Railways in Hereford
Encyclopedia
Hereford
has seen a history of expansion and decline in its railway history.
This was a tramroad which linked with other earlier tramroads to form a continuous line between Hereford and Abergavenny. It was bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway in 1846.
was incorporated in 1859. It opened between Hereford and Moorhampton to goods traffic on the 24 October 1862, to Eardisley for goods and passengers on the 30 June 1863 and reached Hay-on-Wye on the 11 July 1864.
Initially the company used the Moorfields Station to the west of the city but later used Barrs Court Station.
The railway was taken over by the Midland Railway in 1874.
The line closed to passengers on 31 December 1962, and was shut finally in 1964.
The final section from Hopesbrook to Hereford section opened 1 June 1855. It was a broad gauge
track, linking eventually to London through a 22 mile section from the Grange Court Junction in the Forest of Dean
.
On 29 July 1862 the line was amalgamated with the GWR. In 1869 the line was converted from broad gauge to standard gauge
in a 5 day period.
As part of the Beeching Axe
the Gloucester to Hereford line was closed on the 2 November 1964.
connected Leominster
with Kington
and Presteigne
.
Connecting to the Hay Railway
via the Kington and Eardisley Railway at Titley Junction, a proposed plan to develop a cross-Wales line via New Radnor
to Aberystwyth
was never realised. Taken over by the West Midland Railway, it became a constituent part of the Great Western Railway.
It was at its busiest during World War II
, when RAF Shobdon acted as a casualty distribution centre to local hospitals for both the British
and later US Army. It closed to passenger traffic in 1955, and shut pre-Beeching in 1963.
was incorporated in 1846, formed by the amalgamation of the Hereford Railway, the Llanfihangel Railway and the Grosmont Railway. A joint opening with the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway
took place on 6 December 1853.
The company was taken over by the West Midland Railway in 1860, which became part of the Great Western Railway
in 1863.
The main station and headquarters of the Newport to Hereford line was Barton Street Station in the east of the city. There was a short link which continued northwards to the Shrewsbury & Hereford line at Barrs Court junction. A connecting line was built in 1866 around the south of the city from Red Hill on the Newport line to Rotherwas on the Hereford Ross and Gloucester line. This enabled Newport and Abergavenny trains to use Barrs Court station. Barton Street station was closed to passengers on the 2 January 1893, with all services transferred to the Barrs Court Station (the current Hereford station). Barton Street Station was demolished in 1913, although facilities there remained open for freight until 1979.
was incorporated in 1846. The Hereford section of the line officially opened at Barrs Court Station on the 6 December 1853, although the line had been used for goods traffic since the earlier in the year. It was leased jointly by the LNWR and GWR from 1862 and was transferred to joint ownership in 1868.
This railway was opened by the Worcester and Hereford Railway in stages from 1859 to 1861 with the final section Malvern Wells to Shelwick Junction (Hereford) opened on 17 September 1861.
The Worcester and Hereford Railway became part of the West Midland Railway on 1 July 1861 and the GWR on 1 August 1863.
This was originally the Oxford Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway. It changed its name in 1860 and absorbed the Newport Abergavenny & Hereford plus the Worcester & Hereford. It also had agreements to work or leases on numerous branch lines in the English West Midlands region. The West Midland Railway's independent life was very short. It was leased to the GWR in 1861 and amalgamated with it in 1863.
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
has seen a history of expansion and decline in its railway history.
Hereford Railway
Incorporated in 1826.This was a tramroad which linked with other earlier tramroads to form a continuous line between Hereford and Abergavenny. It was bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway in 1846.
Hereford, Hay & Brecon Railway
The Hereford, Hay and Brecon RailwayHereford, Hay and Brecon Railway
The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway was an early railway linking Hereford in England with Brecon in Wales.-Incorporation and early history:...
was incorporated in 1859. It opened between Hereford and Moorhampton to goods traffic on the 24 October 1862, to Eardisley for goods and passengers on the 30 June 1863 and reached Hay-on-Wye on the 11 July 1864.
Initially the company used the Moorfields Station to the west of the city but later used Barrs Court Station.
The railway was taken over by the Midland Railway in 1874.
The line closed to passengers on 31 December 1962, and was shut finally in 1964.
Hereford, Ross & Gloucester Railway
Incorporated in 1851.The final section from Hopesbrook to Hereford section opened 1 June 1855. It was a broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
track, linking eventually to London through a 22 mile section from the Grange Court Junction in the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
.
On 29 July 1862 the line was amalgamated with the GWR. In 1869 the line was converted from broad gauge to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
in a 5 day period.
As part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
the Gloucester to Hereford line was closed on the 2 November 1964.
Leominster and Kington Railway
Incorporated in 1854, the Leominster and Kington RailwayLeominster and Kington Railway
Leominster and Kington Railway was one of four branches which served the Welsh Marches border town of Kington, Herefordshire.Opened in August 1857, its peak was during World War II, when it served two US Army hospitals...
connected Leominster
Leominster railway station
Leominster railway station lies on the Welsh Marches Line serving the Herefordshire town of Leominster in England.Leominster has 2 Platforms for North and South bound trains respectively.-History:...
with Kington
Kington, Herefordshire
Kington is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,597.-Location:Kington is near the Wales-England border and, despite being on the western side of Offa's Dyke, has been English for over a thousand years. The town is in the...
and Presteigne
Presteigne
Presteigne is a town and community in Powys, Wales. It was the county town of the historic county of Radnorshire, and is in the Diocese of Hereford...
.
Connecting to the Hay Railway
Hay Railway
The Hay Railway was an early Welsh narrow gauge horse tramwaythat connected Eardisley Hay-on-Wye with Watton Wharf on the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal.-Parliamentary authorisation, construction and opening:...
via the Kington and Eardisley Railway at Titley Junction, a proposed plan to develop a cross-Wales line via New Radnor
New Radnor
New Radnor is a village in Powys, mid Wales. It was the original county town of Radnorshire. The population today is around 400, a higher than normal proportion of which are pensioners...
to Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
was never realised. Taken over by the West Midland Railway, it became a constituent part of the Great Western Railway.
It was at its busiest during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when RAF Shobdon acted as a casualty distribution centre to local hospitals for both the British
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and later US Army. It closed to passenger traffic in 1955, and shut pre-Beeching in 1963.
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford RailwayNewport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway line connecting the Welsh port city of Newport via Abergavenny, to the major English market town of Hereford.Sponsored by the LNWR, it opened on 6 December 1853...
was incorporated in 1846, formed by the amalgamation of the Hereford Railway, the Llanfihangel Railway and the Grosmont Railway. A joint opening with the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway
Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway
The Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway was an independently developed English railway, the first to run train services in Herefordshire.Built between 1850 and 1853, it crossed a number of services by both the Great Western Railway and London and North Western Railway companies, became a joint...
took place on 6 December 1853.
The company was taken over by the West Midland Railway in 1860, which became part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
in 1863.
The main station and headquarters of the Newport to Hereford line was Barton Street Station in the east of the city. There was a short link which continued northwards to the Shrewsbury & Hereford line at Barrs Court junction. A connecting line was built in 1866 around the south of the city from Red Hill on the Newport line to Rotherwas on the Hereford Ross and Gloucester line. This enabled Newport and Abergavenny trains to use Barrs Court station. Barton Street station was closed to passengers on the 2 January 1893, with all services transferred to the Barrs Court Station (the current Hereford station). Barton Street Station was demolished in 1913, although facilities there remained open for freight until 1979.
Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway
The Shrewsbury and Hereford RailwayShrewsbury and Hereford Railway
The Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway was an independently developed English railway, the first to run train services in Herefordshire.Built between 1850 and 1853, it crossed a number of services by both the Great Western Railway and London and North Western Railway companies, became a joint...
was incorporated in 1846. The Hereford section of the line officially opened at Barrs Court Station on the 6 December 1853, although the line had been used for goods traffic since the earlier in the year. It was leased jointly by the LNWR and GWR from 1862 and was transferred to joint ownership in 1868.
Worcester & Hereford Railway
Incorporated in 1853.This railway was opened by the Worcester and Hereford Railway in stages from 1859 to 1861 with the final section Malvern Wells to Shelwick Junction (Hereford) opened on 17 September 1861.
The Worcester and Hereford Railway became part of the West Midland Railway on 1 July 1861 and the GWR on 1 August 1863.
West Midland Railway
Incorporated in 1860.This was originally the Oxford Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway. It changed its name in 1860 and absorbed the Newport Abergavenny & Hereford plus the Worcester & Hereford. It also had agreements to work or leases on numerous branch lines in the English West Midlands region. The West Midland Railway's independent life was very short. It was leased to the GWR in 1861 and amalgamated with it in 1863.