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by SWT
Mumbles Railway Trail by SWT
South Wales Transport
From Swansea Museum Tramshed
to Mumbles Pier
Mumbles Railway Trail by SWT
South Wales Transport
From Swansea Museum Tramshed
to Mumbles Pier
Please note: This Trail was first published in 1990 and some features have changed -
Please note: This Trail was first published in 1990 and some features have changed -
Originally printed by South Wales Transport Company in 1990, so treat the text as a guide, but check the details are up to date. Using a mobile phone map would be useful, especially in the new road layout around LC2.
The Museum Tramshed contains the last Mumbles Train, car number 7.
Check opening times with Swansea Museum, Phone: 01792 653763
Even though it closed in January 1960, there are a number of reminders of the Mumbles Railway's existence along its former route.
The original leaflet follows the trail of this historic railway, highlighting items of interest. Bold numbers in the text refer to the locations marked on the map above .
A good place to start is at Swansea Tram Museum and the opening times are available from Swansea Museum, PHONE which is a short walk from the Quadrant Bus Station. Proceed to the Yellow (in 2025 called te ’Crunchie’) footbridge over Oystermouth Road. The museum is at the rear of the leisure centre LC2 and past the Waterfront Museum.
The museum's tramway annexe is located in Dylan Thomas Square and houses a 1924 Swansea street tramcar and the last surviving section of a 1929 Mumbles Railway electric car, fully restored. Car No. 7 was one of the last pair to operate on the railway when it closed on January 5th., 1960. Access to the section is permitted and you can even sit on the front seats on the upper deck! Other exhibits include a replica horse car built by SWT in 1954 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the railway. Archive material and photo-graphs add to the display. A continuous video shows the railway in action, as it once was.
The entrance to car number 7, with stairs and drivers cab.
Car number 7, Driver controls and there is a drivers hat you can wear.
Carol Powell climbed the train stairs and the visit brought back many memories.
Mumbles Train Cab from car 7.
Mumbles Train Cab from car 7.
This is the last remaining section of Mumbles Railway rolling stock in existence. It is in fact the cab of the car which made the last service run in 1960. The tramcars, with their distinctive livery, were built in 1928 by the Brush Electrical Engineers Company of Loughborough. They were the largest tramcars in service in Britain, being 45 feet long. They could carry 106 seated passengers and covered the journey to Mumbles in 19 minutes.
From the museum, return through the leisure centre car park to York St., and "The Terminus" public house (In 2025 an Indian Restaurant). 2 The name commemorates the fact that the Mumbles Railway Rutland Street terminus was near this point, from where it headed off along Oystermouth Road towards St. Helens. Note the inn sign illustrating a Mumbles Railway electric car. There are some interesting pictures on the wall inside too!
Between this point and St. Helens, very little of the railway remains, the trackbed having been incorporated into the roadway.
So return to the Quadrant Bus Station and catch services 1, 2 or 3A (check times on your mobile) to the Guildhall (Law Court bus stop) and walk along St. Helens Road towards the seafront.
The Mumbles Train at Rutland Street. The Terminus Hotel is hidden behind the train.
The last Mumbles Train on 5 January 1960 at the Slip , with The Bay View Hotel in the background. The photo was taken from The Slip Bridge. The British Rail line (1948 to 1964) alongside led from Victoria Station to Shrewsbury and York..
The distinctive Bay View Hotel 3 has been a feature of the seafront since 1891; this point was once a busy interchange between the Mumbles Railway and the Swansea street tramways which closed in 1937.
Note that the Bay View's sign was another showing an electric railcar. The Hotel, now a Thai Restaurant, at 400, Mumbles Road, was known for a splendid collection of photographs, but this may have changed over the years.
Beneath the removed large steel span footbridge (on the landward side of the road) is a faded green electricity control box 4 bearing the initials "SWT Co Ltd." and which was once part of the power system of the rail-way. At this point the Mumbles railway passed at approximately the position of the central reservation -the road having been considerably widened over the years to incorporate also the trackbed of the former LMS railway from Swansea Victoria to Gowerton and Central Wales.
Cross the road by means of the Panda Crossing, return to the footpath and head towards the Mumbles direction. The next viewpoint is situated almost opposite the St. Helens Rugby/Cricket ground.
Before catching a bus (at the Brynmill bus stop further on) three items of interest on the embankment 5 are the Boer War statue and the granite memorial to a canine hero, Swansea Jack, the black retriever who saved twenty seven lives at Swan-sea Docks in the 1930s. The remains of the large steel span mentioned earlier can be found on the way to the Brynmill bus stop.
Large crowds waiting for the Mumbles Steam Train at Brynmill.
The Mumbles Train approaching Blackpill Station, now The Junction Coffee shop.
Re-join services 1,2 or 3A and alight next at Black-pill. (Incidentally along the Mumbles Road the railway trackbed occupied the land now taken up by the nearside lane as you head towards Blackpill.)
At Blackpill 6 the red brick building, now a sometimes open Café named The Juntion, a few yards back from the bus stop was the power-sub station for the railway. It was constructed in 1927 and formerly converted power to 600 volts DC for supply to the railway's overhead wires. Note the concrete Blackpill name above the canopy and from a distance the re-mains of wartime camouflage paint can be seen. Here the footpath runs along the former trackbed - note that at one time, there were indentations in the tarmac which denotet the position once occupied by the railway's wooden sleepers, but these were repaired. (In the summer The Junction has an extension selling beach food and ice cream, opposite the Lido)
From Blackpill to Oystermouth, the trackbed is intact and forms a footpath/cycleway which is a very pleasant coastal stroll.
Alternatively, return to the bus stop and catch services 1,2 or 3A to Oystermouth (service 3A operates via Higher West Cross Estate).
or even take A Nostalgic Walk Along the Track by Carol Powell >
The Train leaving Blackpill Station, with the Wartime Anti-Tank Blocks > still in position.
An alternative route -
A Nostalgic Walk Along the Track >
From Blackpill
to Mumbles Pier
From Blackpill
to Mumbles Pier
By Carol Powell
By Carol Powell
The front of car 7 at the Tramshed Museum.
Waving to the Mumbles Train at West Cross.
Note the Quarry car park at the rear of the houses on the approach to Oystermouth. This was the original reason why the railway (formerly a tramroad) was built. Opposite, is the site of the original Terminus for the railway, now the Dairy Car park. (More: Link).
Follow the coast path to Oystermouth Station Square which has an old Waiting Room, now closed. (More: Link)
Three Electric Power Poles have been preserved along with a Station Name Board and an Information. Board will soon be installed. There are QR codes which lead to videos and more information concerning the railway
Further evidence of quarrying can be seen later in the cliffs between Southend and Mumbles Pier and they are also featured following the relevant links.
The Train approached Norton Station, now
The Mumbles Train at Southend
The Mumbles steam Train at Southend Station during a Mumbles Regatta, c.1925
More: Mumbles Trail Guides collection >
More: Mumbles Railway or Train collection>
More: Mumbles Pier - Past and Present >
Please note:
Since first publication in 1990, some features may have changed and should be checked before making a journey.
Using a mobile would be a great help for a map and information.
The Mumbles Train at Mumbles Pier. early 1950s
The Mumbles Railway Trail
The Mumbles Railway Trail
The details noted may have changed and should be checked before making a journey.
Not all the railways ot stations were in service at the same time
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