The last train to operate under BR ownership was an SLS special on November 3, 1956 headed by No. 822, which is seen at the original Welshpool terminus adjacent to the main line station (in the background on the left of this image).
HAWTHORNE COLLECTION
CONSTRUCTION began in 1901 and the first train was worked by the Cambrian Railways on April 4, 1903.
At the 1923 Grouping, the W&LLR became part of the GWR, which invested in rolling stock, including rebuilding the two Beyer Peacock 0-6-0Ts. A competing bus service introduced by the GWR reduced passenger numbers to a trickle, so the railway service was withdrawn in 1931 and the three bogie balcony carriages were scrapped.
The last train of all was run by British Railways on November 3, 1956, a Stephenson Locomotive Society special with passengers conveyed in open wagons fitted with benches ‘borrowed’ from the main line station.
By 1959, negotiations with BR were at the stage where volunteers were able to begin undergrowth clearance. The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway Preservation Company Limited was formed in 1960 and the line leased from BR at the end of 1962.