Nantyglo railway station
Nantyglo | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Nantyglo, Blaenau Gwent Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°46′54″N 3°10′21″W / 51.7816°N 3.1725°W |
| Grid reference | SO192098 |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 16 May 1859 | Opened |
| 28 May 1906 | Became a through station |
| 30 April 1962 | Closed |
| 4 November 1963 | Line closed |
Nantyglo railway station was a station which served Nantyglo, in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire.[1]
History
[edit]Among the lines built by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company from Newport into the valleys was a 6-mile (9.7-kilometre) branch from Aberbeeg to Nantyglo, which was first opened as a tramroad in 1824 branching from the Llanhiledd Tramroad between Crumlin and Beaufort.[2] The first timetabled passenger service ran on 23 December 1850 from Newport Courtybella to Blaina.[3][4] The line was converted to a railway in 1855 together with other Monmouth tramroads in the area.[5] It became part of the Great Western Railway in 1880[6] and remained there at the Grouping of 1923.[7]
Although the Monmouthshire Railway had established a goods station at Brynmawr by 15 December 1849 via its connection with Joseph and Crawshay Bailey's tramroad at Coalbrook Vale, passenger services were not extended beyond Nantyglo Gate at Blaina.[8] It was only after agreement was reached in June 1858 with the two brothers that the Monmouthshire Railway was authorised to establish a station in their territory.[8] Nantyglo station opened on 16 May 1859[9][10] and was the terminus of the line from Aberbeeg until 1906 when the Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway opened to provide a link with Brynmawr on the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line.[11][12] The link was 1 mile 10.75 chains (1.826 km) from a point 410 yards (370 m) north of Nantyglo's booking office to a junction with the LNWR line, 150 yards (140 m) to the west of Brynmawr station.[13] Although the official opening took place on 30 June 1905, it was not until 28 May 1906 that it was authorised to open.[13] The new line, which was on a 1 in 47 gradient fall towards Nantyglo, was jointly worked by the Great Western and the LNWR, with traffic exchanged between the two companies at Nantyglo.[13] The link created the third route from Newport to Brynmawr, it also being possible to travel via Blaenavon High Level or Nantybwch and the Sirhowy Railway.[13]
A single platform was provided for the station which had a small goods yard on the opposite side of the line.[14] Such was the traffic generated during the 1930s that the station had a staff of eleven.[11] To the north of the station was a tall signal box with 20 levers and to the south there was a passing loop.[15] Passenger and goods services were withdrawn from the station on 30 April 1962.[16][10][9] The line was progressively shortened as colleries were closed, with official closure of the section between Brynmawr and Coalbrookvale including Nantyglo coming on 4 November 1963.[17] The last section of the route near Abertillery was taken out of use in 1989 after the closure of Six Bells Colliery.[5][18]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Great Western Railway Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company |
Blaina Line and station closed | ||
| Brynmawr Line and station closed |
Great Western Railway and London and North Western Railway Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway |
Terminus |
Present
[edit]The A467 road follows the course of the former line through Nantyglo.[citation needed]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Conolly (2004), p. 8, section A4.
- ^ Page (1988), p. 141.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2006), historical background.
- ^ Byles (1982), p. 32.
- ^ a b Page (1988), p. 142.
- ^ Awdry (1990), p. 36.
- ^ Awdry (1990), p. 13.
- ^ a b Byles (1982), p. 71.
- ^ a b Quick (2009), p. 284.
- ^ a b Butt (1995), p. 166.
- ^ a b Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. 85.
- ^ Tasker (1986), p. 35.
- ^ a b c d Tasker (1986), p. 36.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. 87.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. 86.
- ^ Clinker (1988), p. 99.
- ^ Hurst (1991), p. 23, note 1165.
- ^ Hall (2009), p. 52.
Sources
[edit]- Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Byles, Aubrey (1982). The History of the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. Cwmbran: Village Publishing. ISBN 0-946043-00-0.
- Clinker, C. R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 978-0-905466-91-0. OCLC 655703233.
- Conolly, W. Philip (2004) [1958]. British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0320-0.
- Hall, Mike (2009). Lost Railways of South Wales. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-84674-172-2.
- Hurst, Geoffrey (1991). Register of Closed Railways 1948–1991. Milepost Publications. ISBN 0-947796-18-5.
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (August 2006). Abertillery and Ebbw Vale Lines. Welsh Valleys. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-9044-7484-5.
- Page, James (1988) [1979]. South Wales. Forgotten Railways. Vol. 8. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-946537-44-5.
- Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
- Tasker, W.W. (1986). The Merthyr, Tredegar & Abergavenny Railway and branches. Poole: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-86093-339-7.