Beaufort railway station (Wales)

Beaufort railway station was a station on the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line serving the village of Beaufort in the Welsh county of Brecknockshire.[1]

Beaufort
Station site in 1965.
General information
LocationBeaufort, Blaenau Gwent
Wales
Coordinates51.7980°N 3.2067°W / 51.7980; -3.2067
Grid referenceSO168116
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyMerthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 March 1864 (1864-03-01)Opened
2 September 1867Becomes a junction for Ebbw Vale
2 April 1951Ebbw Vale branch closes
6 January 1958 (1958-01-06)Closed to passengers
2 November 1959Closed to goods traffic

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] Beaufort station opened on 1 March 1864.[5][6] It became a junction station on 2 September 1867 with the opening of a branch to Ebbw Vale.[7][8] The station nameboards read "Change for Ebbw Vale" even though the branch service started at Brynmawr.[9][10] Beaufort was busy with Ebbw Vale traffic until c. 1925 as there was a daily service to and from Brynamwr of over thirty trains.[11] Ebbw Vale was reached by the 93-yard (85 m) Beaufort Viaduct before reaching Ebbw Vale Junction and the 93-yard (85 m) Rhyd Viaduct.[12] Ebbw Vale station was near the area which is known locally as 'The Crossing', in the town centre.

Beaufort station was situated in a cutting to the west of a road bridge.[13] It stood opposite the Beaufort Ballroom and adjacent to the Beaufort Arms Public House. It had two platforms accessible by flights of steps leading down from the road bridge.[14] The main station building was built of stone, with a timber waiting shelter was provided on the opposite platform.[9] As Beaufort is situated 1,200 feet (370 m) above sea level, harsh winters such as that of 1946-47 could result in the cutting being blocked with snow.[15] The line to Ebbw Vale closed on 2 April 1951.[16][17] The Abergavenny line was the next to close when passenger services ceased on 4 January 1958.[18] 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'[18][19] Final closure came on 2 November 1959 when coal traffic from Tredegar ceased.[9][20]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Trevil Halt
Line and station closed		   London and North Western Railway
Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
   Brynmawr
Line and station closed
Ebbw Vale (High Level)
Line and station closed		    

Present

The station site has been obliterated following realignment of the junction of the A4047 and B4560 at SO168117.[21] In addition, the cutting which held the station has been infilled to road level.[22]

References

Notes
  1. Conolly (2004), p. 8, section A4.
  2. Tasker (1986), p. 18.
  3. Awdry (1990), p. 93.
  4. Hall (2009), p. 63.
  5. Quick (2009), p. 77.
  6. Butt (1995), p. 30.
  7. Quick (2009), p. 161.
  8. Butt (1995), p. 88.
  9. Hall (2009), p. 65.
  10. Edge (2002), fig. 72.
  11. Tasker (1986), p. 125.
  12. Edge (2002), fig. XV.
  13. Edge (2002), fig. XIV.
  14. Edge (2002), fig. 70.
  15. Edge (2002), fig. 71.
  16. Edge (2002), fig. 74.
  17. Page (1988), p. 46.
  18. Tasker (1986), p. 139.
  19. Edge (2002), fig. 65.
  20. Clinker (1988), p. 10.
  21. Page (1988), p. 155.
  22. Hall (2009), p. 69.

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.
  • Page, James (1988) [1979]. South Wales. Forgotten Railways. Vol. 8. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-946537-44-5.
  • 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.
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