Anglesey Central Railway

Anglesey Central Railway
Legend Amlwch Associated Octel Amlwch Rhosgoch Tank Farm Rhosgoch Llanerchymedd Llangwyllog Llangefni Red Wharf Bay Llanbedrgoch Pentraeth Rhyd-y-Saint Ceint Holland Arms Gaerwen (North Wales Coast Line)

The disused Llanerchymedd station

A section of the line near Llangwyllog

The Anglesey Central Railway was a standard gauge railway line open between 1864 and 1993 in, Anglesey, UK. The act to open the line was passed by parliament in 13th July 1863. The line, which ran between between Gaerwen and Llanerchymedd, was officially opened on 16th December 1864. From the start it carried both passenger and freight cargo. Three years later on 3rd June 1867 the line reached its full length of 18 miles when it was extended to the port of Amlwch on the island's north coast. The line was transferred to the LNWR in 1876 and an extension of the railway to the port itself in Amlwch was proposed but never materialised.

The decline of the railway started when the smelting industry in Amlwch declined and copper mining at Parys Mountain dropped off. The line continued to transport paying customers until 5th December 1964, just 11 days short of its centenary, when it was closed due to the Beeching Axe. It was then used for commercial freight purposes until the line finally closed in 1993.

Unusually for disused railways the tracks have not, as of 2007, been taken up. Many suggestions have been made as to the future of the railway, including running it as a heritage railway, or converting it to a cycle path. The cycle path option is restricted by the fact that the railway was laid down by an act of parliament, and this act has not yet been repealed. It is unclear whether or not walking along the line is strictly legal as there are still old signs by the line warning you against entering. Nevertheless parts of the track are used quite frequently by locals and tourists, especially the scenic section over Llyn Cefni.

The track is currently in a poor state of repair, with several bridges in Nant y Pandy (The Dingle) near Llangefni particularly dilapidated, and gorse bushes and small saplings growing between the tracks in some locations (see images above). The line south of Gaerwen is even worse, in some places it is impossible to walk along it.

Running from south to north there were seven stations which are listed below in order:

• Gaerwen
• Holland Arms
• Llangefni
• Llangwyllog
• Llanerchymedd
• Rhosgoch
• Amlwch

Just north of the Holland Arms station was a smaller line which ran to the popular tourist beach at Traeth Coch and the small town close by it Benllech. The Central Line passes by the island's largest reservoir, Llyn Alaw and actually passes across the second largest, Llyn Cefni on a bridge.

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