Nantybwch railway station

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 where a station was opened.[5][6] Initially named Tredegar, it was renamed Nantybwch on 1 November 1868,[5][7] the day before the public opening of the northward extension from Sirhowy of the Sirhowy Railway which had its own Tredegar station.[8][9]

The station was reached by the 118 yards (108 m) nine-arch Blaen-y-Cwm viaduct.[10] It was situated to the north of the small settlement from which it took its name and to the north-west of the local school.[11] Road access was via an unmade up lane reached by passing staff cottages adjacent to the line.[12] Situated at 1,165 feet (355 m) above sea level, the station was situated in a desolate and bleak landscape.[13][14] To the west the three miles to Rhymney Bridge were at a gradient of 1 in 35, whilst to Sirhowy the gradients varied between 1 in 42 and 1 in 37.[15] Single-engine loads between Rhymney and Nantybwch were restricted to 12 loaded wagons only.[15]

Four platform faces were provided: two platforms either side of a curving island platform, a bay platform for Sirhowy services and a platform for Merthyr services.[16] The Merthyr platform was adjacent to the road entrance and the platform building incorporated a ticket office and porters' room.[17] A weather-boarded footbridge linked the platforms which were lit by Sugg's Rochester pattern gaslights.[18] On the island platform was No. 1 signal box which was completed in 1891 and remained in use until 1959.[19][20] On the Down island platform until 1929 was the Area Traffic Control Office near No. 1 box until it was relocated to Abergavenny.[21][22] On the Up side was a water column fed from a brick-lined reservoir.[23] Beyond the station to the west was No. 2 box which was stone-built and of Rhymney Railway design; it controlled the goods sidings adjacent to the double track which were used for stabling and running around stock after closure of the line to the west.[24] Colliers' coaches were also stored here for the Sirhowy trains.[21]

As a result of decline in the local industry and the costs of working the line between Abergavenny and Merthyr,[25] passenger and goods services ceased on 4 January 1958.[26] The last passenger service over the line was an SLS railtour on 5 January 1958 hauled by GWR 6959 No. 7912 Little Linford Hall.[26][27] Final closure of Nantybwch came on 13 June 1960 with the withdrawal of the Sirhowy services,;[5][7][28][29] the last timetable showing three trains on weekdays from Tredegar.[30] The final day of operations was in fact the previous Saturday 11 June when GWR 5700 No. 3634 worked the last Up train from Tredegar at 4.32pm[31][29] and the last Down at 4.50pm with No. 8711.[32] The last train was the 6.33pm from Risca to Tredegar which had been extended to Nantybwch and departed from there at 7.52pm.[33] Earlier in the day there had been a rare Saturday excursion special from Brynmawr to Barry Island which called at Nantybwch.[31]

The site of the station has been lost under the A465 road.[34][35]