Usk (GWR) railway station
Encyclopedia
Usk railway station is a disused railway station in the town of Usk
, Monmouthshire
, Wales
. The station is now barely recognisable with the remains of the platforms beneath undergrowth, but the trackbed, the adjacent Usk Tunnel and road and river bridges remain extant and can be walked.
in 1856, with the principal aim of carrying iron ore from the Forest of Dean
to furnaces near Nantyglo
. It was authorised under an Act of Parliament dated 20 August 1853, to operate from a junction with the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway, near Pontypool
, to Coleford, Gloucestershire
, with a branch to serve the gas works at Monmouth
. Diverging at Little Mill Junction, two miles north west of Pontypool Road railway station, the line ran to Monmouth Troy railway station
.
The four miles from Little Mill Junction to Usk were opened on 2 June 1856, the line was worked by the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
. The 12 miles onwards to Monmouth Troy opened on 12 October 1857 when the company worked its line with engines hired from the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
.
Of the several stations on the line only Usk and Monmouth Troy had two platforms. The station site at Usk was cramped between the River Usk
and the Tunnel, so the goods yard stood a quarter of a mile away on the western side of the river.
Passenger traffic was always light, although some attempts were made to revive ailing fortunes with the addition of an evening train from Monmouth and the opening of a halt at Elm Bridge in the 1930s. The line was closed to passengers on 30 May 1955. A centenary special train was run on 12 October 1957.
Both tunnel portals are masonry. The eastern one is supported by substantial buttresses. Whilst the roof is bricked-lined, the walls and occasional refuges are a mixture of brick and stone. The profile of the tunnel varies, notably in the centre marked by a pair of strengthening rings.
It is reputed that King Edward VIII slept overnight in the tunnel aboard the Royal Train, possibly on the night of 18 November 1936.
The tunnel is now officially part of a footpath - it is broad, relatively straight and the floor has been raised with infill to ease passage. It is possible to navigate the tunnel without artificial light.
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, 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...
. The station is now barely recognisable with the remains of the platforms beneath undergrowth, but the trackbed, the adjacent Usk Tunnel and road and river bridges remain extant and can be walked.
The Line
The railway was built by the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool RailwayColeford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway
The Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway was a standard gauge railway of which ran between Monmouth to Pontypool. It was opened in 1857, passenger services were withdrawn in 1955...
in 1856, with the principal aim of carrying iron ore from 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...
to furnaces near Nantyglo
Nantyglo
Nantyglo is a village in the ancient parish of Aberystruth and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Blaina and Brynmawr in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent.- Places of interest in Nantyglo :...
. It was authorised under an Act of Parliament dated 20 August 1853, to operate from a junction with the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway, near 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....
, to Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
, with a branch to serve the gas works at Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
. Diverging at Little Mill Junction, two miles north west of Pontypool Road railway station, the line ran to Monmouth Troy railway station
Monmouth Troy railway station
Monmouth Troy was one of the two former stations at Monmouth. It was built in 1857 by the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway and was used by several other branch lines as the local rail network expanded...
.
The four miles from Little Mill Junction to Usk were opened on 2 June 1856, the line was worked by the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
Newport, 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...
. The 12 miles onwards to Monmouth Troy opened on 12 October 1857 when the company worked its line with engines hired from the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
Newport, 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...
.
Of the several stations on the line only Usk and Monmouth Troy had two platforms. The station site at Usk was cramped between 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...
and the Tunnel, so the goods yard stood a quarter of a mile away on the western side of the river.
Passenger traffic was always light, although some attempts were made to revive ailing fortunes with the addition of an evening train from Monmouth and the opening of a halt at Elm Bridge in the 1930s. The line was closed to passengers on 30 May 1955. A centenary special train was run on 12 October 1957.
Usk Tunnel
The 256-yard tunnel adjacent to the station was cut through the hill immediately to the east of the station. The tunnel was carved through sandstone, from which several fossils were preserved in the National Museum of Wales at Cardiff.Both tunnel portals are masonry. The eastern one is supported by substantial buttresses. Whilst the roof is bricked-lined, the walls and occasional refuges are a mixture of brick and stone. The profile of the tunnel varies, notably in the centre marked by a pair of strengthening rings.
It is reputed that King Edward VIII slept overnight in the tunnel aboard the Royal Train, possibly on the night of 18 November 1936.
The tunnel is now officially part of a footpath - it is broad, relatively straight and the floor has been raised with infill to ease passage. It is possible to navigate the tunnel without artificial light.
Timeline
- 20 August 1853: Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool RailwayColeford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool RailwayThe Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway was a standard gauge railway of which ran between Monmouth to Pontypool. It was opened in 1857, passenger services were withdrawn in 1955...
authorised under the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway Act 1853 - 2 June 1856: railway opened from Little Mill Junction, Pontypool, to Usk.
- 12 October 1857: line extended from Usk to Monmouth (Troy).
- 1861: line leased by the West Midland Railway.
- 1873: Branch to Coleford opened.
- 1887: The Great Western Railway absorbed the Coleford, Monmouth Usk & Pontypool
- 1 January 1917: Coleford branch closed.
- July 1929: Remaining sections of Coleford branch removed.
- 30 May 1955: Coleford Monmouth Usk and Pontypool Railway Newport to Monmouth closed to passengers.
- 24 April 1961: Workers trains cease to serve ROF GlascoedROF GlascoedROF Glascoed was a UK government-owned, Royal Ordnance Factory. It was designed as one of 20 munitions filling factories. It was planned as a Permanent Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that, unlike some other similar facilities, it would remain open for production after the end of World...
.