This is the story of a railway whose ambitions were as lofty as the Cambrian mountains through which it sought to build, but whose achievements were as modest as the townships of mid-Wales which it ultimately served.

The Manchester & Milford Railway never came within many a mile of either place. It amounted to a delightful cross country route from Aberystwyth, south to Pencader Junction near Carmarthen, plus a never-used short section (visible to this day) to Llangurig. It was a scenic line, running through farming country, but it never fulfilled its hopes.

This history is not aimed solely at the railway fraternity; it is also for those who live in, or love, the tranquillity and beauty of this part Wales.