| Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Railways of Monmouth | |
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The Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway (abbreviated CMU&PR) was a 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railway of 16 miles (26 km) which ran between Monmouth to Pontypool. It was opened in 1857, passenger services were withdrawn in 1955. A Stephenson Locomotive Society special ran along the line exactly 100 years from opening on 12 October 1957.[1][2]
The railway was authorized by an Act of Parliament on 20 August 1853. The railway was partly opened between Pontypool and Usk in June 1856 and fully opened on 12 October 1857 upon the completion of Monmouth Troy Station.[3] A viaduct was built over the River Wye in an attempt to reach Coleford in the Forest of Dean, but following the purchase of the line by GWR the scheme was abandoned.[4]
The Railway had stations at Little Mill Junction, Usk, Llandenny, Raglan, Dingestow and Monmouth. Usk and Monmouth Troy were the only stations on the line with two platforms.[5] Halts were added at Glascoed (1927), Elms Bridge, (1933) and Cefntilla (1954). Raglan Station, known as Raglan Road was closed in 1931 and Raglan Station was moved to a previously unofficial stopping place called Raglan Footpath. The original station was then re-opened as a halt on 24 July 1931.[1]
From 1940 ROF Glascoed which produced munitions for the armed services was served by the line. When the branch closed the factory continued to be served by rail until 1993. The highly overgrown track from near Little Mill Junction to what is now BAE Systems factory remains in situ but completely impassable.[4]
Monmouth Troy Station was also used by the Wye Valley Railway from 1876–1964, the Ross and Monmouth Railway from 1874–1964 and the Coleford Railway from 1883-1917.[6][7]
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