Strata Florida railway station

The M&MR's original plan was to build a line through the mountains. One scheme involved the building of a six-mile tunnel to Llangurig, whence it would proceed to Llanidloes, reaching Manchester over other companies' lines through Moat Lane, Newtown, Welshpool, Oswestry, Whitchurch and Crewe. The required finance was not forthcoming and the prospect of such a route never being economic became apparent; only the section from Llangurig to Llanidloes was actually built. A line towards Aberystwyth, via Llanilar, was opened instead in 1867; from Aberystwyth, access to Moat Lane and onwards could be achieved, after a reversal, by way of Machynlleth and Caersws.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) took over the service in 1906 and fully absorbed the line in 1911. The station, and GWR, passed on to British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

Although proposed for closure in the Beeching Report, the line closed in December 1964; this was due to serious damage caused by flooding south of Aberystwyth, near Llanilar station, in December 1964. The cost of repairs was deemed unjustified and led to the withdrawal of passenger services in February 1965; however, milk trains continued to run from Carmarthen to nearby Pont Llanio until 1970.[3]

The station was about three miles from the old abbey of Strata Florida; Lord Lisburne of Trawsgoed, an influential local landowner, had tried to have the station to be named Ystrad Meurig after the village of that name.[4] The station was built at a point where it could serve three local villages, but its location made railway access difficult. The station itself was positioned on a tight curve, although the line from the south took a straight course across the Cors Caron bog. On leaving the station, the branch line towards Aberystwyth climbed out of the Teifi valley at 1:43 for about a mile to the summit of the line, before falling for four miles at 1:41 into the Ystwyth valley and Trawscoed.[5]

The station had two platforms, basic buildings and a signal box. All have been demolished; there are a few artefacts remaining, including the stationmaster's house.

Manchester and Milford Railway
Aberystwyth Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Rly to Pwllheli Vale of Rheidol Railway (narrow gauge) Llanrhystyd Road Newtown & Machynlleth Rly Llanilar Oswestry & Newtown Rly to Manchester Felindyffryn Halt Llanidloes (L&NR) Trawscoed Mid-Wales Railway to Builth Wells Caradog Falls Halt Llangurig branch Llangurig Aberayron branch unbuilt connection 15 miles (24 km) Aberayron Llanerch-Ayron Halt Strata Florida Crossways Halt Alltddu Halt Ciliau-Aeron Halt Tregaron Felin Fach Pont Llanio Talsarn Halt Olmarch Halt Blaenplwyf Halt Llangybi Silian Halt Derry Ormond Newcastle Emlyn Pontgoch Lampeter Teifi Valley Railway (narrow gauge) Henllan Pencarreg Halt Alltycefn Tunnel Llanybydder Pentrecourt Platform Maesycrugiau Llandyssul Bryn Teifi Teifi Valley route (Carmarthen & Cardigan Rly) Pencader Junction Pencader Pencader Tunnel 985 yd 901 m Llanpumpsaint Conwil Danycoed Halt Llwyfan Cerrig Gwili Railway Bronwydd Arms Abergwili Junction Llanelly Railway to Llandovery Carmarthen Town River Gwili Carmarthen Great Western Railway to Milford Haven West Wales Line to Swansea