Six Bells Halt railway station
| Six Bells Halt | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Six Bells |
| Area | Blaenau Gwent |
| Coordinates | 51°43′16″N 3°07′44″W / 51.7212°N 3.1288°WCoordinates: 51°43′16″N 3°07′44″W / 51.7212°N 3.1288°W |
| Grid reference | SO221030 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 27 September 1937 | Opened |
| 30 April 1962 | Closed |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
|
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Six Bells Halt railway station was a station which served the Six Bells Colliery near Abertillery in the Welsh county of Monmouthshire.[1]
History
The halt was opened by the Great Western Railway on 27 September 1937 on its line from 6-mile (9.7-kilometre) branch from Aberbeeg to Nantyglo.[2][3][4] The route had first opened as a tramroad in 1824 by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company before being converted to a railway in 1855.[5] It became part of the Great Western Railway in 1880[6] and remained there at the Grouping of 1923.[7]
The station was situated to the north-east of Six Bells Colliery which was served by a network of sidings which remained in use until 30 November 1980.[8] The line was four-tracked to the south of Six Bells Halt narrowing to two lines going through the station beyond which was a loop serving two small colleries.[9] The 35-lever Cwmnantygroes signal box, which lay to the north, was in use until 11 October 1964.[9] The station was provided with an island platform reached via a footbridge.[10] A private siding for J. Lancaster & Co. Ltd trailed off to the west; this was in use from 1891 to 1980.[10] In 1947, two special trains for National Coal Board staff were running daily between Ebbw Vale and Six Bells.[11] This attracted criticism in the House of Commons on the basis of the costs involved.[11] Passenger services were withdrawn from the station on 30 April 1962.[12][4][3] The line through the station was singled on 3 May 1971.[13] The route was progressively shortened as colleries were closed, with the last section being taken out of use in 1989 after the closure of Six Bells Colliery.[14][15]
To the south of Six Bells Halt, there had been a previous station which served the colliery between July 1897 and July 1902.[16] This was an untimetabled halt for the use of miners.[16]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abertillery Line and station closed |
Great Western Railway Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company |
Aberbeeg Line and station closed | ||
Future
Sewta has proposed to reopen the line through Six Bells Halt as part of a scheme which would see a new station at Abertillery with an hourly service to Cardiff.[17] The estimated cost of extending the line to Abertillery is estimated at £16.7m according to Sewta; part of the trackbed, which is owned by Blaenau Gwent Council, is used as a cycleway but there is thought to be sufficient space for a single track.[18] However, after the scheme was omitted from the Welsh Government's National Transport Plan for funding priorities until 2015, Welsh Transport Minister Carl Sargeant AM confirmed that the new station is not a priority until after 2015.[19]
References
Notes
- ↑ Conolly (2004), p. 43, section B2.
- ↑ Page (1988), p. 141.
- 1 2 Quick (2009), p. 354.
- 1 2 Butt (1995), p. 213.
- ↑ Page (1988), pp. 141-142.
- ↑ Awdry (1990), p. 36.
- ↑ Awdry (1990), p. 13.
- ↑ Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. XX.
- 1 2 Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. 66.
- 1 2 Mitchell & Smith (2006), fig. 67.
- 1 2 "Coal Board Staff, South Wales". House of Commons Debates. Hansard. 31 March 1947. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
- ↑ Clinker (1988), p. 124.
- ↑ Mitchell & Smith (2006), plate 73.
- ↑ Page (1988), p. 142.
- ↑ Hall (2009), p. 52.
- 1 2 Croughton, Kidner & Young (1982), p. 126.
- ↑ "Valleys railway station plans backed". South Wales Argus. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
- ↑ Deans, David (30 September 2012). "Abertillery rail link could cost £16.7m, says South East Wales Transport Alliance". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
- ↑ Deans, David (25 September 2012). "Assembly drops Abertillery rail station plan". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
Sources
- Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063.
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- Clinker, C.R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 0-905466-91-8. OCLC 655703233.
- Conolly, W. Philip (2004) [1958]. British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0320-0.
- Croughton, Godfrey; Kidner, R.W.; Young, Alan (1982). Private and Untimetabled Railway Stations: Halts and Stopping Places. Trowbridge: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-281-1.
- Hall, Mike (2009). Lost Railways of South Wales. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-84674-172-2.
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (August 2006). Abertillery and Ebbw Vale Lines. Welsh Valleys. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-9044-7484-5.
- Page, James (1988) [1979]. South Wales. Forgotten Railways. 8. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-946537-44-5.
- Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.