Pontyates railway station

Last updated

Pontyates
Redundant level crossing, Pontyates - geograph.org.uk - 1403440.jpg
The old level crossing at Pontyates
General information
Location Pontyates, Carmarthenshire
Wales
Coordinates 51°45′06″N4°13′03″W / 51.7517°N 4.2175°W / 51.7517; -4.2175 Coordinates: 51°45′06″N4°13′03″W / 51.7517°N 4.2175°W / 51.7517; -4.2175
Grid reference SN470082
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Pre-grouping Great Western Railway
Post-groupingBritish Transport Commission
Key dates
2 August 1909 (1909-08-02) [1] Station opened
21 September 1953 (1953-09-21) [1] Station closed

Pontyates railway station was opened in 1909 [1] [2] 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.

Contents

History

The level crossing site at Pontyates Station. Level crossing at dismantled railway, Pont-iets - geograph.org.uk - 1010634.jpg
The level crossing site at Pontyates Station.

Pontyates station was opened on 1 February 1909 by the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway on the Kidwelly and Cwmmawr section of the line and was closed by the Great Western Railway in 1953 with the last passenger train on the line running on Saturday 19 September 1953. [1] It was on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway with Trimsaran Road located to the south and Ponthenry to the north. [1]

The railway was originally a freight only line, [3] built on the route of the old Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and prone to flooding, but stations were established due to pressure from the public, Pontyates being a significant size due to the number of collieries in the area. The freight service continued for coal traffic until 1996 by which time the last of the local collieries had closed down. [4] [5] In 2011 a single track line was still is situ and the platform on the eastern side was present but all the station buildings had been demolished. Bridgend and Rhwyth public houses stood nearby.

Infrastructure

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

The station had two platforms with a signal box on the east side of the passing loop at the southern end of the platform. The main station buildings were built from wood and corrugated iron. [6] and stood on the eastern side of the station and a shelter stood on the western side. Further sidings, a weighing machine, a disused colliery and a passing loop stood to the north past the level crossing. In 1915 Plas-bach Colliery lay to the west with a substantial rail network and several transfer sidings stood on the line towards Pontyates station. [7] What may have been a public siding lay to the west of the station, nearly parallel to the platform.

Caepontbren Colliery was to the north, an anthracite mine operating between 1902–11 and re-opened by the New Caepontbren Colliery Company shortly after and the line running into it from the north, effectively made the aforementioned loop. By 1923 the colliery was disused and the connection was removed. A local builder, E.E.Richards, used sidings to the south until circa 1931. [6]

Remnants

The section south of Pinged, between Burry Port and Craiglon Bridge Halt is now a footpath and cycleway, however other sections of the line have formal and informal footpaths on the old trackbed.

Routes

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Glyn Abbey
Line and station closed		  Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Great Western Railway		  Ponthenry
Line and station Closed

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burry Port</span> 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.

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.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Gwendraeth</span>

The River Gwendraeth is a river in Carmarthenshire in West Wales.

The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad gauge railway line in Wales that was intended to connect Carmarthen on the South Wales Railway with Cardigan. In fact, it was unable to raise the necessary capital and was loss-making from the time of opening the first short section of its line in 1860, and it was in receivership for much of its life. It eventually reached Llandysul in 1864 but was not extended further during its independent existence.

Trimsaran is a community and former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.

Pontyates is a village straddling two communities situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. the population in 2011 was 1,449.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidwelly Flats Halt railway station</span> Former railway station in Wales

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinged railway station</span> Former railway station in Wales

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glyn Abbey railway station</span> Former railway station in Wales

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontyberem railway station</span> Former railway station in 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 188. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. ↑ Carmarthenshire, LIII.8, Revised: 1913, Published: 1915
  3. ↑ 1:1 million - 1:1 10K, 1900s
  4. ↑ Colonel Stephens Society
  5. ↑ SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised:Pre-1930 to 1963, Published:1964
  6. 1 2 Welsh Railways Research Circle / Cylch Ymchwil Rheilffyrdd Cymru
  7. ↑ Carmarthenshire LIV.1, Revised: 1913, Published: 1915
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.