IT is mid-summer when I talk to Steve Clews, chairman of the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) in the line’s tearoom at its Llanfair Caereinion headquarters. The station is an attractive stop for travellers to and from the mid-Wales coast, in fact the whole W&LLR can be described as a hidden gem – off the beaten track for those heading to the coastal resorts and mountain tourist honeypots, yet within a twohour drive for day trips from the West Midlands and North West England. Welshpool is also reachable by train via the Cambrian Main Line.
The rolling hills are sheep and cattle farming country, where turning each corner presents a different view. As a Welsh-speaking child of Montgomeryshire, I admit I am biased (see panel ‘Growing up on the railway’).
Llanfair tearoom is in a former goods shed – once known as the Long Shed owing to its rectangular shape – which today also houses the shop and booking office counter. Like the other surviving original buildings on site, it is constructed of timber and corrugated iron – a reminder that the line was built on a low budget as a light railway.
Unlike many other Welsh narrow-gauge lines, the W&LLR was not built to carry minerals but to open up a rural area. Sheep, cattle and timber headed out, while supplies including coal and lime came in. The rare in Britain gauge of 2ft 6in was adopted which, in the preservation era, led to the acquisition of rolling stock from around the globe, including Antigua, Austria, Hungary, Sierra Leone and Taiwan. (see panel ‘The line’s history’).
W&LLR chairman Steve Clews is an advocate of the idea of working smarter, not harder – an approach which appears to be paying dividends for the railway.
GARETH EVANS
Going more ‘high-end’
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the line’s commercial approach has evolved. “We came out of the last three years in as good a place as we could ever hope,” said Steve. “Our current passenger numbers and income are slightly up on last year – and 2022’s passenger numbers were 96% of 2019, yet our income was 38% up. We’ve got no debt and we have the correct amount of reserves.
“The last three years have taught us about flexibility, about understanding the market and environment much better, and we’ve come to the same conclusion that many others have – that high-end is where we’ve got to go. Maximising the amount we get from each passenger is crucial to the railway’s future survival.
“A ride on the train has become a bit blasé. Enthusiasts still like it, but I think the percentage of our clientele as enthusiasts is reducing – apart from events such as galas. It’s important to offer extra services above ‘just’ riding on the train. People will pay extra for an experience.