Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
Encyclopedia
The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company (MR&CC) built and operated the Newport and Pontypool Railway. It was known as "The Rat and Cat's".
, whose existing canals were being threatened by competition from the new surge in railway lines. In 1845 they obtained an Act of Parliament
to build a railway from Newport to Pontnewynydd
, under the name "Newport and Pontypool Railway".
By 1848 it was clear that the project would not succeed, and another Act was passed to enable the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company to take on the work and the canal.
The line was opened between Newport
and Pontypool
on 30 June 1852. Engineering feats included a tunnel at Malpas
, a seven-arch viaduct at Cwmynyscoy
, and a 52 feet (15.8 m) iron bridge over the canal at Pontymoile
. Once completed, the line was soon doubled to cope with increasing traffic demands.
Meanwhile, building commenced on a northward extension to Pontnewynydd, laid in the bed of the drained canal so that the existing bridges could be reused with little modification.
Further linkages over existing tramways were completed to Blaenavon
and beyond.
Between 1848 and 1880 the Company carried coal
and iron ore from the eastern South Wales Valleys
to wharves along the River Usk
at Newport. Locomotives №6 (1849) and №18 (1852) were built by Stothert and Slaughter Ltd
. Standard wagons were introduced in 1849 with a capacity of 5 tons and wheels designed to travel on tramway and railway gauge. Monmouthshire canal boats carried 25 LT (28 ST; 25.4 t) and were 64 in 9 in (19.74 m) by 9 in 2 in (2.79 m), shorter and broader than boats on other canals. A large commemorative mural has been installed within the pedestrian subway system near Newport Castle
.
had caused severe rail congestion in the Newport
area and as a result the British Transport Commission
had recommended the closure of a number of passenger services in the Monmouthshire area as an operational measure.
The line from Newport to Cwmbran
closed on 27 October 1963, with traffic being switched to the Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway route. The rundown in the local mining industry also led to the closure of the Blaensychan and Tirpentwys lines in 1962 and 1967 respectively, and when, on 3 May 1980 the Big Pit
closed, the remainder of the railway line closed with it.
A number of rail enthusiast passenger specials ran between 1972 and 1981, but as the track from Trevethin Junction to Blaenavon Low level had been lifted in the 1960s they had followed the route of the High Level line. The line was severed in the summer of 1982 when a double-decker bus ferrying day-trip passengers on a route normally only used by single-deck buses, crashed into a low bridge near Pontnewydd. Five people were killed and the bridge was demolished almost immediately afterwards.
In the summer of 1983 the remainder of the track was lifted except for a section of the northern extension of the line which is in preservation as the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
.
Sections of the line through Cwmbran have been used as the route for the A4051 road, known as Cwmbran Drive.
Overview
The railway was proposed by the Monmouthshire Canal CompanyMonmouthshire & Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to...
, whose existing canals were being threatened by competition from the new surge in railway lines. In 1845 they obtained an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to build a railway from Newport to Pontnewynydd
Pontnewynydd
Pontnewynydd is a predominantly working class suburb of Pontypool, Torfaen in Wales. It should not be confused with Pontnewydd in nearby Cwmbran.- Location :...
, under the name "Newport and Pontypool Railway".
By 1848 it was clear that the project would not succeed, and another Act was passed to enable the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company to take on the work and the canal.
The line was opened between Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
on 30 June 1852. Engineering feats included a tunnel at Malpas
Malpas, Newport
Malpas is an electoral district and coterminous community parish of the city of Newport, South Wales. The area is governed by the Newport City Council.- Boundaries :...
, a seven-arch viaduct at Cwmynyscoy
Cwmynyscoy
Cwmynyscoy is a suburb of Pontypool town in the district of the County Borough of Torfaen, south east Wales.-Statistics:*All figures quoted have been derived from the 2001 Census unless otherwise stated.-Demographic Indicators:...
, and a 52 feet (15.8 m) iron bridge over the canal at Pontymoile
Pontymoile
Pontymoile is a large community of the town of Pontypool in Torfaen, south east Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire....
. Once completed, the line was soon doubled to cope with increasing traffic demands.
Meanwhile, building commenced on a northward extension to Pontnewynydd, laid in the bed of the drained canal so that the existing bridges could be reused with little modification.
Further linkages over existing tramways were completed to Blaenavon
Blaenavon
Blaenavon is a town and World Heritage Site in south eastern Wales, lying at the source of the Afon Lwyd north of Pontypool, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. The town lies high on a hillside and has a population of 6,349 people...
and beyond.
Between 1848 and 1880 the Company carried coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and iron ore from the eastern South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
to wharves along the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
at Newport. Locomotives №6 (1849) and №18 (1852) were built by Stothert and Slaughter Ltd
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...
. Standard wagons were introduced in 1849 with a capacity of 5 tons and wheels designed to travel on tramway and railway gauge. Monmouthshire canal boats carried 25 LT (28 ST; 25.4 t) and were 64 in 9 in (19.74 m) by 9 in 2 in (2.79 m), shorter and broader than boats on other canals. A large commemorative mural has been installed within the pedestrian subway system near Newport Castle
Newport Castle
Newport Castle is a castle ruin in the city of Newport, South Wales and is a Grade II* Listed building. It is the castle that gives Newport its original and real name in the Welsh language, Castell Newydd, shortened to Casnewydd...
.
Stations
- Newport (Mill Street)
- LlantarnamLlantarnamLlantarnam is a community and suburb of Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales.Llantarnam Abbey is a Cistercian abbey founded in 1179 as a daughter house of Strata Florida Abbey...
- Cwmbran
- Upper PontnewyddPontnewyddPontnewydd is a suburb of Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen, south-east Wales.Beginning in the late 19th/early 20th century, as a small village in the locality of Llanfrechfa Upper, Pontnewydd has grown rapidly since the start of the Cwmbran New Town development in 1949. Locally, it is...
- Pontrydyryn
- Sebastopol
- PantegPantegPanteg is a village in the county borough of Torfaen, Wales. It is adjacent to Griffithstown, between the towns of Cwmbran and Pontypool. The village is best known for Panteg Steel Works, which finally closed in 2004....
& GriffithstownGriffithstownGriffithstown is a large community of Pontypool in the borough of Torfaen, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is an ecclesiastical parish, formed in May, 1898, from Llanfrechfa Upper and Panteg, and includes Sebastopol, but, under the provisions of the Local Government Act... - Blaendare Road
- Pontypool (Crane Street)
- PontnewynyddPontnewynyddPontnewynydd is a predominantly working class suburb of Pontypool, Torfaen in Wales. It should not be confused with Pontnewydd in nearby Cwmbran.- Location :...
Closures
Passenger services to Blaenavon High Level and Brynmawr over the GWR/LNWR Talywain branch ceased in May 1941, ostensibly as a wartime economy, but the services never resumed after the end of hostilities. The passenger service to Blaenavon Low Level closed in April 1962, which was actually some eighteen months prior to the publication of the notorious Beeching Report. It was later disclosed that the opening of the new Llanwern steelworksLlanwern steelworks
Llanwern Steelworks is located in Llanwern, east of the City of Newport, South Wales.Built by Richard Thomas & Baldwin Ltd, the works was originally referred to locally as "The RTB", before being called Spencer Works and later Llanwern...
had caused severe rail congestion in the Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
area and as a result the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
had recommended the closure of a number of passenger services in the Monmouthshire area as an operational measure.
The line from Newport to Cwmbran
Cwmbran
Cwmbrân is a new town in Wales. Today forming part of the county borough of Torfaen and lying within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, Cwmbrân was established in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield. Cwmbrân means Crow...
closed on 27 October 1963, with traffic being switched to the Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway route. The rundown in the local mining industry also led to the closure of the Blaensychan and Tirpentwys lines in 1962 and 1967 respectively, and when, on 3 May 1980 the Big Pit
Big Pit
Big Pit: National Coal Museum is a museum in Blaenavon, Torfaen, South Wales. A working coal mine from 1860 to 1980, it was opened to visitors from 1980 under the auspices of the National Museum Wales...
closed, the remainder of the railway line closed with it.
A number of rail enthusiast passenger specials ran between 1972 and 1981, but as the track from Trevethin Junction to Blaenavon Low level had been lifted in the 1960s they had followed the route of the High Level line. The line was severed in the summer of 1982 when a double-decker bus ferrying day-trip passengers on a route normally only used by single-deck buses, crashed into a low bridge near Pontnewydd. Five people were killed and the bridge was demolished almost immediately afterwards.
In the summer of 1983 the remainder of the track was lifted except for a section of the northern extension of the line which is in preservation as the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway in South Wales, running trains between a halt platform opposite the Whistle Stop public house southwards to the town of Blaenavon via a two-platform station at the site of former colliery furnace.The line is the highest...
.
Sections of the line through Cwmbran have been used as the route for the A4051 road, known as Cwmbran Drive.