Croes Newydd
Encyclopedia
Croes Newydd was a large steam locomotive shed, marshalling yard and junction in Wrexham
, in Wales
.
and depending on a central turntable
for access. It was built by the Great Western Railway and opened in 1902, to replace outdated facilities at Wheatsheaf junction
. It was located in the centre of a large fork junction, with the Chester to Shrewsbury line running along one edge, and the branch being the Wrexham and Minera Branch
. The sheds also featured a GWR combined Water tower and coaling stage, of a design which was later to become standardised.
While the 'northlight' design was meant to allow maximum sunlight, the skylight windows quickly became sooted and black, reducing lighting conditions. The sheds stored several locomotives known as "workhorses" as they did the goods work. The last of these locomotives were the BR Standard 9F locomotives, the last of the British steam locomotives.
Under the cutbacks of BR in the 1960s, the shed finally closed in 1967.
) opened a yard and depot on part of the site. This was home to the town and surrounding area's rock salt store, as well as the grit spreaders that dispersed it in cold weather. Also kept here were all grass cutting equipment and road maintenance equipment. After sustaining damage from a minor fire in one of the buildings, the depot was closed and relocated to the nearby Wrexham Industrial Estate
in 2009.
In the 1990s, sidings to the southwest of the triangle were developed as a suburban housing estate; Named Llys-David-Lord (David Lord Court), named after David Lord
, a famed aviator. Apart from the sidings, the only thing left was an old BR Brake Van In the 2000s, the nearby Wrexham Maelor Hospital extended its car park onto the site of the marshalling yard to the west of the triangle.
In 2010, Morrisons
, a national supermarket chain, announced its intention to develop a majority of the remaining vacant land into a supermarket and adjoining car park. This will be the first time in almost fifty years that the land has been occupied, and is being subjected to intense environmental rules, as over the years, the untamed scrub land and low lying debris from the original usage have formed natural habitats for a wide array of species. Some of the site will be retained as scrubland for possible future usage, and the route of the Northern fork of the Junction will be used as a path and cycleway to the level crossing near the North Fork Signal Box. This forms part of a route following the route of the Wrexham and Minera Railway as far as Moss Valley.
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History
Wrexham's Croes Newydd locomotive shed was the last of the GWR 'northlight' designs, being a roundhouseRoundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
and depending on a central turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
for access. It was built by the Great Western Railway and opened in 1902, to replace outdated facilities at Wheatsheaf junction
Wheatsheaf junction
Wheatsheaf Junction was a Junction on the railway line between Wrexham and Gresford on the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway. The location was around 2 km from Wrexham General Station, below the Weatsheaf public house. It was built as contigious with the line to Brymbo which was the terminus...
. It was located in the centre of a large fork junction, with the Chester to Shrewsbury line running along one edge, and the branch being the Wrexham and Minera Branch
Wrexham and Minera Branch
The Wrexham and Minera Railway or Wrexham and Minera Branch was a railway line in North Wales between the town of Wrexham, the village of Brymbo where it served the Brymbo Steelworks, and the lead mines and limeworks at Minera. A further branch ran from Brymbo to Coed Talon, where it connected with...
. The sheds also featured a GWR combined Water tower and coaling stage, of a design which was later to become standardised.
While the 'northlight' design was meant to allow maximum sunlight, the skylight windows quickly became sooted and black, reducing lighting conditions. The sheds stored several locomotives known as "workhorses" as they did the goods work. The last of these locomotives were the BR Standard 9F locomotives, the last of the British steam locomotives.
Under the cutbacks of BR in the 1960s, the shed finally closed in 1967.
After Closure
Between closure and the 1980s, Wrexham Corporation (now Wrexham County Borough CouncilWrexham County Borough Council
Wrexham County Borough Council is the governing body for Wrexham , one of the administrative subdivisions of Wales.- Governance and political composition :...
) opened a yard and depot on part of the site. This was home to the town and surrounding area's rock salt store, as well as the grit spreaders that dispersed it in cold weather. Also kept here were all grass cutting equipment and road maintenance equipment. After sustaining damage from a minor fire in one of the buildings, the depot was closed and relocated to the nearby Wrexham Industrial Estate
Wrexham Industrial Estate
The Wrexham Industrial Estate is an industrial estate in the north of Wales, situated in the county of Wrexham on the eastern outskirts of the town. Originally the site of a Word War II munitions factory, the estate later became known as the Wrexham Trading Estate. It has now grown to cover...
in 2009.
In the 1990s, sidings to the southwest of the triangle were developed as a suburban housing estate; Named Llys-David-Lord (David Lord Court), named after David Lord
David Lord
David Samuel Anthony Lord VC, DFC was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, a famed aviator. Apart from the sidings, the only thing left was an old BR Brake Van In the 2000s, the nearby Wrexham Maelor Hospital extended its car park onto the site of the marshalling yard to the west of the triangle.
Present Status
Now that the shed and marshalling yard were gone, the only remaining features were the Croes Newydd North and South Fork signal boxes. However the closure of the Wrexham and Minera Railway closed the South Fork signal box, leaving only the North Fork box as the only remaining box in the Wrexham area.In 2010, Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, a national supermarket chain, announced its intention to develop a majority of the remaining vacant land into a supermarket and adjoining car park. This will be the first time in almost fifty years that the land has been occupied, and is being subjected to intense environmental rules, as over the years, the untamed scrub land and low lying debris from the original usage have formed natural habitats for a wide array of species. Some of the site will be retained as scrubland for possible future usage, and the route of the Northern fork of the Junction will be used as a path and cycleway to the level crossing near the North Fork Signal Box. This forms part of a route following the route of the Wrexham and Minera Railway as far as Moss Valley.