The route
The railway runs over a 10-mile route from Llangollen through Berwyn, Glyndyfrdwy and Carrog to Corwen (stations and route map). Near the start, the operator notes, the area between the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Horseshoe Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
1861 to 1968
The line carried freight from 1 December 1861 and passengers from 2 June 1862. Passenger services were withdrawn on 18 January 1965, and goods traffic ended in April 1968 (our story).
The long rebuild
The first open day was on 13 September 1975. Trains reached Berwyn in 1986, Glyndyfrdwy in 1993, Carrog in 1996 and Corwen East in 2014, and the heritage route was completed to Corwen Central on 2 June 2023 (our story). Berwyn station is listed Grade II and stands “high above the S bank of the River Dee” (list entry), next to a listed viaduct of six segmental arches (list entry).
Engines from the coalfield
The operator describes No. 3802 as “built for hauling serious tonnage” and No. 7754 as “an enduring workhorse from the Welsh coalfields” (steam and diesel trains). Children’s fares are a flat £5 return or £3 single (FAQs), and the Pavilion car park is the official parking for Llangollen station (parking page).
A donated mile of track and a near miss
The rebuild began with almost nothing. The local council leased the society Llangollen station and 3 miles of trackbed, and in 1977 Shell gave a mile of unused track. Volunteers laid it towards Pentrefelin, three quarters of a mile out, and finished in July 1981. Trains went on through the 689-yard Berwyn Tunnel and reached Carrog in 1996.
It nearly ended in 2021. After losses three years running, the railway company asked its bank to appoint receivers. The Llangollen Railway Trust took over and trains were back that July. Two years later, on 2 June 2023, the line finally reached its permanent Corwen station (Wikipedia).
Planning the day
Services run from mid-February to early November, well-behaved dogs are welcome on the trains and at the stations, and both Llangollen and Corwen stations are fully accessible (FAQs). The nearest main-line stations are Ruabon, Chirk and Wrexham General, each followed by a bus or taxi (getting here).
Photographing the line
The railway ran a photography and video competition for 2026 and suggested Berwyn, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog, Corwen and Llangollen as places to try, all stations you can reach without stepping off the platform. Its Branch Line Gala, from 10 to 12 April 2026, was the busiest weekend for engines.
Sources: Llangollen photo competition; Branch Line Gala 2026 (checked 21 October 2026).
If you have a photograph worth framing, we print it as you took it.
