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The Llandeilo - Abergwili Junction Branch Line - 1

Nantgaredig Station

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The Carmarthen line from Llandeilo joined the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway at Abergwili Junction, then continued as a parallel standard gauge line to Carmarthen along the course of the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway. The standard gauge tracks were continued to a junction with the Pembroke and Tenby Railway which had extended its tracks alongside the South Wales Railway to Carmarthen.

The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was taken over by the London North Western Railway from 1871, thus giving the LNWR access to Carmarthen.

The Swansea and Carmarthen lines were split from the Llanelly Railway and Dock Company as the Swansea and Carmarthen Railways, worked by the LNWR. The Swansea line was bought by the LNWR and the Carmarthen line became the Central Wales and Carmarthen Junction Railway. This in turn was purchased by the LNWR. The Llanelly Railway and Dock Company was finally bought by the Great Western Railway and operated by them from 1873, despite having been an ally of the London and North Western Railway for many years.

After Nationalisation the line was worked by Great Western Railway (GWR) using pannier tanks, then London Midland Railway until its closure on 9 September 1963 to both passenger and goods traffic. Journey time between Llandeilo and Carmarthen was about 45 minutes.

One of the engines using the line was No. 9645 which was no longer needed after the line's closure and was scrapped in October 1963.

The last train through Nantgaredig was No. 7437, driven by the late Cyril Rees with Gareth Davies as Guard.

Nantgaredig Station

London Midland Scottish (LMS) nameboards with black letters on a yellow background are just visible on the Station building. Just visible to the left of the signal is the edge of the old Carmarthen Farmers building.

0-6-0PT No. 9645 arriving at Nantgaredig Station c. 1960s

Looking west. There were three tracks, the other two being behind the booking office on the left. After closure of the line in 1964 the Station was converted into a dwelling and gained an extra storey in the process.

The goods yard at Nantgaredig was used by a farmers’ co-operative (Carmarthen Farmers) until 2002 when it was taken over by O. J. Williams as a storage depot. Fuel is sold from the rear of the premises. Nantgaredig Station was once a single storey building but on conversion to a dwelling has acquired a second storey. The lines here ran both north and south of the station building. The north side platform can still be seen and along either side of the track bed are Portacabins from which N. & A. James Ltd. operate as Crane Hire and Heavy Haulage Specialists. At this point the line of the track bed is clearly seen.

Today, almost 39 years after the closure of the Llandeilo-Abergwilli Junction branch line little visible evidence of its existence remains.

N. & A. James Ltd. at Nantgaredig Station, 2002

Remnants of the platforms can still be seen at Nantgaredig Station

Station House, Station Road, Nantgaredig, 2002

Rear (track side) view of the old Railway Station building which is located about half a mile from the crossroads at Nantgaredig, and opposite the one time Carmarthen Farmers warehouse. This view is looking west, along the trackbed where there were once twin tracks. The lines have long since gone and all that remains are the station building and sidings.

From the Carmarthen Journal, August 18, 1822

Accident at Nantgaredig Railway Station

On Tuesday evening Mr R. Griffiths, Hay Merchant, was, together with his men, loading a truck of hay at the railway station, and when nearly completed, one of the cuttings on which he stood gave way, when he fell to the ground on one of the rails in such a way that he received injuries to his head and body.

The result might very probably have proved fatal, but he is progressing favourably so far under the medical treatment of Mr W. L. Jones, surgeon.

From the 1881 UK census

Nantgaredig Station

George Johnson Dugmore, aged 47, a widower born at Goodrich, Hereford, England, lived there with his children, Beatrice Eleanor, aged 17 (unmarried, born Neyland, Pembroke, Wales) and Charlotte E. A., aged 14, also unmarried and born at Whitchurch, Hereford, England

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