The railway was built in the 1860's, Being built primarially for the conveyance of coal from the colliery at Penyiog, to the docks for exportation. The line ran only as far as Pant-y-gassog, where engines would run around, and haul their empty coal wagons up the steep slope to Penyiog. At the time, the slope to Penyiog was the longest section of 1 in 39 gradient in the world, but this fact is no longer applicable. The trains going up the slope required 2, but more commonly, 3 locomotives, to assist the mountain climb. As more and more people flocked to the towns to get work in the collierys, the small villages of Abersyth, Pant-y-gassog, and Llandeerdog became overcrowded, and the railway soon became a Twin tracked, passenger carrying mainline. With access to the area limited due to the surrounding landscape, everything, from Food, wheat, flour, bread, to cement, cars, and even steel came by rail.

 

In 1872, the railway extended to Llandeerdog, which became the Northern terminus of the line. there was plans to extend the line onto the mainline which runs from Newport to Crewe, but due to the cost of building the amount of tunnels, and bridges the route would require, this was ruled out. With the ever increasing demand for Steel, the Abersyth steel works was built, and is still in production to this day. The railway has seen a massive range of motive power over the years, due to the fact it was built by the LNWR, in GWR territory.

 

In 1923, the railway companies were grouped under the big four, and even though the line was in GWR territory, it frequently saw LMS locomotives. The Jinty tank engine was a common sight on local passenger freight trains, and black 5s, 8f's and many types of GWR locos were seen along the line. in 1925, the depot at Llandeerdog was destroyed by fire, due to the origional structure being built of wood, and it was replaced with a large stone built structure.

 

The line seemed pretty rich in every resource, however during the general strike, many of the locals realised the importance of the railways to their community, and bundled together to run the system. The railway frequently had large numbers of locomotives, and a good standard of maintainance on them.

 

In 1939, WW2 was declared, and things got tighter for the railway. More coal than ever before was demanded from the mines to provide the war machine with enough materials to keep the war effort moving. by 1941, things looked bleak, with the allies forced back at dunkirk, it looked as though the railway would grind to a halt, as more and more men were called up to fight. the local women stepped into the factorys and mines, and the colliery of Penyiog was a prime target of Nazi bombers. The Abersyth steelworks became a war factory, and the railway was the lifeline.

 

Several times during WW2, whilst nazi bombers were searching for ROF Glascoed, the munitions factory, they came accross the collierys of Penyiog, and decided to bomb them instead. Most attacks were fended off, however, in june 1941, a Nazi bomber suceeded in dropping a bomb, which fell straight down the shaft of the No 3 Pit, killing every man in the cage. revenge for this came pretty soon, when the RAF gun placements shot down 2 bombers in one evening.

 

As with all the railways, WW2 took its toll, and the railway was in a poor state of affairs. Locomotives were coming in for repairs, and the railway had no money to repair them. In 1948, British railways was formed, and things began to get better. by 1950, things were back to normal. with the 1955 modernisation plan, diesels were being introduced on the network, the Llandeerdog and penyiog railway was no exception, and diesel locomotives were introduced, and began to take over on passenger services. Coal traffic was reserved for steam however, due to the abundance of coal, it seemed a sensless investment. by 1965, passenger services were finished, and the line was used for coal traffic only. a new power station, and washery were opened in Pant-y-gassog and Llandeerdog, however this did nothing to help the steady decreasing flow of traffic on the line. just as things were about to get better for the line, an explosion in the no 1 pit brought production to a halt for the last time. Passenger services continued as far as Abersyth, however, the mineral line, from Abersyth as fair as Penyiog, shut on new years eve, 1969.

 

In june 1970, The Llandeerdog and Penyiog light railway company was formed, with the intention of setting up a preserved steam railway, to run from Llandeerdog to Penyiog. with much of the existing trackwork in a fairly good condition, not much work was needed to bring the line back into use. A Midland compound engine was brought in from another railway, to be used as the railways only operational locomotive. The engine was in a poor state of repair sadly, and it wasnt long before problems arose, however, the will of that engine, kept the railway running, and prooved that there was potential for the railway to run again.

 

As more engines arrived on the railway, the Colliery was reopened by an entrepanur to provide coal for the local power station, the railway soon prooved itself to be a reliable carrier, and also capable of running trains to a profit. something which BR never seemed to grasp. It soon became apparant that the mainline from Blaenberris to Abersyth, which runs through some of the most glorious scenery in Wales, was going to close. The L&PLR submitted a bid to operate the line, and succeeded in gaining the running rights.

 

This presented the line with a massive challenge, 50 Miles of steam operated mainline? with gradients as steep as 1 in 40, long streches between stations, longer trains, and all still steam operated? Many people said it was impossible.

 

However, in the traditional spirit of the L&PLR, Members bought new engines, and even used BR diesels, to take on new contracts, and provide a reliable steam run mainline. it soon became apparant in the steam world, that this railway was not preserved. It was a fully functioning mainline.

 

Now, both the depots of Llandeerdog and Blaenberris, accomodate over 60 locomotvies, ranging from LMS and GWR tank engines, Through to LNER A4 Pacifics, 8fs, and even two french 2-10-2 tender engines. as the modern day has approached, different contracts have been signed, which have resulted in trains coming in from the mainline, and most require the railways assistance to tackle the railways steep slopes.

 

How many times have you seen an EWS class 66, pulling 20 HAA Hopper wagons, banked by an LMS 8f steam locomotive?

 

The depot of Blaenberris is a steam owners dream, with every type of machine to maintain the locomotives, a turntable, and even a turning triangle for turning larger engines, and even whole trains. this is truley a steam worked dreamworld.