The Abergavenny to Brynmawr section of
the Merthyr, Tregar and
Abergavenny railway forms the easternmost section of the route.
It is also the section that is best accessible and most easily
walkable. The entirety of the route between Llanfoist and the
east of Brynmawr is walkable, and either owned by the Local Authorty or
Sustrans. This page only covers this section. Urban development
and road improvements have obliterated much of the former trackbed
within the western section. SHort segments are extant in the
Beaufort area, to the north of Nantybwch, including the viaduct just to
the east of the site of Nantybwch station. The Morlais
Tunnel and a short section of the trackbed between Morlais and
Dowlais are also extant, but not easily accessible.
The railway company was incorporated
under an Act of Parliament ratified in August 1859 . the line was
duly completed and operational between Abergavenny and Brynmawr by
September 1862. This included the construction of a brand new
iron bridge over the River Usk, with a further seven bridges and two
tunnels each of a quarter of a mile long. This section alone was
amongst the steepest stretches of railway in Great Britain, climbing
over 1,000 feet from the valley floor to Brynmawr station. The line was
completed westwards to Merthyr in 1969. The line was originally
constructed as single track, however was doubled shortly after
completion due to tha amount of traffic using the line.
Much of the route
was located within the Clydach Gorge and valley. Some villages in
the valley , such as Gilwern and Clydach were located near the valley
floor, or partly up the site of the valley, whilst the railway was
located on a ledge up the valley side. The station at Gilwern is
approximately 1km form the village, and the station at Cludach is at
the highest part of the village. Conversely, Gelli-felen is
located at the top of the valley, with the halt there considerably
below the village.
The line was deemed unprofitable in 1957
(pre-Beeching) due to high costs running a route over such steep
gradients, including maintenance. A planned track renewal proved
too expensive to be viable and the line was closed.
The route was visited in
2006. I would assume that the section near Gilwern Station that was
undergoing clearance has now been opened up fully.
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Little remains of the former route of the railway through
Abergavenny town, although the former route is traceable through
property boundaries. A housing estate has been constructed at the
site of the junction with the main line to Hereford. To the west
the route has been absorbed into the rear gardens of properties on Park
Crescent, and the grounds of a school. The site of the Abergavenny
(Brecon Road) Station is now offices and a car park. A short stand of
trees between the A4143 and St Helen's Close follows the trackbed,
however the A4143 occupies the trackbed as far as the River Usk.
The bridge over the usk has been demolished, although the base of the
piers remain. An image of the old viaduct can be found here. |
| The section between Llanfoist and Govilon has been convereted
into a walkway and cyclepath. |Most original structures remain in
place , and a single bridge at Govilon has been replaced. The
route cuts through the village centre and crosses over the canal within
the village. Govilon Station is now a private house and has been
separated from the trackbed by a wall. The platforms are no
longer visible. A sign board has been placed at the site of the
station. |
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| The section from Govilon to Gilwern is where the railway
starts climbing steeply. Straight out of Govilon, it crosses a small
curved viaduct before cutting through farmland. All the
lane overbridges are intact. When I visited, the official path
only went about half way as far as Gilwern Station.
The section to Gilwern was undergoing clearance of vegetation. A
number of old signs were present on this section. Hopefully these
have survived opening of the route. Both platforms at Gilwern
Station are extant, as is the station building, which is now a private
house. |
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| Much of the section from Gilwern to Clydach is now an access
track for a number of houses and can be driven. It is also
possible (or was in 2006) to drive over the Clydach Viaduct. Fformer
sidings were located just to the east of the Clydach Viaduct for access
to the CLydach Limeworks, of which some of the stonework of the kilns
and stone storage chures remains. Clydach Station is
located just to the east of the viaduct. It is now a
smallholding, with agricultural machinery and a chicken run on the old
trackbed. The platforms are strill extant, but can be easily
viewed from the nearby area. |
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| The railway continues to climb from Clydach to Brynmawr,
passing through two tunnels and over a small viaduct. The Clydach
Tunnels are parallel tunnels, the second bore being constructed
during doubling of the line. The tunnels are bricked up at the
eastern end (ajouning Clydach Station) and fenced at the west. A
footpath diversion is provided. Towards Llanelly, the line passes over
a small viaduct and past Llanelly Quarry. Remains of a loading
dock and access tunnel to the quarry beneath the railway are
present. The line carries on to the west through a former level crossing towards the Gelli Felen Tunnels. Again, these tunnels are a parallel pair of tunnels. Both bores were acessible in 2005 from the western ends, but I am not sure about access now. There is a foot path diversion around the tunnels, where the line cuts through a headland jutting out into the Clydach Gorge. The embankment to the east of the tunnles collapsed partly some years ago, however has been rpaired since. To the west of the tunnels, the line passes the remains of Gelli Felen Station, this comprises two brick 'us shelters' and the concrete skeleton for the platform, whcih would have been origially clad in wood. Beyond Gelli Felen, the gradient reduces slightly, and the floor of the valley rapidly rises. No significant structures are present on this section of the line, except a milepost and the remains of a farm overbridge near the top of the line. The trackbed is cut off at Brynmawr by the bypass road. |
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