Glyn Abbey railway station

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Glyn Abbey
Kymer's Canal from Pont Newydd.JPG
The trackbed of the old railway and Kymer's Canal.
General information
Location Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire
Wales
Coordinates 51°44′34″N4°15′03″W / 51.7428°N 4.2509°W / 51.7428; -4.2509 Coordinates: 51°44′34″N4°15′03″W / 51.7428°N 4.2509°W / 51.7428; -4.2509
Grid reference SN446073
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
Key dates
2 August 1909 (1909-08-02) [1] Station opened
November 1910Renamed Glyn Abbey
3 May 1943 (1943-05-03) [2] Station closed

Glyn Abbey railway station was opened in 1909 [2] as Pontnewydd Halt [3] It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Pont-newydd area and hinterland between 1909 and 1943; it was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Contents

History

The BP&GVR system in 1909. BP&GVR.png
The BP&GVR system in 1909.

The station was opened as Pontnewydd on 1 February 1909 by the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway on the Kidwelly and Burry Port section of the line and was closed by the Great Western Railway in 1943 with the last passenger train on the line running nearly ten years later on Saturday 19 September 1953. [1] It was on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway with Trimsaran Road located to the south and Pontyates to the north of the East Kidwelly Junction. [1]

The station was renamed as Glyn Abbey in 1910. [2] The name change may have been to avoid confusion with Upper Pontnewydd at Cwmbran and Lower Pontnewydd at Torfaen. Glyn Abbey was a country house located nearby and linked directly to Pont-newydd by a footpath. [4]

A rural area which once had a public house, the Smiths' Arms, at the nearby Pont-newydd hamlet. The Bryn Forest Inn was also close by on the road to Tre-Goch hamlet. [5] Many old coal pits were once active in the area. [4]

The railway was originally a freight only line, [6] built on the route of an old canal and prone to flooding, but stations were established due to pressure from the public. The freight service continued for coal traffic until 1996 by which time the last of the local collieries had closed down. [7] [8]

Infrastructure

The station had one wooden platform on the western side of this single track line with a small wooden shelter. The station had no public sidings; a road overbridge still stands to the north. [3] [9] [4]

Remnants

The section south of Pinged, between Burry Port and Craiglon Bridge Halt is now a footpath and cycleway, however this section remains abandoned although a footpath has been established in the area.

Routes

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Trimsaran Road
Line and station closed		  Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Great Western Railway		  Pontyates
Line and station Closed

See also

Related Research Articles

Burry Port Human settlement in Wales

Burry Port is a port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the Loughor estuary, to the west of Llanelli and south-east of Kidwelly. Its population was recorded at 5,680 in the 2001 census and 6,156 in the 2011 census, and estimated at 5,998 in 2019. The town has a harbour. It is also where Amelia Earhart landed as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Nearby are the Pembrey Burrows sand dune and wetland system, forming a country park, and the Cefn Sidan sands. Its musical heritage includes Burry Port Opera, Male Choir and Burry Port Town Band.

Kidwelly Town in Wales

Kidwelly is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, increasing to 3,523 at the 2011 Census.

The Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway (BP&GVR) was a mineral railway company that constructed a railway line in Carmarthenshire, Wales, by conversion of a canal, to connect collieries and limestone pits to the sea at Kidwelly. It extended its network to include Burry Port, Trimsaran and a brickworks at Pwll, later extending to Sandy near Llanelli. For a time the company worked the separate Gwendraeth Valleys Railway. The BP&GVR was notable because of the very low height of some overbridges, a legacy of the canal conversion.

Kidwelly railway station Railway station in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Kidwelly railway station serves the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is situated on the coast just southwest of Kidwelly itself.

Waddon Marsh railway station was in Waddon in the London Borough of Croydon on the West Croydon to Wimbledon Line. It was between West Croydon and Beddington Lane Halt stations. There was pedestrian access by footpath only from Miller Road a side street near Purley Way.

Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal Former canal and tramroad system in southwest Wales

The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal was a canal and tramroad system in Carmarthenshire, Wales, built to carry anthracite coal to the coast for onward transportation by coastal ships. It began life as Kymer's Canal in 1766, which linked pits at Pwll y Llygod to a dock near Kidwelly. Access to the dock gradually became more difficult as the estuary silted up, and an extension to Llanelli was authorised in 1812. Progress was slow, and the new canal was linked to a harbour at Pembrey built by Thomas Gaunt in the 1820s, until the company's own harbour at Burry Port was completed in 1832. Tramways served a number of collieries to the east of Burry Port.

Tutshill for Beachley Halt was a request stop on the South Wales Railway and Wye Valley Railway. It was opened on 9 July 1934, and was intended to serve the nearby village of Tutshill. However, though the station was situated a short distance from the junction of the Wye Valley Railway and was still on the main line, the only trains which served the small halt were from the Wye Valley Railway and when the line closed on 5 January 1959, the stop closed with it.

Kidwelly Flats Halt railway station

Kidwelly Flats Halt railway station served the Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) and RAF Pembrey at Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales between 1941 and 1957. It was on the West Wales Line.

Craiglon Bridge Halt railway station may have served the Craig-Lon Colliery and its workers near Pembrey, but this business was closed in the 1930s. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Lando area between 1932 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales. A firing range was located nearby in WWII.

Pinged railway station

Pinged Halt railway station was opened in 1909 but was renamed Pinged railway station in 1922. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Pinged area between 1909 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Trimsaran Road railway station was opened in 1909 at Morfa It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Trimsaran area between 1909 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lay some distance to the west of the village of Trimsaran.

Pontyates railway station

Pontyates railway station was opened in 1909 It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Pontyates / Pont-iets area and hinterland between 1909 and 1953; it was one of several stations opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Ponthenry railway station was opened in 1909 It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Pont-henri area and hinterland between 1909 and 1953; it was one of several basic stations opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Pontyberem railway station was opened in 1909 to timetabled passenger services however services for miners began in 1898. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Pontyberem area and hinterland between 1909 and 1953; it was one of several basic stations opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Cwmmawr for Tumble railway station,Cwm Mawr railway station or Cwmmawr railway station was opened in 1913 to timetabled passenger services. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Cwmmawr area and hinterland between 1913 and 1953; it was one of several basic stations opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Ty-coch Halt railway station,Ty Coch Halt railway station or Tycoch Halt railway station had been opened by 1927 to passenger services for miners use only. A halt is however marked on the 1913 OS map. It was opened by the Great Western Railway and served the colliers from the Kidwelly area working at the collieries in the Gwendraeth Valley between 1927 and 1949; several basic halts were opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales, however most were also opened to public use.

Pembrey railway station or Pembrey Halt railway station served the village of Pen-bre or Pembrey. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the area between 1909 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Burry Port railway station served the town of Burry Port. It continued to serve the inhabitants of the area near Llanelli between 1909 and 1953 and was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Lando Platform railway station served the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, from 1915 to 1964 on the South Wales Railway.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 188. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. 1 2 3 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 105. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. 1 2 Carmarthenshire, LIII.8, Revised: 1913, Published: 1915
  4. 1 2 3 SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised: Pre-1930 to 1963, Published: 1964
  5. ↑ OS 1:1m to 1:63k 1920-1940's
  6. ↑ 1:1 million - 1:1 10K, 1900s
  7. ↑ Colonel Stephens Society
  8. ↑ SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised:Pre-1930 to 1963, Published:1964
  9. ↑ Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain - 1937-1961
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