DescriptionThe main line of the Saundersfoot Railway (nprn 43052) opened in 1832 between Saundersfoot Harbour (nprn 34611) and Thomas Chapel.
It was of 4ft 0 3/8in gauge. The Wiseman's Bridge Branch or Stepaside Section ran between the Harbour and Lower Level Colliery (nprn 308435), serving Stepaside Ironworks (nprn 40500) and Kilgetty Colliery (nprn 308436); it was opened after 1842. The route includes a tunnel at Craig-y-mor and two more at the headland to the north-east. The railway was built to a gauge of 4ft 0 3/8in and worked by horses until 1874 when the line was relaid with heavy flat-bottom rails and steam locomotives were introduced, as far north as the incline (nprn 308430) on the main line. After various periods of abandonment and rebuilding in the twentieth century, the Saundersfoot Railway closed finally in 1939. The tracks were removed and the route is used as a coastal footpath.
Sources include: The Saundersfoot Railway, M R C Price, Oakwood Press, 3rd edition 1978.
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 18 September 2013.