Glyn Abbey railway station

Glyn Abbey railway station was opened in 1909[2] as Pontnewydd Halt[3] It continued to serve the inhabitants of the Pont-newydd area and hinterland between 1909 and 1943; it was one of several basic halts opened on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Glyn Abbey
The trackbed of the old railway and Kymer's Canal.
Location	Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire Wales
Coordinates	51.7428°N 4.2509°W
Grid reference	SN446073
Platforms	1
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
2 August 1909[1]	Station opened
November 1910	Renamed Glyn Abbey
3 May 1943[2]	Station closed

History

The BP&GVR system in 1909.

The station was opened as Pontnewydd on 1 February 1909 by the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway on the Kidwelly and Burry Port section of the line and was closed by the Great Western Railway in 1943 with the last passenger train on the line running nearly ten years later on Saturday 19 September 1953.[1] It was on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway with Trimsaran Road located to the south and Pontyates to the north of the East Kidwelly Junction.[1]

The station was renamed as Glyn Abbey in 1910.[2] The name change may have been to avoid confusion with Upper Pontnewydd at Cwmbran and Lower Pontnewydd at Torfaen. Glyn Abbey was a country house located nearby and linked directly to Pont-newydd by a footpath.[4]

A rural area which once had a public house, the Smiths' Arms, at the nearby Pont-newydd hamlet. The Bryn Forest Inn was also close by on the road to Tre-Goch hamlet.[5] Many old coal pits were once active in the area.[4]

The railway was originally a freight only line,[6] built on the route of an old canal and prone to flooding, but stations were established due to pressure from the public. The freight service continued for coal traffic until 1996 by which time the last of the local collieries had closed down.[7][8]

Infrastructure

The station had one wooden platform on the western side of this single track line with a small wooden shelter. The station had no public sidings; a road overbridge still stands to the north.[3][9][4]

Remnants

The section south of Pinged, between Burry Port and Craiglon Bridge Halt is now a footpath and cycleway, however this section remains abandoned although a footpath has been established in the area.

Routes

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Trimsaran Road Line and station closed		Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway Great Western Railway		Pontyates Line and station Closed

See also

• West Wales lines

References

1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 188. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 105. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. Carmarthenshire, LIII.8, Revised: 1913, Published: 1915
4. SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised: Pre-1930 to 1963, Published: 1964
5. OS 1:1m to 1:63k 1920-1940's
6. 1:1 million - 1:1 10K, 1900s
7. Colonel Stephens Society
8. SN40SW - A, Surveyed / Revised:Pre-1930 to 1963, Published:1964
9. Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain - 1937-1961

External links

• Burry Port and Gwendreath Railway - 2011