Nantyglo railway station

Among the lines built by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company from Newport into the valleys was a 6-mile (9.7-kilometre) branch from Aberbeeg to Nantyglo, which was first opened as a tramroad in 1824 branching from the Llanhiledd Tramroad between Crumlin and Beaufort.[2] The first timetabled passenger service ran on 23 December 1850 from Newport Courtybella to Blaina.[3][4] The line was converted to a railway in 1855 together with other Monmouth tramroads in the area.[5] It became part of the Great Western Railway in 1880[6] and remained there at the Grouping of 1923.[7]

Although the Monmouthshire Railway had established a goods station at Brynmawr by 15 December 1849 via its connection with Joseph and Crawshay Bailey's tramroad at Coalbrook Vale, passenger services were not extended beyond Nantyglo Gate at Blaina.[8] It was only after agreement was reached in June 1858 with the two brothers that the Monmouthshire Railway was authorised to establish a station in their territory.[8] Nantyglo station opened on 16 May 1859[9][10] and was the terminus of the line from Aberbeeg until 1906 when the Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway opened to provide a link with Brynmawr on the London and North Western Railway's Heads of the Valleys line.[11][12] The link was 1 mile 10.75 chains (1.826 km) from a point 410 yards (370 m) north of Nantyglo's booking office to a junction with the LNWR line, 150 yards (140 m) to the west of Brynmawr station.[13] Although the official opening took place on 30 June 1905, it was not until 28 May 1906 that it was authorised to open.[13] The new line, which was on a 1 in 47 gradient fall towards Nantyglo, was jointly worked by the Great Western and the LNWR, with traffic exchanged between the two companies at Nantyglo.[13] The link created the third route from Newport to Brynmawr, it also being possible to travel via Blaenavon High Level or Nantybwch and the Sirhowy Railway.[13]

A single platform was provided for the station which had a small goods yard on the opposite side of the line.[14] Such was the traffic generated during the 1930s that the station had a staff of eleven.[11] To the north of the station was a tall signal box with 20 levers and to the south there was a passing loop.[15] Passenger and goods services were withdrawn from the station on 30 April 1962.[16][10][9] The line was progressively shortened as colleries were closed, with official closure of the section between Brynmawr and Coalbrookvale including Nantyglo coming on 4 November 1963.[17] The last section of the route near Abertillery was taken out of use in 1989 after the closure of Six Bells Colliery.[5][18]

The A467 road follows the course of the former line through Nantyglo.