Aberystwyth to Carmarthen

[neilbaldwin]

An era alas long gone . Their demise isolating rural communities and leading to the traffic congestion and pollution we have today. Thank you for recording this piece of social history.

[Belfreyite]

I worked for a week at Aberystwyth station in 2023. Whilst there I had some time off and I rode my cycle up the old, abandoned track bed that follows the Afon Ystwyth towards Carmarthen. The line must have been a lovely when it was worked. It would have been a bitter blow to all those unable to afford a car, when it closed to passenger traffic.

[Martin_Adams]

What a delight it has been to see this. Excellent editing and commentary!
I lived in Lampeter Velfrey, near Whitland, and travelled on the last train on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line in (I think) February 1965, drawn by a Hymek diesel, and stopped well short of the full length because flooding had recently washed out part of the line; and that part was, of course, not rebuilt.
My grandparents had a farm near Tregaron, on the eastern side of the valley through which this line ran. You could see the trains from their house, about quarter of a mile to the east. I think their milk was taken to the factory seen around 17.35 in the film.
Also, on the last day of regular steam in west Wales, a year after this film, I was granted a footplate ride on "Baydon Manor" from Carmarthen to Whitland — the same engine featured here at the beginning of the run from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth. The enginemen let their hair down, and I'm sure speed limits were exceeded round the curves and through the tunnel between St Clears and Whiltland. As we came out of the tunnel they grinned at one another, and the noise was amazing!
Thank you so much!!

[TomGarner]

Fantastic video, its amazing how much Bronwydd has changed over the years.

[edgware]

Congratulations for sharing and to the visionary cameraman for taking the trouble and skill to take this film of the line. Great photography of the railway and to the welcoming Welsh railway staff RIPx - thank you.

[TheDafxf]

What a fantastic video of this great train line that shouldn’t have been closed just like so many other lines have 🥲

[brucewilliams]

This is a stunning historical documentary. Congratulations. When I visited Wales in 1977 i was very disappointed to learn that this line was closed. Now, you have taken me there, so many thanks from Australia 🇦🇺

[leekmuncher]

Great video of a line that my Dad was an engine driver on but which had sadly closed before I was born. Thank you for sharing it 😎👍

[grumbeast]

This is magical footage, my family on my mums side are from Newcastle Emlyn and I used to live on Station Terrace in Lampeter, sadly after the railway had long closed. Thanks so much for posting this

[neilewart]

I was lucky to have travelled just once from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen . Lovely line now sadly just a distant memory. I'm afraid the chances of it reopening are certainly zero . A fantastic video. Thanks

[islandhopperstuart]

A fabulous historical document. I just had a magical hour tracing the route on the OS map alongside watching the video. Oh for a time machine! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

[nigelwilliams]

A lovely film of a byegone era in Wales.

[tonywise]

Great video and memories of GWR/BR(W) steam. Coincidentally, this line featured on Channel 4 in Abandoned Railways from the Air, where they traced this line by drone a couple of weeks ago (written end Oct 2024)

[hedydd]

My grandfather on my mother’s side was a guard, based at Aberaeron.

[richmorg]

That is a bit of diversion from Tregaron down to Llanyrhystud then on to Aberystwyth it would of be quicker to go from Tregaron straight to Aberystwyth

[pedromorgan]

My dream would be have enough money to reinstate this line, with electric. Same stuff running passengers and freight/pallets

[paulking]

Lovely video, symptomatic of a lot of lines in their last days, so sad. Lot of going past danger signals towards the end. Would this be that the line had effectively been singled but the signals not yet removed and so ignored?

[janwhite]

Part of closing down welsh hill farms. The halts along, the route, allowed loading of milk and transport of animals to market.

[rolandbevan]

Milk Tanks to Felin Fach not Aberaeron