This is a reader-friendly comparison rather than a perfect same-angle photo match. It is meant to help picture how the place or route changed over time.
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway is one of the stories people come back to again and again because it is easy to imagine. It ran beside the bay, linking town, foreshore and Mumbles in a way that made the coastline feel connected.
Old maps help because they turn the memory into a route. You can follow the line along the shape of the bay and see why it became part of everyday Swansea rather than just a transport fact.
Today the journey is remembered through photographs, surviving references, the seafront path and local stories. The line has gone, but people still talk about where it ran and what it must have felt like.
That is why it belongs in the then-and-now series. It is not only about rails and vehicles; it is about how Swansea Bay was used, shared and remembered.