Pembrey railway station

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Pembrey
General information
Location Pembrey, Carmarthenshire
Wales
Coordinates 51°41′12″N4°16′34″W / 51.6868°N 4.2760°W / 51.6868; -4.2760 Coordinates: 51°41′12″N4°16′34″W / 51.6868°N 4.2760°W / 51.6868; -4.2760
Grid reference SN427011
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
1 July 1924 (1924-07-01) [1] Renamed Pembrey
21 September 1953 (1953-09-21) [1] Station closed

Pembrey railway station [1] or Pembrey Halt railway station [1] 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.

Contents

History

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

The station was opened as Pembrey Halt on 2 August 1909 by the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway on the Kidwelly and Burry Port section of the line and was closed by the British Transport Commission in 1953 with the last passenger train running on Saturday 19 September 1953. [1] It was on the southern section of the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway with Craiglon Bridge Halt to the north and Burry Port to the south at the end of the passenger line. [2]

The line had been built on the course of an old canal with resulting tight curves, low bridge clearance and a tendency to flooding. The freight service continued for coal traffic on the Cwmmawr branch to Kidwelly until 1996 by which time the last of the local collieries had closed down and the washery closure followed. [3]

Pembrey and Burry Port on the West wales line lies to the east.

Infrastructure

OS map of Pembrey and Burry Port in 1954. Burry portmap1954.jpg
OS map of Pembrey and Burry Port in 1954.

The station had a single short platform and a shelter on the southern side of the single track line. The halt lay slightly to the north of the road bridge and was close to the village centre; the station had no public sidings. The overbridge remains, once a canal bridge prior to the railway, cyclepath and walkway. [4] The railway was built on the bed of the former Llanelly & Kidwelly Canal.

The Kidwelly route was used for coal trains, resulting in the lifting of track between Trimsaran Road and Burry Port by 2005. [5]

Services

The station was open for use by the general public. [1]

Remnants

The section of the old line between Burry Port and Craiglon Bridge Halt is now a footpath and the NCN 4 cyclepath.

Routes

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Craiglon Bridge Halt
Line and station closed
  Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Great Western Railway
  Burry Port
Line and station Closed

See also

Related Research Articles

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Glyn Abbey railway station was opened in 1909 as Pontnewydd Halt 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontyates railway station</span>

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.

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.

Burry Port Harbour is a former industrial harbour which mainly served the coal industry, on the Loughor estuary. It is now converted into a marina. The town of Burry Port grew around the harbour.

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 4 5 6 7 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 182. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 70. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. Colonel Stephens Society
  4. Carmarthenshire LVII.3, Revised: 1913, Published: 1914.
  5. Grace's Guide to British Industrial History