydmeredydd Goods and Carreghofa Halt Llanymynech Junction Tanat Valley Light Rly Oswestry and Newtown Railway to Welshpool Llanyblodwel Halt Llanfyllin Branch Glanyrafon Halt Llansantffraid Llansilin Road Llanfechain Llangedwyn Halt Bryngwyn Halt Pentrefelin Llanfyllin Llanrhaiadr Mochnant Ellesmere Canal Pedairffordd Halt Penybontfawr Llangynog

The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a 15-mile (24 km) long standard gauge light railway. It ran westwards from Llanyblodwel in Shropshire, about 5 miles or 8 km southwest of Oswestry. It crossed the Wales–England border and continued up the Tanat Valley, terminating at Llangynog in Powys. It opened in 1904, providing access to a fairly remote area, and transport facilities for slate production and agriculture.

Its promoters were unable to raise the capital to construct the line, but a number of government grants and considerable generosity by the Cambrian Railways company enabled the building of the line. The company was always in debt and in 1921 was obliged to sell the line to the Cambrian Railways.

Rural passenger use collapsed and the railway closed to passengers in 1951, and completely in 1964.^[1]

A new Tanat Valley Light Railway Company was established, and in 2009 opened a heritage railway centre at Nantmawr, close to the earlier Tanat Valley line.^[2][3]