Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway

On 17 July 1880 the West of England Bank failed, and the financial aftermath resulted in the Pontyberem Colliery also failing. This loss of the major customer of the line resulted in the BP&GVR not making enough income to pay debenture interest, and it was referred to the Court of Chancery; on 29 July 1881 the company was in receivership.

From at the latest June 1883 passenger excursions were run from time to time, in most cases form the collieries to the seaside. This was not a regular passenger service and the passenger vehicles were probably ordinary coal wagons. No fares were charged, the trip being free for the miners and their families. Excursion trains are known to have run to Pontnewydd dating back to the 1870s in connection with the eisteddfods held in the grounds of Glyn Abbey.

However a workmen's service was started before the end of 1898, from Burry Port and calling at Trimsaran Road bridge at Morfa to pick up miners who had walked there from Kidwelly. When the Kidwelly branch was relaid with stronger track as far as Tycoch Junction where the Gwendraeth Valley line connected, a workmen's' trains ran from Tycoch Bridge, about half a mile from the centre of Kidwelly.

As well as the miners' train every weekday, a Thursday market train was run to Llanelly, chiefly for the wives and families. The miners paid for their travel by deduction from their wages rather than by ticket, and the families visiting the market paid a charge per parcel brought home. No doubt this was considered to overcome Board of Trade rules about commercial passenger operation, and the payment of passenger duty.

Passenger operation

On 3 September 1903 there was a collision between a light engine and one of the workmen's trains. The Board of Trade wrote to the company on 23 September warning of the "responsibility incurred by your company in carrying persons in this manner without the proper safeguards adopted for passenger lines". Lt Col Yorke of the Board of Trade visited the line by invitation to discuss what the proper safeguards might be, and he advised that the Board of Trade "could not recognise the practice of carrying outsiders..."

From the careful wording it is evident that the carrying of workmen was condoned, but that it had come to light that the company had been improperly permitting the carriage of members of the general public. The company continued running the workmen's trains.

At the same time local people were demanding the operation of a public passenger service on the line; an outlay of £8,500 was calculated to be necessary to enable that, and the work was deferred. However public opinion was insistent and the company noted that the Light Railways Act 1896 permitted the authorisation of passenger operation as a light railway on an existing line. To ensure that they made use of relevant experience, the company consulted Holman Fred Stephens (later Colonel Stephens), who had much experience on the field. Stephens produced a report and waited on the directors at a meeting on 13 July 1908; his estimate confirmed the £8,500 previously arrived at.

The scheme gathered pace, and new, heavier, rails were ordered together with a new locomotive and signalling equipment. Ten second-hand coaches were acquired from the Metropolitan Railway. On 30 June 1909 the Burry Port and Gwendreath Valley Railway (Light Railway) Order 1909 (Cd. 4778) was confirmed by the Board of Trade, and the passenger service was inaugurated on 2 August 1909. As well as the main line, the branch to Ty Coch was included. The main line operation was as far as Pontyberem, although a petition had been received from residents at Cwm Mawr for a service; the incremental cost of that would have been £4,000, and there were formidable gradients on that section. Public stations were at Burry Port (immediately south of the GWR Pembrey & Burry Port station), Pembrey, Pinged, Trimsaran Road, Pontnewydd (renamed Glyn Abbey in 1910), Pontyates, Ponthenry railway station, and Pontyberem.

The possibility of extension of passenger operation to Cwm Mawr was revisited; considerable new earthworks were required to ease the gradient to 1 in 40, and an estimate of £4,844 for the work was arrived at. The proposal was ratified and the Burry Port and Gwendreath Valley Railway (Light Railway Extension) Order 1911 (Cd. 5919) was confirmed by the Board of Trade on 4 October 1911. Three former London and South Western Railway six-wheel coaches were acquired, to be converted to four-wheelers; Cwm Mawr was to be supplied with water and electricity from the New Dynant Anthracite Colliery company. Passenger services started on 29 January 1913. Another halt was opened to serve Glynhebog Colliery, probably in 1898 when the passenger service was extended to Cwmmawr.

After the introduction of authorized passenger trains from 2 August 1909 the workmen's trains on the main line became regular service trains; however, the Ponthenry and Pentremawr Colliery halts for the collieries were not shown in the public timetable, and only certain trains stopped there. The halt at Trimsaran Road became a regular stopping place, and additional halts were opened to serve other collieries at Trimsaran Junction and Carway Colliery Sidings (between Glyn Abbey and Pontyates). Workmen's trains continued to run to Ty-coch on the Kidwelly branch but these were not shown in the public timetable.