Llanfyllin branch

The Llanfyllin Branch was a railway line extension of the Oswestry and Newtown Railway to access the limestone resources within the Llanfyllin area; it opened in 1863.

Surveyed and engineered by a Mr Savin and his brother-in-law, Mr Ward, a stipulation of the authorising Act of Parliament was that the railway should not interfere with the existing access rights of: tramways of the mines; the Ellesmere Canal company branch; or the Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR). This necessitated the construction of two bridges on what was a relatively flat valley floor.

Junctioned from the former Oswestry and Newtown Railway's Llanymynech station, the lines access was to the north of the station to provide sufficient clearance height before crossing the canal. Unable to justify the expense of an aqueduct to pass under the canal, trains would hence proceed up what was called the "Rock Siding" towards the Hoffmann kilns, before reversing onto the Llanfyllin branch.

After crossing the canal, the Llanfyllin branch diverged north on the loopline through Carreghofa Halt, before branching southwest before the junction of the loopline with the TVLR. The Nantmawr Branch was next on the loopline, while the Porth-y-waen branch was after the station at Porthywaen Halt, in fact not much more than a siding to serve the Porth-y-waen limestone quarry. The loopline then accessed the O&NR again, this time merging north via Llynclys junction towards Weston Wharf and onwards to the companies headquarters in the station at Oswestry.

After leaving the loopline, the Llanfyllin branch passed through: Llansantffraid; Llanfechain; Bryngwyn; before terminating at Llanfyllin.

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