It was a momentous day for the town and one that had been a long time coming. Some forty years previously in 1854 the Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway Company had been launched with plans to connect the two towns via Pencader, Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn. Construction work had started in 1857 on the broad gauge [7ft] line and by September 1860 it had reached Conwil Elfed. It took a further four years to reach Llandysul via the Alltwalis Tunnel and Pencader arriving in Llandysul in June 1864. Llandysul was to remain the end of the line for another 31 years until 1895 before the link to Newcastle Emlyn was completed.

By this time the financially troubled Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway Company had been leased to the Great Western Railway and the track between Carmarthen and Llandysul converted to the standard gauge [4ft 8½ ins ] in 1872.

Work on the extension to Newcastle Emlyn began in 1885 and it took ten long years to build the six and three quarter mile link from Llandysul to the town. The company never achieved its ambition of going on to Cardigan which had been reached by rail from Whitland nine years previously in 1886.

The long wait for a train service in Newcastle Emlyn however was forgotten on July 1st 1895. The whole town turned out to welcome the opening of the railway. Schoolchildren were given a day's holiday and an organising committee had been hard at work making all the arrangements for the historic day. Mr J H Evans Brynmarlog chaired it and its members included local doctors, ministers of religion, teachers from the town's two primary schools, members of the School Board, local bank managers and business people.

The early morning torrential rain did not affect the enthusiasm of all concerned. The town and its approaches, says the Cardigan & Tivyside Advertiser, were thronged with pedestrians and vehicles all making their way to the railway station which soon became inconveniently crowded. Thanks however to the efforts of Mr Beck, the station master and his assistants, everything passed without a hitch.

Shortly before 10 am the town's schoolchildren all wearing rosettes and flowers marched in procession to the station headed by the Bronwydd and Llysnewydd Brass Band. There they boarded three special excursion trains of 12 carriages each for a return trip to Llandysul. According to the report in the Tivyside, saloon carriages were provided for the teachers and members of the organising committee.

On the return of the excursion trains nearly 2,000 children and adults sat down to tea in the Market Hall. During the afternoon the band played through the streets and everything "wore a most festive appearance."