Brecon Mountain Railway

The Brecon Mountain Railway is a narrow-gauge tourist line on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons in Wales. It runs north from Pant station, beside the Pontsticill Reservoir, past Pentwyn Reservoir to Torpantau. The railway follows part of the old Brecon and Meryr Railway trackbed for about seven kilometres. The line stops just short of the southern entrance to the 610-metre Torpantau Tunnel, the highest railway tunnel in Great Britain. Car parking is only available at Pant station, outside the national park. The railway belongs to the Great Little Trains of Wales group. The railway was founded in the 1970s by Tony Hills, a railway enthusiast who moved his collection of locomotives to Pant in 1977. Construction began in 1978, and passenger services started in June 1980 with the engine Sybil and one carriage. A large station and workshop were built at Pant between 1982 and 1996, providing passenger facilities and a workshop for locomotives. The line was extended to Dolygaer in 1995 and to Torpantau in 2014. The original waiting room at Pontsticill was turned into a steam museum in 2016, housing stationary steam engines and smaller locomotives. A visitor boards at Pant station and travels through quiet countryside beside two reservoirs. At Pontsticill there is a station house, workshop and a small steam museum. The line passes Dolygaer, where a run-round loop remains in use. The journey ends at Torpantau station, close to the southern entrance of the high tunnel. Passengers can see the restored station buildings and the surrounding hills of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The railway offers a way to reach the park without driving through it.