Rhiwderin railway station explained

Rhiwderin
Status:Disused
Borough:Rhiwderin, Newport
Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.5803°N -3.0691°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway
Years:14 June 1865
Events:Opened
Years1:1 March 1954
Events1:Closed to passengers
Years2:14 September 1959
Events2:Closed to freight

Rhiwderin railway station served the Welsh village of Rhiwderin near Newport, Wales.

History and description

The station had two platforms with a large stone building on one side and a wooden shelter on the other. The station had no footbridge, and passengers crossed via a level crossing. The station had a signal box, which is now preserved.[1]

Rhiwderin, like the other stations on this section of the line, was relatively successful in its early years, but as the road networks expanded after the 1940s, its profitability declined. The station proved an early casualty of the blow dealt to the local passenger stations in South Wales by bus services, closing to passengers in 1954 and to freight in 1959.[2]

After closure

As of 2017, the line is still in a functional condition, and sees occasional traffic from Machen Quarry,[3] but there is no longer a passenger station in the area. Rhiwderin station is now a private residence, though much of its original character has been retained.[4] The station signal box was acquired in 1967 by the Caerphilly Railway Society. It is now preserved on the Teifi Valley Railway.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Barrie. D. Kidner. R.W. . Roger Kidner. The Brecon & Merthyr Railway. 1991. Oakwood Press. Oxford. 0853614105. 130.
  2. Book: Hall. M. Lost Railways of South Wales. 2009. Countryside Book. Newbury. 9781846741722. 43.
  3. Web site: Now & Then: Rhiwderin Village. 10 June 2017.
  4. Book: Hutton. John. The Newport Docks & Railway Company. 1996. Silver Link. Kettering. 9781857941630. 108.