Llangurig branch

The M&MR was an ambitious proposal to connect Manchester, Northwest England and potentially the English Midlands with the deep water docks at Milford Haven. Not going anywhere near either location's name in its title, it was effectively a highly marketed connecting scheme using London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and Midland Railway rails as its feeder. Using the southern end of Oswestry and Newtown Railway, which connected to the LNWR for North Wales, Crewe and Manchester, the M&MR would connect to a junction at Devil's Bridge (for a branch line to Aberystwyth), and then onwards to connect with the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway (C&CR) at . Trains would then have run on the C&CR to…

Having moved its junction station for the branchline to Aberystwyth on cost grounds, from Devil's Bridge to Ystrad Meurig (later known as ), the M&MR had let the contract for construction of the western 27 mi mainline to a combined team of David Davies of Llandinam and Fredrick Beeston but it excluded the route onwards to Llanidloes, as it required additional surveying to overcome engineering and resultant cost difficulties.

A large part of the route east of Llangurig is marked on current Ordnance Survey maps as "dismantled railway". Much of the course is close to the A470 road through Nant Gwynwydd, being clearly visible. Some earthworks, including some 1.5 km west of Llangurig visible on Google Earth (including crop markings) north of the A44 and south of the road west of Pont Aberbidno, where old maps show the A44 was to pass under the railway. The tunnel headings survive from the original 1861 M&MR scheme west of Llangurig. as do the ruins of Llangurig station. The north entrance to Bryn Myherin Tunnel is visible on old maps published in the 1880s marked as an 'old quarry' south east of Cae Gaer Roman Fort…