The Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway was authorized in 1875 and made use of part of the long defunct Carmarthenshire Railway or Tramroad of 1801, an earlier horse drawn plateway that had carried minerals from Mynydd Mawr to the sea for shipment at Llanelly Docks. The new line opened in 1881, built and worked by the contractor John Waddell, who held a majority of its shares. The fortunes of the company were closely tied to the fluctuating mineral industries of the area, and although trains for workmen ran for some years it never operated a public passenger service. A revival was expected when the Cynheidre colliery opened in the 1960s, but the anticipated increase in traffic did not materialize, and the line closed completely in 1989.
Facts
Founded Year SignificanceThe line served anthracite collieries at Mynydd Mawr, and a planned traffic upsurge from the new Cynheidre Colliery in the 1960s proved smaller than expected. 1 Headquarters Dissolved Year In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway Encyclopedia Article
WikipediaLlanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway authorised section
the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway was authorised by an act of Parliament, the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. clxiv), on 19 July 1875; share capital was £60,000.
Topography section
The Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway ran from Llanelli Harbour where certain sidings belonged to the Harbour Commissioners
Lead section
The decline of coal mining in the area seemed to be reversed when the huge new Cynheidre Pit was established in the 1960s, but the railway capacity enhancements to deal with the expected upsurge in traffic proved to be unnecessary.
The twentieth century section
On 1 January 1923 the Great Western Railway took over and the L&MMR ceased to operate.
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