The Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company was built to provide access to Barry Docks from collieries in the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys. Proposed by the coalowners but underwritten by the wealthy Barry Railway Company, it opened in 1897 from near Bridgend to Barry, in Wales.
It immediately suffered a major subsidence on Porthkerry Viaduct and was closed; a temporary by-pass line enabled reopening until the viaduct was partly reconstructed in 1900.
After 1923 the mineral traffic declined slowly, followed by a loss of passenger and general merchandise business. Passenger trains were discontinued from 13 June 1964 with signalling alterations made on 15 June as the line continued to be used for freight and occasional main line diversions but the section between Cowbridge Road Junction (Bridgend) and Coity yard north of Bridgend, was taken out of use on that date. The section between Coity Junction (where it joined the Bridgend and Abergwynfi Branch) and Cowbridge Road Junction had been part of the original Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company's territory which terminated at Barry Junction.
In 1979, the Ford Bridgend Engine Plant was established at Bridgend, served by a private siding off the line. On 10 June 2005, a passenger train service was reinstated, serving Rhoose for Cardiff Airport and Llantwit Major only.
Early transport needs
The area known as the Vale of Glamorgan, the tract of land close to the north bank of the Bristol Channel between Cardiff and Ogmore-by-Sea was largely agricultural in the early nineteenth century, and it became by-passed when the South Wales Railway built its main line between Cardiff and Swansea.
System map of the Vale of Glamorgan Railway
Much of the mineral wealth of the South Wales Valleys—mostly coal but also iron ore and smelted iron and iron products—was taken to Bristol Channel ports for onward transport. Newport, Cardiff and Swansea were dominant in these activities. There were other small harbours but they had limitations which had discouraged development as industrialisation gathered pace.[1]
The Cowbridge Railway merely gave a railway connection to the market town, and it fell to the Ogmore Dock and Railway Company to get an act for a mineral connection, the Ogmore Dock and Railway Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. cxcvii) on 20 August 1883. However the prospective company needed substantial Great Western Railway support and this was not forthcoming, so that the scheme eventually foundered.[1]
At Cardiff the volume of minerals transported increased beyond expectation, and quickly overwhelmed the capacity of the dock installations to handle them. Moreover the railway connections to them were soon heavily congested, and this led to dissatisfaction among the coalowners and other industrialists who used them.[3][1]
In 1884 the Barry Dock and Railway Company (later simply the Barry Railway) was incorporated, with the intention of building new dock facilities with modern mechanical handling equipment at Barry, and building a new railway to bring coal and other minerals from the Rhondda down to Barry. It opened its main line in 1889.
The Barry Railway was soon successful, and built extensions to the docks and new connecting lines to existing railways.[3]
Collieries and their traffic
Colonel John North acquired six collieries in the valleys immediately north of Bridgend, and in 1889 he established a company, North's Navigation Collieries (1889) Limited, to manage them. Like other coal owners in the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore Valleys, his company used Porthcawl to load to shipping, but the harbour there had very limited capacity. The alternative was over the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway and to Barry via Peterston and the spur to Drope Junction, or of course to Penarth or Cardiff. The GWR made some improvements to the L&OR lines, but the very severe gradients limited the value of this line. It was felt by North and others that the GWR was obstructing the development of their traffic; meetings with the GWR requesting a reduction in the carriage rate had met with refusal.[1]
At the same time as North was establishing his company, he and others engaged in the trade met together and decided that the solution was a new railway to the Barry. They approached the Barry Railway, which agreed to work the line when built, for 60% of gross receipts.
They promoted the Vale of Glamorgan Railway in the 1889 session of Parliament, and an authorising act of Parliament, the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. clxxxviii), received the royal assent on 26 August 1889. Authorised capital was £360,000; it was to build from a junction at Coity Lower on the Llynvi & Ogmore line, a little north of Bridgend, to Barry, a distance of 21 miles (34km); in addition there was to be a branch to the Great Western Railway station at Bridgend, and running powers into the station were included.
The Vale of Glamorgan Railway shared many directors with the Barry Railway Company. However the VoGR company found it difficult to raise the capital it needed to build its line: by 15 July 1890 less than half, at £171,000, had been subscribed for. The company approached contractors to see if they would build the line and take shares in payment, but this was unsuccessful.[1]
Time went by without further progress, until on 2 December 1892 the VoGR directors met the Barry Railway Board again to discuss a way forward. The Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway had opened to passenger traffic on 1 October 1892, and this company was in the rival Taff Vale Railway camp. The Barry Railway was anxious to secure its western flank against the rival, and keeping the VoGR scheme alive was strategically important. Working arrangements with the Barry Railway were arrived at, by which the Barry Railway guaranteed a dividend of 4% on the capital of the VoGR. This immediately secured the willingness of investors to take VoGR shares.[2][1]
The Barry Railway made this offer conditional on its taking full control of the VoGR. The arrangement was authorised by the Barry Railway Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c. ccvi) of 24 August 1893, and ratified by the proprietors of both companies on 28 May 1894. North's colliery company undertook to send 360,000 tons of coal annually over the line, and the Ocean Coal Company promised half of its output from the Garw Valley.
A tender of Pethick Brothers to construct the Barry to Ewenny section for £182,444 was quickly approved.[1] Three successive extensions of time had to be sought from Parliament because of the delay. The local geology was limestone and much of the construction involved excavating the rocky material.[4]
An Act for conferring further powers on the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company for the construction of works the acquisition of lands the raising of money and otherwise in relation to their undertaking and for other purposes.
When the VoGR line had been designed, it was expected that the Ogmore Dock and Railway Company would construct a line diverging from the L&OR line from Tondu to Bridgend, and passing east of Bridgend and running south-west to a new dock at Ogmore. The VoGR would have passed to the west of Bridgend to join the Tondu line, with a spur to the OD&R and a south-to-east curve to enter Bridgend station from the west. The OD&R proposals had in fact been withdrawn and its authorisation was abandoned, so that this complex arrangement was now unnecessary. The alignment of the VoGR was therefore altered to approach the Tondu line by passing Bridgend on the east side, with a short spur to enter Bridgend station from the east. This arrangement was cheaper, and it was authorised by the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Act 1895 (58 & 59 Vict. c. xlix) of 20 June 1895.[5][1]
Incidentally, running powers had been sought to Tondu in the authorising act but this had been refused, obliging the company to exchange mineral traffic at Coity Junction.[4]
It had been originally intended to construct the line as single track, taking land for subsequent widening to double track. In August 1894 it was decided to make the track in Porthkerry Tunnel double track, and on 5 October the Board decided on double track from Barry to Rhoose. By 7 June the decision was made to construct in double track throughout the line, in view of the heavy mineral traffic expected to be running. In 1895 additional capital for this work was authorised by act of Parliament.[which?][1]
During the construction work, pier no. 10 of Porthkerry Viaduct, near the Barry end, subsided by several feet on 18 August 1896; it was followed by a major settlement of pier no. 11, and later no. 12. Stabilisation measures were put in hand, but this was a sign of future trouble.
Nevertheless the line was considered to be ready towards the end of 1897 and Colonel Yorke of the Board of Trade visited on 6 November 1897 to assess the line for passenger operation. He expressed himself very dubious of the stability of Porthkerry Viaduct, but he permitted the operation of passenger trains for a period of three months, subject to further appraisal then. Meanwhile speed on the line as a whole was to be limited to 25mph (40km/h) and over the viaduct to 20mph (32km/h); a watchman was to be employed at the viaduct. Watchmen were to be posted around the clock, and to examine the viaduct over and under after the passage of every train; special signals were provided so that they could stop traffic if necessary.[6]
The line was accordingly opened to passenger traffic on 1 December 1897, although it is known that two special passenger trains ran over the line prior to that date.[1]
There were further signs of ground movement at Porthkerry on 16 December 1897, and on 10 January 1898 there was a very serious slip at pier 13, the easternmost pier, closing the line.
On 3 February 1898 the board approved construction of a temporary loop line by-passing the viaduct, at a cost of £5,647. It made a large sweep to the north following the contours of the ground, although it had a maximum gradient of 1 in 40. It was single track, 2miles 44chains (4.10km) in extent. There was a 10mph (16km/h) speed restriction on it.
Colonel Yorke visited on 19 April 1898 and passed it for passenger operation, and it opened on 25 April 1898.[1]
An Act for conferring further powers on the Yale of Glamorgan Railway Company for the raising of capital and otherwise in relation to their undertaking and for other purposes.
Reconstruction of the failed viaduct arches was paid for by the Barry Railway, the Vale of Glamorgan Railway Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. xiv) authorising £120,000 of additional capital. It was discovered that the piers had been founded on rock that was not bedrock, but in fact a layer of stone on shale and silt. The reconstruction involved the demolition of the affected piers and the sinking of new foundations down to rock. The eastern abutment was moved back and two new spans with their own piers were constructed.
The process took until early 1900, when the viaduct was reopened for goods trains on 8 January 1900, Colonel Yorke reinspected the viaduct on 13 March 1900 and was satisfied with the remedial measures, and the viaduct reopened for passenger traffic on 9 April 1900.[1]
The expenditure in building the line was "close on £700,000" according to the Barry Railway General Manager, Edward Lake.[7]
London and South Wales Railway
The Great Western Railway had long been the monopoly carrier of traffic by rail from South Wales to London, and dissatisfaction with the GWR had been a continuing issue for many.
In 1895 a proposed London and South Wales Railway was put forward, to build a new line from Cogan on the Barry Railway approaching Cardiff, and running to join the Metropolitan Railway north of London. The Barry Railway was the prime mover in this, and at the same time the Vale of Glamorgan Railway, under the control of the Barry, submitted a Bill for a westward extension of the VoGR to Swansea, building a new line from Ewenny through Porthcawl to join the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway. Together the two schemes would provide a new line from Swansea to London.
D S Barrie said, "Beyond all reasonable doubt, the real object of the London & South Wales promoters was to force the Great Western Railway to carry out its South Wales Direct Line, and to make certain concessions to the South Wales coal trade. "[3]
This motivated to GWR to build its long-planned South Wales Direct Line, from Wootton Bassett to Patchway via Badminton. When the GWR gave definite undertakings to do so, the London and South Wales Railway scheme and the VoGR Swansea scheme were withdrawn.[3][8][1][4]
Amalgamation with the Barry Railway considered
The Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company had been under the control of the Barry Railway from the outset, and from time to time full amalgamation was considered; specifically in August 1898 and November 1902. In those cases it was not considered to be an auspicious time for the merger, and in fact the VoGR remained nominally independent.[1]
Motor Cars (Steam Railmotors)
Railmotor No. 2
In the 1900s many railway companies experimented with steam railmotors–or motor cars as they were known in South Wales–passenger coaches with integrated small steam engines. The intention was to provide passenger calls at places where the traffic did not justify construction of a full station, and often the railmotor stopping places were rudimentary very short ground level platforms.
The Barry Railway adopted this system on its main line from Barry to Pontypridd, but after a month they were withdrawn, following complaints; as well as public dissatisfaction they were unable to cope with the gradients on that line.
Two railmotors were redeployed to the VoGR line, operating between Barry and Llantwit Major. New halts were authorised by the Board on 2 June 1905, to be built at Fontygary, Llandow and St Brides Major. In fact these were never built, and the Barry Railway experiment with railmotors was unsuccessful. However, their two units were modified to remove the steam engine and their bogie drive units and the pair became known as "The vestibule set" and were corridor-connected. [1][9][10]
Limestone and cement
The construction of the Vale of Glamorgan Railway had been made more difficult by the existence of limestone ground conditions that were prevalent in the area. The traffic arising from the areas served by the line was agricultural and rural, but in December 1888 there was a limestone works at Aberthaw, but it had become disused by the time the VoGR was opened for traffic and there had never been a railway connection to the Vale of Glamorgan line. It had been served by the Llantrisant—Aberthaw Low level Taff Vale Railway line from 1892 until 1926. Lime works were opened later at a number of points along the line, and large scale industrial portland cement operations were started at Rhoose in 1911 and at Aberthaw in 1913, initially by different companies but later to become Aberthaw & Bristol Channel Portland Cement Company Limited.[1]
Grouping of the railways
In 1922 most of the railways of Great Britain were compulsorily restructured into one or other of four new large concerns, following the Railways Act 1921. The new Great Western Railway was one of the groups, and the Barry Railway, as well as the old Great Western Railway, were constituents of it. The Vale of Glamorgan Railway Company was of course only a financial entity. It was absorbed as a subsidiary of the new Great Western Railway from 1 July 1922. Its issued capital was recorded as £660,000, and its net income in 1921 was £27,440, paying a dividend in 1921 of 4+5/32%.
At this time the coal industries of South Wales had passed the peak (which had been in 1913) and coal traffic on the line was declining. Passenger and general merchandise too was seeing the effects of road competition, which appeared in many cases to be more convenient.
During World War II a number of ordnance depots were built in South Wales. One was at Brackla Hill, with a rail connection from the line between Coity Junction and Cowbridge Road Junction; another was at Tremains on the Great Western Railway main line immediately east of the point where the VoGR line to Coity Junction crossed. A south-to-east spur was built, giving access from the VoGR line in to the Tremains depot sidings.[1]
From 1948
Nationalisation of the railways took place at the beginning of 1948, from which time the VoGR network was part of British Railways.
A coal fired power station was constructed at Aberthaw; it started generating on 7 February 1960 but it was not officially opened until 29th October 1963; it had a branch line access from the VoGR line, at 4mi 63ch (7.70km) and 5mi 27ch (8.59km) from Barry Junction and which was 1+3⁄4 miles (2.8km) in length. The branch was fully commissioned on 23 July 1961 to later become a 'merry-go-round' system, making it almost 3 miles (5km) long, including the site loop mileage.
Southerndown Road station was located remote from any centre of population, and passenger carrying had always been minimal; the station was closed on 23 October 1961; on 16 June 1962 the passenger service throughout the VoGR line was reduced considerably, with the Sunday service being discontinued.[10]
This only delayed the total closure of the passenger service, which took place on 13 June 1964. The mineral traffic from the Tondu line had also collapsed by this time and the Cowbridge Road Junction to Coity Junction section was officially closed on 15 June 1964, except for 1⁄2 mile (0.8km) serving Bridgend and Coity goods from the north end (Coity Junction) until 28 November 1977. The line remained open for freight traffic, chiefly concerned with Aberthaw power station. During engineering work on the main line between Cardiff and Bridgend, the line was frequently used for diversionary purposes.[1]
Revival from 1968
A second power station was constructed at Aberthaw, opening as Aberthaw "B" on 10 December 1968, and bringing further coal traffic to the line but the last coal delivery to the "B" station was from East Usk via Barry, on 19 August 2019 and "B" station was closed in December with decommissioning following. As at April 2022, all rail connections to the VOG line remained in situ. In March 2022, Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) group of local authorities had "bought the site of Wales' last coal-fired power station for £8million. CCR says it is committing £36.4million to the project in total, which includes the purchase price".
The Ford Motor Company established the Ford Bridgend Engine Plant in 1979. Although it was close to the South Wales Main line it proved more convenient to provide a railway connection 2 miles (3km) long from the VoGR line; this was commissioned on 15 January 1980.[4]
A new siding layout for Aberthaw cement works was provided from 16 October 1980. Rhoose cement works closed in 1987 and has since been demolished along with the former Turner's Asbestos works alongside it and the land has been considerably remodelled some of which is now occupied by new housing along with that of housing in the former main quarry.
There had long been calls for the line to be reopened for passenger services, and on 12 June 2005 this happened. An hourly local service has since operated between Bridgend and Barry, continuing to Cardiff and Aberdare. Intermediate stations were reopened at Llantwit Major and Rhoose, now renamed Rhoose Cardiff International Airport.
The present day
At present (2022) the line carries a weekday hourly and two-hourly Sundays passenger service from Bridgend to Barry, continuing to Aberdare of Merthyr generally. The political imperative of a rail connection to Rhoose for the airport is significant.
The Ford Motor Company traffic continues as do coal deliveries to Aberthaw "B" power station (2017). Following a previous break, in 2017 rail cement traffic was occasionally run from Aberthaw Cement works (now a laFarge Tarmac Company, part of the CRH Group).
The Ford Motor Company Engine Works closed in 2020 and the branch line level crossing across the A48 was lifted in 2024, both sides of the crossing still exist but are fenced off.
Topography
Gradients
From Barry the line climbs at 1 in 81 to the Porthkerry Viaduct and then descends at 1 in 165, 1 in 200 to a point beyond Aberthaw. It then climbs at 1 in 821, 1 in 273, 1 in 106, 1 in 122 to a point beyond Llantwit Major. It then falls at 1 in 140 to Ewenny, climbing at 1 in 200 and 1 in 100 after that to Cowbridge Road Junction.[1]
Station list
Coity Junction; divergence from Tondu to Bridgend line;
Cowbridge Road Junction; convergence of spur from Bridgend station;
A heritage railway group calling itself the Vale of Glamorgan Railway submitted a tender to the Vale of Glamorgan Council to establish a railway heritage centre at Barry Island. Their tender was unsuccessful, and there was some friction with the Council over the removal of artefacts belonging to the former Butetown Historic Railway Society.
The Butetown group was forced to leave the Barry Island line at the end of December 2008, resulting in the sale of and disposal of various assets. Operations restarted in 2009 under new ownership as the Barry Tourist Railway.
Related Research Articles
The Vale of Glamorgan, locally referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol Channel to the south. With an economy based largely on agriculture and chemicals, it is the southernmost unitary authority in Wales. Attractions include Barry Island Pleasure Park, the Barry Tourist Railway, Medieval wall paintings in St Cadoc's Church, Llancarfan, Porthkerry Park, St Donat's Castle, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park and Cosmeston Medieval Village. The largest town is Barry. Other towns include Penarth, Llantwit Major, and Cowbridge. There are many villages in the county borough.
The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stages in 1840 and 1841.
Rhoose is a village and community near the sea in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, near Barry. The wider community includes villages and settlements such as Font-y-Gary, Penmark, East Aberthaw and Porthkerry. The population of the community in 2011 was 6,160.
Tondu is a village in Bridgend County Borough, Wales, located about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the town of Bridgend, in the community of Ynysawdre.
The Vale of Glamorgan Line is a commuter railway line in Wales, running through the Vale of Glamorgan from Barry to Bridgend, via Rhoose and Llantwit Major.
Barry railway station is one of three stations serving the town of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. This one, Barry Town, is preceded by Barry Docks and Cadoxton stations on the Barry Branch which runs from Cardiff Central to a fourth station at Barry Island, the terminus. Barry is also the junction at the start of the Vale of Glamorgan Line which serves Rhoose and Llantwit Major and terminates at Bridgend.
Pontyclun railway station is an unstaffed, minor railway station in Pontyclun, in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The station is at street level, on Station Approach, Pontyclun. It is a stop on the South Wales Main Line, served by trains on the Maesteg Line, and occasionally by the Swanline Cardiff to Swansea regional services, as well as one early-morning daily service to Manchester and a late-night daily service to Carmarthen. The station and all trains are operated by Transport for Wales Rail. It is 181 miles 40 chains (292.1 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud.
The Garw Valley Railway is the trading name of the Bridgend Valleys Railway Company Limited. It operates a short section of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge railway located in South Wales, which is being recreated as a heritage railway. Formerly part of the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway (L&OR) and built by the Great Western Railway (GWR), the line was used for freight and passenger services, with most of the track still in place between Brynmenyn and Pontycymer. The project currently has a train shed at Pontycymer, and hopes to initially offer brake van rides between Pontycymer and Pant-y-Gog, a distance of 0.5 miles (0.8 km).
Tondu railway station is a railway station serving the village of Tondu, Bridgend county borough, South Wales. It is located on the Maesteg Line from Cardiff via Bridgend.
Cadoxton railway station is a railway station serving Cadoxton and Palmerstown near Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is located on the Barry Branch 6½ miles (10 km) south of Cardiff Central. The line continues to the terminus of the Barry Branch at Barry Island but from Barry Junction the line also continues as the Vale of Glamorgan branch to Bridgend via Rhoose for Cardiff International Airport bus link and then Llantwit Major.
The Barry Railway Company was a railway and docks company in South Wales, first incorporated as the Barry Dock and Railway Company in 1884. It arose out of frustration among Rhondda coal owners at congestion and high charges at Cardiff Docks as well the monopoly held by the Taff Vale Railway in transporting coal from the Rhondda. In addition, the Taff Vale did not have the required capacity for the mineral traffic using the route, leading to lengthy delays in getting to Cardiff.
The hamlet of Porthkerry lies on the Bristol Channel coast of South Wales within the community of Rhoose between that village and the town of Barry to the east. It is very close to the end of the runway of Cardiff International Airport. To the east of the hamlet is Porthkerry Country Park which occupies the valley leading down to the coast.
Aberthaw is an area containing the villages of East Aberthaw and West Aberthaw, on the coast of South Wales about 5 miles (8 km) west of Barry. It is home to Aberthaw Cement Works, Aberthaw Lime Works, and Aberthaw Power Station, a decommissioned coal power station that was linked to the South Wales Valleys via the Vale of Glamorgan Railway. The area is historically within the parish of Penmark in the Vale of Glamorgan. The two villages of West and East Aberthaw are separated by the River Thaw. The village of East Aberthaw, near Rhoose, has a 13th-century pub. The village Baptist Chapel and Mission Room no longer exist as such and have been converted for other uses.
In 1861 the Llynvi Valley Railway was opened in Glamorganshire, Wales, to convey mineral products to the Bristol Channel at Porthcawl. It adopted an earlier tramroad, the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway. The Llynvi and Ogmore Railway was opened in 1865, and the two companies amalgamated to form the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway in 1866. At first Porthcawl harbour was an important destination for onward transport, but this soon declined.
Aberthaw High Level railway station was a Vale of Glamorgan Railway station operated by the Barry Railway which served Aberthaw, located near the north shore of the Bristol Channel in the former Welsh county of South Glamorgan, and in the current county of Vale of Glamorgan.
The Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway was a railway company that constructed a standard gauge line in South Wales, connecting Llantrisant and the Taff Vale Railway near Treforest. It ran through thinly populated country, and linked to a number of iron mines, collieries and other mineral sites. It opened in stages in 1863 and 1864. In 1865 through passenger trains from the Cowbridge Railway ran over the line, to Pontypridd, although for some time there were no passenger stations on its own network. At the Llantrisant end, it was reliant on broad gauge railway companies which were not always friendly to it. The company leased its line to the Taff Vale Railway in 1870.
Rail transport in Cardiff has developed to provide connections to many other major cities in the United Kingdom, and to provide an urban rail network for the city and its commuter towns in southeast Wales. Today, there are three train operating companies in Cardiff: Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales.
The Llantrisant – Aberthaw line was a railway line built in two parts.
Porthkerry Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
1 2 3 4 D. S. M. Barrie, revised Peter Baughan, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume 12: South Wales, David St John Thomas, Nairn, 1994, ISBN0 946537 69 0
↑ Clive Smith, Railways of the Llynfi Valley, Alun Books, Port Talbot, 1985, ISBN0 907117 38 4
↑ Evidence given to Lt. Col. H. A. Yorke, reported to the Board of Trade on 6 April 1898
↑ G. A. Sekon, "Illustrated Interview with Mr Edward Lake, General Manager of the Barry Railway", Railway Magazine, October 1906
↑ B. G. Wilson, "The London & South Wales Railway", Railway Magazine, October 1956
↑ H. Morgan, South Wales Branch Lines, Ian Allan Limited, Shepperton, 1984, ISBN0 7110 1321 7
1 2 Peter Dale, Glamorganshire's Lost Railways, Stenlake Publishing Ltd, 2014, ISBN978 184 0336740
↑ Peter Semmens, History of the Great Western Railway: 1: Consolidation, 1923–1929, George Allen and Unwin, London, 1985, Studio Editions reprint 1990, ISBN0 04385104 5
↑ M. E. Quick, Railway Passenger Stations in England Scotland and Wales—A Chronology, The Railway and Canal Historical Society, 2002
↑ R. A. Cooke, Atlas of the Great Western Railway, 1947, Wild Swan Publications Limited, Didcot, 1997 ISBN1-874103-38-0
↑ Col. M. H. Cobb, The Railways of Great Britain – A Historical Atlas, Ian Allan Publishing Limited, Shepperton, 2003, ISBN07110 3003 0
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