Trevil Halt railway station
Trevil Halt railway station was a station on the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line serving the village of Trefil in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire.[1]
Trevil Halt | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Trefil, Blaenau Gwent Wales |
Coordinates | 51.7962°N 3.2377°W |
Grid reference | SO147115 |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Key dates | |
1 March 1864 | Opened |
c. 1932/3 | Becomes a halt |
6 January 1958 | Closed |
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] On 1 March 1864, the line was extended from Brynmawr to Nantybwch.[5]
Trevil opened with the extension of the line on 1 March 1864.[6][7] The village had a long association with tramroads, the Trevil Rail Road having been established in May 1793 and operating from 1797.[8] The Sirhowy Tramroad ran southwards to Sirhowy Ironworks.[9] The Rassa Railroad ran from Trevil limestone quarries to the north-east, under the Merthyr and Abergavenny line, and to the Beaufort Ironworks.[9] Originally, constructed to 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm), it was converted to 4 ft 2 in (1,270 mm) gauge to link with the Sirhowy Tramroad.[9][10] The works and five collieries comprising 57.5 miles (92.5 km) of private mineral lines were purchased by Richard Thomas & Co. in 1935.[8]
Trevil station was in an isolated location, situated just to the south of the Castle Inn.[9][10] It had two platforms, the main brick-built station building and house being situated on the Down platform.[11] No goods yard was provided but parcels were handled and private sidings were provided in connection with the Beaufort Ironworks which ran parallel with the Sirhowy Tramway.[12][13] These sidings lasted until May 1938.[11] At the same time, the station's signal box was replaced by a frame in the bay window of the station house in order to maintain the block post.[14][15] A few years earlier, in c. 1932–33, the station had been downgraded to a railway halt.[6]
As a result of decline in the local industry and the costs of working the line between Abergavenny and Merthyr,[16] passenger services ended on 4 January 1958.[17] The last public 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.[17][18] Official closure came on 6 January.[6][19][7]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nantybwch Line and station closed |
London and North Western Railway Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway |
Beaufort Line and station closed |
References
Notes
- Conolly (2004), p. 8, section A4.
- Tasker (1986), p. 18.
- Awdry (1990), p. 93.
- Hall (2009), p. 63.
- Tasker (1986), p. 21.
- Quick (2009), p. 386.
- Butt (1995), p. 234.
- Edge (2002), fig. XVIII.
- Edge (2002), fig. XVII.
- Hall (2009), p. 65.
- Edge (2002), fig. 81.
- Edge (2002), figs. XVII and 81.
- Clinker (1988), p. 175, note 3500.
- Edge (2002), fig. 82.
- Tasker (1986), p. 128.
- Hall (2009), p. 68.
- Tasker (1986), p. 139.
- Edge (2002), fig. 65.
- Clinker (1988), p. 137.
- Page (1988), p. 155.
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.