Glyn Abbey railway station explained

Glyn Abbey
Status:Disused
Borough:Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire
Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.7428°N -4.2509°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:1
Original:Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Pregroup:Great Western Railway
Postgroup:Great Western Railway
Events:Station opened
Years1:November 1910
Events1:Renamed Glyn Abbey
Events2:Station closed

Glyn Abbey railway station was opened in 1909 as Pontnewydd Halt[1] 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.

History

The station was opened as Pontnewydd 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 Great Western Railway in 1943 with the last passenger train on the line running nearly ten years later on Saturday 19 September 1953.[2] It was on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway with Trimsaran Road located to the south and Pontyates to the north of the East Kidwelly Junction.[2]

The station was renamed as Glyn Abbey in 1910.[3] The name change may have been to avoid confusion with Upper Pontnewydd at Cwmbran and Lower Pontnewydd at Torfaen. Glyn Abbey was a country house located nearby and linked directly to Pont-newydd by a footpath.

A rural area which once had a public house, the Smiths' Arms, at the nearby Pont-newydd hamlet. The Bryn Forest Inn was also close by on the road to Tre-Goch hamlet.[4] Many old coal pits were once active in the area.

The railway was originally a freight only line,[5] built on the route of an old canal and prone to flooding, but stations were established due to pressure from the public. The freight service continued for coal traffic until 1996 by which time the last of the local collieries had closed down.[6] [7]

Infrastructure

The station had one wooden platform on the western side of this single track line with a small wooden shelter. The station had no public sidings; a road overbridge still stands to the north.[1] [8] [9]

Remnants

The section south of Pinged, between Burry Port and Craiglon Bridge Halt is now a footpath and cycleway, however this section remains abandoned although a footpath has been established in the area.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=51.7427&lon=-4.2507&layers=168&b=1 Carmarthenshire, LIII.8, Revised: 1913, Published: 1915
  2. Book: Butt, R.V.J. . The Directory of Railway Stations . 1995 . Patrick Stephens Ltd . Yeovil . 1-85260-508-1 . R508 . 188 .
  3. Book: Butt, R.V.J. . The Directory of Railway Stations . 1995 . Patrick Stephens Ltd . Yeovil . 1-85260-508-1 . R508 . 105 .
  4. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=51.7127&lon=-4.2845&layers=172&b=1 OS 1:1m to 1:63k 1920-1940's
  5. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14&lat=51.7219&lon=-4.2767&layers=175&b=1 1:1 million - 1:1 10K, 1900s
  6. http://colonelstephenssociety.co.uk/the%20colonels%20railways/burry%20port%20%26%20gwendraeth%20valley%20light%20railway/index.html Colonel Stephens Society
  7. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=51.7116&lon=-4.2878&layers=193&b=1 SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised:Pre-1930 to 1963, Published:1964
  8. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=51.6952&lon=-4.2893&layers=175&b=1 Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain - 1937-1961
  9. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=51.7120&lon=-4.2882&layers=193&b=1 SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised: Pre-1930 to 1963, Published: 1964