The Vale of Rheidol Railway: The Story of a Narrow Gauge Survivor

Built to carry minerals from mines in the Rheidol valley, the 2ft gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway found its niche carrying tourists to the tourist attraction at Devil’s Bridge, 12 miles inland from the Cardigan coast resort of Aberystwyth. Taken over by the Cambrian Railways and then the Great Western Railway, it became the last steam railway operated by British Rail. In 1989 it became the first part of the national network to be privatised. Now under the control of a charitable trust it is undergoing a revival that will see it become one of the leading tourist attractions in Mid-Wales. AUTHOR: Peter Johnson is an historian specialising in North Wales’s railways, with nearly 40 books to his credit. His books are informed and readable accounts of the histories and development of the railways covered. A retired local government officer, he edited the Ffestiniog Railway Society’s quarterly magazine from 1974 until 2003 and from 1991 until 2019 he contributed a narrow-gauge railway news column to a national railway magazine. This is his fifth title for Pen & Sword Transport. 200 colour and b/w illustrations, maps and track diagrams