Swanbridge railway station explained

Swanbridge
Status:Disused
Borough:Sully, Vale of Glamorgan
Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.4052°N -3.2037°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Taff Vale Railway
Pregroup:Taff Vale Railway
Postgroup:Great Western Railway
Years:20 Dec. 1888
Events:Station opens as Swanbridge
Years1:Jan. 1906
Events1:Station renamed Swanbridge Platform
Years2:C1921
Events2:Station renamed Swanbridge Halt
Years3:6 May 1968
Events3:Station closes

Swanbridge railway station was located on the now disused railway line between Penarth and Cadoxton, which closed in the 1960s.

History and description

Like the other stations on the branch, Swanbridge opened to cater to the large amounts of tourist traffic.[1] It was downgraded to 'platform' status in 1906. It is referred to as Swanbridge Halt on a 1921 OS map.[2]

By the postwar years, traffic on the line beyond Penarth was in sharp decline, and the DMU sets which served the line in its last years rarely picked up or delivered more than a few passengers a day at Swanbridge.

The platforms originally had shelters, though these were gone by the 1960s. There was also a wooden awning covering the walkway leading up to the platforms, which stayed in position long after the platform buildings had gone.[3]

The station closed in 1968. The site has mostly been reclaimed by nature. Only the old railway bridge remains.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Hall, M. Lost Railways of South Wales. Countryside Books. 2009. p. 86
  2. Hutton, J. The Taff Vale Railway Volume III. Silver Link. 2006. p. 44
  3. Hutton, J. The Taff Vale Railway Volume III. Silver Link. 2006. p. 43
  4. Hutton, J. Taff Vale Railway Miscellany. Oxford Publishing Company. 1988