Editing Corris Railway (section)

== Route ==
[[File:Corris Railway map (2024).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Map of the Corris Railway]]

=== Stations and halts ===
* '''[[Morben]]''' Cei (or Quay) Ward was the wharf on the River Dyfi that was the main [[transshipment point]] for the original tramroad. Closed in 1869. An extension of the line beyond Cei Ward was planned, but never built.<ref name=mrfs/>
* '''[[Derwenlas]]''' at the Cei Tafarn Isa and Cei Ellis wharves on the River Dyfi . Closed in 1863 when the river wharves were cut off by the construction of the [[Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway]].<ref name=mrfs/>
* '''{{stnlink|Machynlleth Town}}''' the original passenger and goods station, opened around 1860. Closed between 1874 and 1880, when it was replaced by the passenger station at {{stnlnk|Machynlleth}}.<ref name=mrfs/>
* '''{{stnlnk|Machynlleth|Corris Railway}}''', from 1878 the southern passenger terminus serving the town of [[Machynlleth]]. This was the main slate transshipment point following the building of [[Cambrian Railways]] yard. The passenger station was an [[interchange station|interchange]] with the Cambrian Railways station, and was rebuilt in 1904. At various times there were horse stables, a carriage shed and two signal boxes. The trackbed here is now covered by an industrial estate, but the station building survives.<ref name=mrfs/>
* '''{{stnlnk|Ffridd Gate}}''' for [[Llanwrin]] village and the small hamlet of Fridd. The station was situated beside the railway's [[Level crossing]] over the [[B roads in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme#4 digits (44xx)|B4404 road]].
* {{stnlnk|Doldderwen Crossing}}, an unofficial stopping point, in the Ffridd Woods.
* {{stnlnk|Lliwdy}}, an unofficial stopping point, slightly closer to Pantperthog village than Llwyngwern station.
* '''{{stnlnk|Llwyngwern}}''' serving [[Pantperthog]] village and the ''Plas Llyn-gwern'' house, on the opposite side of the valley.
* '''{{stnlnk|Tan y Coed}}''', serving the Tan-y-Coed [[Natural Resources Wales]] picnic site. This station never existed on the original railway (neither did the picnic site), but is proposed as a major station and temporary terminus of the revived railway.
* '''{{stnlnk|Esgairgeiliog}}''' serving [[Esgairgeiliog]] village - also known as Ceinws - on the opposite side of the Dulas River.
* {{stnlnk|Pont Evans}} signalled level crossing and unofficial stopping point.
* '''[[Maespoeth Junction]]''' the locomotive and carriage shed, with no passenger station before preservation. The site housed a signal box until the Second World War, which controlled the points for the junction with the [[Upper Corris Tramway]] and points in the yard. Maespoeth is the current southern terminus of the preserved railway.
* '''Corris''', the railway's primary northern station serving [[Corris]] village. As well as the station building, there was a stable, a parcel office, and a carriage shed. There was a signal box here until the Second World War, which controlled points in the yard. Corris station is the northern terminus of the preserved railway.
* '''{{stnlnk|Garneddwen}}''', serving the hamlet of [[Garneddwen]] – a row of [[Aberllefenni quarry]] workers' housing. The trackbed here is now an access road for the hamlet.
* '''{{stnlnk|Aberllefenni}}''', the northern passenger terminus serving the village of [[Aberllefenni]]. A narrow station, perched on a steep slope. The site is now covered by a housing estate.

=== Branch lines and tramways ===
The Corris Railway had numerous branch lines, mainly built to serve the slate quarries along its route. The principal branches were:

* The [[Llwyngwern quarry tramway]], at {{rws|Llwyngwern}}.
* The [[Era quarry tramway]] at {{rws|Esgairgeiliog}}.
* The [[Upper Corris Tramway]] from {{rws|Maespoeth Junction}} serving [[Braichgoch slate mine]] and quarries surrounding [[Corris Uchaf]].
* The [[Y Magnus|Matthew's Mill Siding]] near {{rws|Aberllefenni}} serving the slate enamelling works known at different times as Y Magnus and Matthew's mill.
* The [[Aberllefenni quarry tramway]] connecting the slate mill with three quarries.
* The [[Ratgoed Tramway]] north of {{rws|Aberllefenni}} serving [[Cymerau Quarry]] and [[Ratgoed Quarry]].

Only the Aberllefenni Quarry tramway may have been locomotive worked, and in the 1960s and 1970s a tractor was used to haul waggons along it. The rest of these branches were operated by gravity and horses.

Other temporary branches were built to aid forestry works from the [[First World War]] until the 1930s.

=== Quarries served ===
The principal reason for the existence of the Corris Railway was to serve the slate quarries of this district. Although usually referred to as quarries, those on the [[Narrow Vein]] were usually underground mine workings, following the course of the vein, while those on the [[Broad Vein]] were more usually opencast quarries. The outliers in the south of the valley were also opencast. This list shows the main quarries that the railway served:

* [[Morben quarry]] - an early quarry that was connected to the CM&RDT by an incline
* [[Ogo Fach Quarry]] - an early quarry connected to the CM&RDT by a short tramway through a tunnel.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Anthony |last=Coulls |author-link=Anthony Coulls |title=The Corris, Machyhlleth and River Dovey Tramroad |journal=Early Railways |volume=3 |year=2006}}</ref>
* [[Llwyngwern quarry]] – connected to {{rws|Llwyngwern}} by its own tramway
* [[Rhiw'r Gwreiddyn quarry]] – not directly connected, but slate was carted to {{rws|Esgairgeiliog}} and loaded onto Corris trains.
* [[Era quarry]] – connected to {{rws|Esgairgeiliog}} by its own tramway
* [[Abercorris quarry]] – connected to [[Maespoeth Junction]] by the [[Upper Corris Tramway]]
* [[Gaewern quarry]] – connected to the Upper Corris Tramway, subsequently worked together with Braichgoch.
* [[Braichgoch quarry]] – connected to the Upper Corris Tramway
* [[Abercwmeiddaw quarry]] – the main Broad Vein quarry in the Corris area. Connected to the Upper Corris Tramway.
* [[Aberllefenni quarries]] – connected via internal tramway at [[Aberllefenni]]
* [[Cambergi quarry]] – not directly connected, but output carried by cart to Aberllefenni
* [[Cymerau quarry]] – connected to the [[Ratgoed Tramway]]
* [[Ratgoed quarry]] – connected to the Ratgoed Tramway

The railway also served [[Y Magnus]] (Matthew's Mill), a slate enamelling works situated between Aberllefenni and Garneddwen with its own tramway.