Nantybwch | |
|---|---|
 Railway cottages which stood opposite station site in 2013. | |
| General information | |
| Location | Nantybwch, Blaenau Gwent Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°47′15″N 3°15′53″W / 51.7876°N 3.2647°W |
| Grid reference | SO128106 |
| Platforms | 4 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 March 1864 | Opened as Tredegar |
| 1 November 1868 | Renamed |
| 2 November 1868 | Becomes a junction station |
| 4 January 1958 | Withdrawal of Abergavenny and Merthyr services |
| 13 June 1960 | Final closure |
Nantybwch railway station was a station on the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line serving the village of Nantybwch in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire.[1]
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Ghost Stations - Disused Railway Stations in Blaenau Gwent, Wales
Transcription
History
The first section of the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway from Abergavenny to Brynmawr was opened on 29 September 1862.[2] The line was leased and operated by the London and North Western Railway which acquired the smaller railway company on 30 June 1866.[3][4] On 1 March 1864, the line was extended from Brynmawr to Nantybwch where a station was opened.[5][6] Initially named Tredegar, it was renamed Nantybwch on 1 November 1868,[5][7] the day before the public opening of the northward extension from Sirhowy of the Sirhowy Railway which had its own Tredegar station.[8][9]
The station was reached by the 118 yards (108 m) nine-arch Blaen-y-Cwm viaduct.[10] It was situated to the north of the small settlement from which it took its name and to the north-west of the local school.[11] Road access was via an unmade up lane reached by passing staff cottages adjacent to the line.[12] Situated at 1,165 feet (355 m) above sea level, the station was situated in a desolate and bleak landscape.[13][14] To the west the three miles to Rhymney Bridge were at a gradient of 1 in 35, whilst to Sirhowy the gradients varied between 1 in 42 and 1 in 37.[15] Single-engine loads between Rhymney and Nantybwch were restricted to 12 loaded wagons only.[15]
Four platform faces were provided: two platforms either side of a curving island platform, a bay platform for Sirhowy services and a platform for Merthyr services.[16] The Merthyr platform was adjacent to the road entrance and the platform building incorporated a ticket office and porters' room.[17] A weather-boarded footbridge linked the platforms which were lit by Sugg's Rochester pattern gaslights.[18] On the island platform was No. 1 signal box which was completed in 1891 and remained in use until 1959.[19][20] On the Down island platform until 1929 was the Area Traffic Control Office near No. 1 box until it was relocated to Abergavenny.[21][22] On the Up side was a water column fed from a brick-lined reservoir.[23] Beyond the station to the west was No. 2 box which was stone-built and of Rhymney Railway design; it controlled the goods sidings adjacent to the double track which were used for stabling and running around stock after closure of the line to the west.[24] Colliers' coaches were also stored here for the Sirhowy trains.[21]
As a result of decline in the local industry and the costs of working the line between Abergavenny and Merthyr,[25] passenger and goods services ceased on 4 January 1958.[26] The last passenger service over the line was an SLS railtour on 5 January 1958 hauled by LNWR 0-8-0 49121 and LNWR 0-6-2 tank 58926.[26][27] Final closure of Nantybwch came on 13 June 1960 with the withdrawal of the Sirhowy services,;[5][7][28][29] the last timetable showing three trains on weekdays from Tredegar.[30] The final day of operations was in fact the previous Saturday 11 June when GWR 5700 No. 3634 worked the last Up train from Tredegar at 4.32pm[31][29] and the last Down at 4.50pm with No. 8711.[32] The last train was the 6.33pm from Risca to Tredegar which had been extended to Nantybwch and departed from there at 7.52pm.[33] Earlier in the day there had been a rare Saturday excursion special from Brynmawr to Barry Island which called at Nantybwch.[31]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhymney Bridge Line and station closed |
London and North Western Railway Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway |
Trevil Halt Line and station closed | ||
| Terminus | London and North Western Railway Sirhowy Railway |
Sirhowy Line and station closed |
Present
The site of the station has been lost under the A465 road.[34][35]
References
Notes
- ^ Conolly (2004), p. 8, section A4.
- ^ Tasker (1986), p. 18.
- ^ Awdry (1990), p. 93.
- ^ Hall (2009), p. 63.
- ^ a b c Quick (2009), p. 284.
- ^ Butt (1995), p. 233.
- ^ a b Butt (1995), p. 166.
- ^ Tasker (1992), p. 33.
- ^ Page (1988), p. 43.
- ^ Tasker (1986), p. 21.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. XXIX.
- ^ Edge (2002), fig. 93.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. 118.
- ^ Hall (2009), p. 67.
- ^ a b Page (1989), p. 172.
- ^ Page (1988), p. 67.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. 116.
- ^ Edge (2002), figs. 87 and 88.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. 113.
- ^ Edge (2002), fig. 87.
- ^ a b Tasker (1986), p. 128.
- ^ Edge (2002), fig. 89.
- ^ Tasker (1986), p. 63.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. 117.
- ^ Hall (2009), p. 68.
- ^ a b Tasker (1986), p. 139.
- ^ Edge (2002), fig. 65.
- ^ Clinker (1988), p. 99.
- ^ a b Tasker (1992), p. 46.
- ^ Edge (2002), fig. 92.
- ^ a b Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. 119.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith (2007), fig. 120.
- ^ Tasker (1986), p. 62.
- ^ Edge (2002), fig. 85.
- ^ Tasker (1986), p. 141.
Sources
- 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.
- 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.
- Edge, David (September 2002). Abergavenny to Merthyr including the Ebbw Vale Branch. Country Railway Routes. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-901706-915.
- Hall, Mike (2009). Lost Railways of South Wales. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-84674-172-2.
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (August 2007). Sirhowy Valley Line. Welsh Valleys. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-123.
- Page, James (1988) [1979]. South Wales. Forgotten Railways. Vol. 8. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-946537-44-5.
- Page, James (1989). Rails in the Valleys. London: Guild Publishing. ISBN 978-0-71538-979-9.
- 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.
- Tasker, W.W. (1992) [1978]. Railways in the Sirhowy Valley. Oxford: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-415-6.
This page was last edited on 19 January 2023, at 04:41