GOOD Friday, April 7, was a key date in the history of the Gwili Railway – when regular public trains began operating from the line’s eastern terminus at Abergwili Junction on the edge of Carmarthen.
The following day, 45 years since the first trains ran on the railway in preservation, a ceremony was held to mark both the anniversary and formal opening of Abergwili station.
Attending dignitaries included long-term supporters of the railway, Brian Jones and Caroline Langsdale. Also present were Peter Gabell, who was guard on the Gwili’s first heritage-era train in 1978, and John Jones, who drove the original opening train.
As reported in The Railway Magazine February, Gwili Railway operations have been transformed this season with services starting at Abergwili Junction rather than Bronwydd Arms, which has served as the line’s headquarters since the section of the former Carmarthen to Aberstwyth route reopened as a heritage line in 1978. Visitor facilities have been relocated from Bronwydd Arms.