Garw Valley Railway
| Garw Valley Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Bridgend, Wales |
| Terminus | Pontycymer and Brynmenyn |
| Connections | Network Rail Tondu Station |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Great Western Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Bridgend Valleys Railway Company Limited |
| Stations | 5 (currently not operational) |
| Length | 5 miles (8.0 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1876 |
| Closed | 6 March 1997 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1988 | Preservation group formed. |
| 1994 | Bridgend Valleys Railway Company incorporated. |
| 23 March 2001 | National Assembly for Wales Transport & Works Act order secured. |
| Headquarters | Pontycymer Locomotive Works |
The Garw Valley Railway is the trading name of the Bridgend Valleys Railway Company Limited. It operates a short section of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railway located in South Wales, which is being recreated as a heritage railway. Formerly part of the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway (L&OR) and built by the Great Western Railway (GWR), the line was formerly used for freight and passenger services, with most of the track still in place between Brynmenyn and Pontycymer. The project currently has a train shed at Pontycymer, and hopes to initially offer brake van rides between Pontycymer and Pant-y-Gog, a distance of .5 miles (0.8 km).
The Duffryn Llynvi & Porthcawl Railway Company (DL&PRC) obtained its Act of Parliament in 1825, running from Caerau Duffryn down the Llynvi Valley to Tondu, and then west to Porthcawl where it built a pier for trans-shipment of coal. Merging with the Bridgend Railway in 1834, built to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge the system centered on Tondu totalled 21 miles (34 km).
In 1845 the UK government authorised the building of the South Wales Main Line (SWML), which brought about the recreation of a new owning company for the existing DL&PRC system, the Llynvi Valley Railway (LVR), which agreed connection with the 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge SWML at both Bridgend and Pyle.
...
Wikipedia