Wye Valley Railway

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The disused viaduct outside Monmouth, used by the Wye Valley Railway but first opened for another line in 1861, is a prominent feature of the local landscape

The Wye Valley Railway ran for 15 miles (24 km) between Chepstow and Monmouth along the lower part of the scenic Wye Valley in Monmouthshire, Wales, and Gloucestershire, England. The line opened in 1876. It closed for passenger traffic in 1959 and for goods traffic in 1964, but part was still used for quarry traffic until 1992.

1 History
2 Current and proposed uses
3 References
4 External links

History

The line was inaugurated by an Act of Parliament in 1866, although construction was delayed until 1874 because of national economic circumstances.^[1] The southern part of the line, between Chepstow and Tintern, was particularly complex in engineering terms, requiring a long tunnel of 1188 yards at Tidenham, a stretch along a steep hillside above the River Wye, and a second short tunnel and bridge at Tintern. Evangelical services were organised at Woodcroft, Tidenham, partly in an attempt to combat drunkenness among the labourers building the railway.^[2] North of Tintern the line followed the valley bottom, with a bridge over the river at Penallt. Outside Monmouth, the line used an existing viaduct across the river which had been built in 1861 by engineer Joseph Firbank to carry the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway.^[1]

The Wye Valley Railway was opened on 1 November 1876, from Wye Valley Junction near Chepstow, on the main line between Gloucester and Newport, to Monmouth Troy station, where passengers could change for Pontypool and Ross-on-Wye. Trains stopped at the intervening stations of Tidenham, Tintern, Bigsweir (later renamed St. Briavels), and Redbrook. A short branch was also provided across the river to the wireworks at Tintern, although by the time it was completed the works had gone out of business. A branch line also ran to Coleford between 1883 and 1916. Its rails were sent for use on the railways of the Western Front, but were sunk in transit across the English Channel.^[3]^[4]^[5]

The line was intended to serve both tourist traffic, such as those visiting Tintern Abbey, and also the limestone quarries, paper mills and metal works in the Wye valley. Although constructed by the Wye Valley Railway Company, the line was operated from the outset by the Great Western Railway. It was not financially successful, and in 1905 the Wye Valley Railway Company was bought by the GWR. The GWR added several halts along the line, at Netherhope (1932), Brockweir (1929), Llandogo (1927), Whitebrook (1927), Penallt (1931), and Wyesham (1931).^[1]^[3]

In the inter-war period, there were about 5 trains in each direction each day, and popular excursion trains were also run to Tintern, particularly to see the harvest moon through the abbey windows. Redbrook station became nationally noted for its floral displays.^[1] However, after a long decline in revenue associated with the growth of motor traffic, the line closed to passengers in 1959, four years before the national Beeching cuts. It closed to general goods traffic in 1964.

Current and proposed uses

The picnic site and former signal box at Tintern Station in 2008

Old Tintern Station is now a popular picnic site and base for short walks, and has a permanent exhibition of the history of the line. The Wye Valley Walk passes through the site and paved footways extend to nearby Tintern and Brockweir.^[6] Several former railway bridges across the river are also open to pedestrians, including the wireworks bridge at Tintern, and another linking Redbrook and Penallt. Almost the whole length of the old line is within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[7]

Sustrans, which owns the track bed between Chepstow and Tintern, has announced plans to turn the route into a cycleway, reopening the tunnels at Tidenham and Tintern. A group also exists to promote the reopening of the rail line.^[3]