Golden Valley Railway

This article is about the Golden Valley Railway in Herefordshire. For the active line of a similar name between Swindon and Gloucester, see Golden Valley Line

[ v t e ] Golden Valley Railway
Legend Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway Hay-on-Wye Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway Clifford Westbrook Dorstone Peterchurch Vowchurch Abbeydore Elm Bridge Munitions Depot Welsh Marches Line Pontrilas Welsh Marches Line

The Golden Valley Railway was a 19-mile-long single-track branch railway line that ran along the valley of the River Dore from Pontrilas in Herefordshire, England, to Hay on Wye in Brecknockshire, Wales (although Hay station itself lay just inside England), via six intermediate stations at Abbey Dore, Vowchurch, Peterchurch, Dorstone, Westbrook, and Clifford.^[1]

History

Opening

The line, which was built between 1876 and 1889, was opened on 1 September 1881 from Pontrilas as far as Dorstone and was extended to Hay on Wye in 1889. It closed in 1898 after running into financial difficulties, but was bought and reopened by the Great Western Railway in 1901.

World War II

During World War II, the line gained additional significance. Construction materials for RAF Madley were brought through the yard of Vowchurch station,^[2][3] while just south of Abbeydore a level-crossing protected junction provided access to service the MoD's Elm Bridge Munitions Depot.^[4]

Closure

The line passed to British Railways Western Region in 1948. The last train to Hay ran in 1949 and to Dorstone in 1953. After the closure and lifting of the railway to Dorstone in 1953, the residual stub was maintained as a freight-only facility to service Elm Bridge Munitions Depot, until its closure in 1957.^[4]

References

External links

• The rise and fall of the Golden Valley Railway - history of the Golden Valley Railway with map, timetable, and pictures of the line and stations
• Satellite pictures of the route and stations