Railways in Wales
Region North Wales Mid Wales South Wales National Network Route Sections Gazetteer of Stations About Wales	Although the present-day scene bears no comparison to the railways' peak time over 80 years ago - when, for example, no part of the old county of Glamorgan was more than three miles from a railhead - there are many places to visit by train, and there is much of interest to see. Scroll down the page to read the introduction, or select links to move directly to your topics of interest. Trevithick 1804-2004 February 21 2004 marked the 200th anniversary of the first steam train to run on rails. The historic journey began in Merthyr Tydfil, and throughout 2004, a series of commemorative events were planned. Look back on the  celebrations here. Search WalesRails .......... Message Board	Preserved: Standard gauge Narrow gauge WalesRails: The Grand Tour Official Websites What's New Back to Welcome page

The further north and west you travel the fewer and further apart the stations become, where, with the exception of the section skirting Cardigan Bay around to the Lleyn peninsular (27 stations in 57 miles), stations are also wide-spread;  the railway consisting basically of a coastal route in the north and another line which strikes westward across mid Wales before turning north along the Irish Sea coast. A branch along the Conwy Valley and a narrow-gauge railway links the two, giving the opportunity of a figure-of-eight Grand Tour of Wales and the Marches.

The Freedom of Wales Flexi-Pass and Flexi-Rover tickets offer seven, eight or fifteen days' travel throughout Wales, and free or discounted admission to many attractions including eight preserved railways.

The size and scope of preserved railways in Wales is extremely varied, and ranges from short lengths of track in urban environments to railways hidden in the lush valleys of west Wales, or clinging precariously to some of the most spectacular mountainside in the UK.
Some are embryo railways with no track of their own as yet,  while another has begun to extend its track to reach the site of the highest station in England and Wales.

In Mid and North Wales, preservation is usually tied up with narrow gauge railways which once served the slate industry or - in the case of the Snowdon Mountain Railway - unashamedly targeted the tourist long before tourism became as important an element in the economy of Wales as it is today.

It is hoped that these pages will prove of worth to the Web surfer, the tourist planning a stay in Wales, the rail enthusiast, or to anyone with a passing interest in any combination of the three.

Return to top of page

Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8  by Deryck Lewis. All rights reserved.
Page created July 14 1996; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated February 6 2008
If you have any suggestions, comments, or glitches to report, please contact the author at WalesRails