Close 1944 or 1946. Propulsion system(s) Conventional steam Open 1941 | Status Closed Route length 1,320 yards (1,210 m) | |
Track gauge Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) | ||
The Harlech Military Railway was built solely for military traffic during World War II. Contemporary published sources are reticent about the railway due to its military purpose.
The line was a standard gauge branch which veered seawards (westwards) off the ex-Cambrian Railways Cambrian Coast line approximately 430 yards (390 m) north of Harlech railway station. This junction and a substantial section of the line can be see in two aerial photographs of the period. The line appears on a 1948 OS map of the area.
The line's location north of the village is corroborated by Rail Map Online; however, the producers acknowledge that they are not confident that their map adequately represents the line's seaward end.
The line's primary purpose was to serve a gunnery range which was under the control of a camp at Bronaber, near Trawsfynydd.
The line is not to be confused with the Harlech Tramway which was south of Harlech.