Qualla: Anglesey Central Railway

Anglesey Central Railway: Introduction

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Rathfelder, CC BY-SA 4.0. On a wet November morning in 1877, the first train of the day pulled out of Llangefni heading north for Amlwch. The driver was William Taylor, standing in for Robert Williams, who had overslept. Heavy rain had breached a mill dam at Rhodgeidio in the night, and the wooden bridge over the Afon Alaw - the Caemawr bridge - had been swept away in the dark. Taylor and his train went straight over the side into the river. Two men died, and the bridge that was rebuilt in stone afterwards is still called Pont Damwain to this day - Accident Bridge. The Anglesey Central Railway was always a small line, but its history has been quietly dramatic.

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Image: Rathfelder | CC BY-SA 4.0

Anglesey Central Railway: Built for the Mountain

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The Anglesey Central was authorised in 1863 and opened in stages from 1864, running 17 miles from Gaerwen junction on the main north Wales line up to Amlwch on the north coast. Its purpose was simple: get the copper ore from Parys Mountain to the rest of Britain faster than the s...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

Anglesey Central Railway: A Lifeline and a Limit

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit London and North Western Railway, Public domain. Single-track branch lines on small islands have particular problems, and Anglesey's was timetabling. With no passing loop suitable for full passenger trains, only one train at a time could be on the line, which meant two-hour gaps between services. A short passing loop at Llangef...

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Image: London and North Western Railway | Public domain

Anglesey Central Railway: Bromine, Beeching, and Slow Decline

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit User:Ansbaradigeidfran, Public domain. Passenger services ended on 5 December 1964, victims of the Beeching axe that closed half of Britain's branch lines in a few short years. But the railway had one customer left: the Octel bromine plant in Amlwch, opened in 1953, which moved 70,000 tons of chlorine and bromine comp...

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Image: User:Ansbaradigeidfran | Public domain

Anglesey Central Railway: The Long Reopening

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cls14, CC BY 3.0. The campaign to bring trains back has been running almost as long as the line was closed. Restoration groups, Sustrans cyclist advocates, and Anglesey County Council have spent two decades arguing whether the trackbed should carry rails or bikes - and whether it might somehow car...

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Image: Cls14 | CC BY 3.0