Ebbw Vale (High Level) | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location |
Ebbw Vale,
Blaenau Gwent Wales |
Coordinates | 51°46′49″N 3°12′27″W / 51.7804°N 3.2076°W |
Grid reference | SO167097 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | London and North Western Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Key dates | |
2 September 1867 | Opened as Ebbw Vale |
23 May 1949 | Renamed |
5 February 1951 | Closed to passengers |
2 November 1959 | Closed to goods traffic |
Ebbw Vale (High Level) railway station was a station on a short branch from the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line which served the town of Ebbw Vale in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire. [1]
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 (L&NWR) which acquired the smaller railway company on 30 June 1866. [3] [4] On 2 September 1867, a branch was opened to Ebbw Vale. [5] [6] The branch service started at Brynmawr and, prior to 1925, there was a daily service of more than thirty trains each way. [7] [8] [9] Ebbw Vale was reached by the 93-yard (85 m) Beaufort Viaduct before reaching Ebbw Vale Junction and the 93-yard (85 m) Rhyd Viaduct. [10] Much of the branch descended towards Ebbw Vale on 1 in 42 gradient. [11] [12] A connection ran north-eastwards to the Ebbw Vale Iron Works. [11] A substantial amount of freight was carried to and from the ironworks. [7]
The station was sandwiched between James Street and Market Street, with the main station building facing the latter. [11] St James Methodist Church was prominent behind the single platform which backed on to James Street. [13] A signal box was at the south end of the station before the point where the line crossed Market Street on the level. [11] The station was near the Great Western Railway's own Ebbw Vale station and there was considerable rivalry between this company and the L&NWR. [7] The L&NWR insisted that the signalman manning the signalbox descend to ring a handbell five minutes before the departure of a train and again once it had left. [14] The station booking office was closed two minutes before the departure of a train which resulted in late would-be passengers having to wait outside a locked gate until the train departed. [14] To distinguish the two Ebbw Vale stations, British Railways added the suffix "High Level" (the L&NWR station) and "Low Level" (the GWR station) on 23 May 1949. [5] [6]
The High Level station suffered from the disadvantage that, although it was more centrally-located than the Low Level, services went to Brynmawr and not to Newport where most passengers wished to travel. [15] Passenger services, which at that time consisted of two each way on weekdays and five extra services on Saturdays, [16] were withdrawn from the branch on 5 February 1951, [5] [6] although goods facilities were provided until 2 November 1959. [17] From 22 November 1954, goods services were routed via the Sirhowy Railway and Nantybwch. [18]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Beaufort (LNWR) Line and station closed |
London and North Western Railway Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway |
Terminus |
The station site has been redeveloped as a shopping complex, [19] having previously been a multi-storey car park. [20] The angle of the building to the road follows the former railway alignment. [7] The Ebbw Vale leisure centre has been constructed on the trackbed about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of the former terminus. [20]
Ebbw Vale (High Level) | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location |
Ebbw Vale,
Blaenau Gwent Wales |
Coordinates | 51°46′49″N 3°12′27″W / 51.7804°N 3.2076°W |
Grid reference | SO167097 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | London and North Western Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Key dates | |
2 September 1867 | Opened as Ebbw Vale |
23 May 1949 | Renamed |
5 February 1951 | Closed to passengers |
2 November 1959 | Closed to goods traffic |
Ebbw Vale (High Level) railway station was a station on a short branch from the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line which served the town of Ebbw Vale in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire. [1]
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 (L&NWR) which acquired the smaller railway company on 30 June 1866. [3] [4] On 2 September 1867, a branch was opened to Ebbw Vale. [5] [6] The branch service started at Brynmawr and, prior to 1925, there was a daily service of more than thirty trains each way. [7] [8] [9] Ebbw Vale was reached by the 93-yard (85 m) Beaufort Viaduct before reaching Ebbw Vale Junction and the 93-yard (85 m) Rhyd Viaduct. [10] Much of the branch descended towards Ebbw Vale on 1 in 42 gradient. [11] [12] A connection ran north-eastwards to the Ebbw Vale Iron Works. [11] A substantial amount of freight was carried to and from the ironworks. [7]
The station was sandwiched between James Street and Market Street, with the main station building facing the latter. [11] St James Methodist Church was prominent behind the single platform which backed on to James Street. [13] A signal box was at the south end of the station before the point where the line crossed Market Street on the level. [11] The station was near the Great Western Railway's own Ebbw Vale station and there was considerable rivalry between this company and the L&NWR. [7] The L&NWR insisted that the signalman manning the signalbox descend to ring a handbell five minutes before the departure of a train and again once it had left. [14] The station booking office was closed two minutes before the departure of a train which resulted in late would-be passengers having to wait outside a locked gate until the train departed. [14] To distinguish the two Ebbw Vale stations, British Railways added the suffix "High Level" (the L&NWR station) and "Low Level" (the GWR station) on 23 May 1949. [5] [6]
The High Level station suffered from the disadvantage that, although it was more centrally-located than the Low Level, services went to Brynmawr and not to Newport where most passengers wished to travel. [15] Passenger services, which at that time consisted of two each way on weekdays and five extra services on Saturdays, [16] were withdrawn from the branch on 5 February 1951, [5] [6] although goods facilities were provided until 2 November 1959. [17] From 22 November 1954, goods services were routed via the Sirhowy Railway and Nantybwch. [18]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Beaufort (LNWR) Line and station closed |
London and North Western Railway Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway |
Terminus |
The station site has been redeveloped as a shopping complex, [19] having previously been a multi-storey car park. [20] The angle of the building to the road follows the former railway alignment. [7] The Ebbw Vale leisure centre has been constructed on the trackbed about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of the former terminus. [20]