AN INDEX TO THE HISTORIC RAILWAYS OF SOUTH WALES
(This index covers Carmarthenshire, Glamorganshire & Monmouthshire plus lines in Breconshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire & Pembrokeshire which ran into the former)
NAME OF COMPANY INCORPORATED OPENED NOTES
Aberdare Railway 1845 1846 Leased by Taff Vale 1847 & vested in it 1889
Aberdare Valley Railway 1855 1856 Amalgamated with Swansea & Neath Rly 1864
Alexandra (Newport) Dock Co 1865 Name changed to Alexandra (Newport & South Wales) Docks & Rly 1882
Alexandra (Newport and 1882 Name changed from Alexandra (Newport) Dock Co;
South Wales) Docks & Rly Merged with the Pontypridd, Caerphilly & Newport Rly 1897
Barry Railway 1865 Abandoned before commencement of construction 1879
Barry Railway 1884 Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922
Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil 1859 Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922
Junction Rly
Bridgend Railway 1828
Brynmawr & Blaenavon Rly 1866 1869 Worked by London & North Western Rly & later absorbed by them
Burry Port & Gwendraeth 1865 1869 Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922
Valley Railway
Burry Port & North West 1876 Abandoned 1889
Junction Rly
Bute Docks Railway 1886 Name changed to Cardiff Railway 1897
Cardiff & Ogmore Valley Rly 1873 1876 Amalgamated with the Llynvi & Ogmore Rly 1876
Cardiff, Penarth & Barry 1885 1887 Vested in the Taff Vale Railway 1889
Junction Railway
Cardiff Railway 1897 Name changed from Bute Docks Railway; Taken over by Rhymney Rly.
Carmarthen & Cardigan Rly 1854 Wound up & sold to the Great Western Railway 1881
Central Wales & Carmarthen 1873 Name changed from Swansea & Carmarthen Rly. Passed to London &
Junction Railway North Western Railway 1891
Cowbridge & Aberthaw Rly 1889 1892 Passed to the Taff Vale Railway 1895
Duffryn-Llynvi & Porthcawl 1825 1829 Amalgamated with the Llynvi Valley Railway 1847
Railway
Dulas Mineral Rly 1826
Dulas Valley Mineral Rly 1862 Name changed to Neath & Brecon Rly 1863
East Usk Railway 1885 1898 Taken over by Great Western Ralway before opening (1892)
Ely Valley Railway 1857 Leased to the Great Western Railway 1862
Great Western Railway - FOR A HISTORY OF THIS COMPANY SEE "THE GREAT WESTERN ARCHIVE"
Grosmont Railway 1812 Bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly 1846
Hereford, Hay & Brecon Rly 1859 1863 Leased to the Midland Railway 1874
Hereford Railway 1826 Bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly 1846
Llanelly & Mynydd-Mawr Rly 1875 1883 Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922
Llanelly Railway & Dock 1828 1833 Passed to the Great Western Railway 1889
Llanfihangel Railway 1811 Bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly 1846
Llangammarch & Neath and 1888 Abandoned before construction 1890
Brecon Junction Rly
Llantrissant & Taff Vale Rly1861 1863 Vested in the Taff Vale Railway 1889
Llynvi & Ogmore Rly 1866 Formed by the amalgamation of the Llynvi Valley Rly & the Ogmore Valley Rly
Llynvi Valley Railway 1846 Amalgamated with the Duffryn-Llynvi and Porthcawl Rly 1847
Became part of the Llynvi & Ogmore Rly 1866
Mamhilad Railway 1814 Tramway from Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal to Usk Bridge
Merthyr, Tredegar & 1859 1862 Leased to London & North Western Rly 1862 & vested in that company 1866
Abergavenny Railway
Monmouth Railway 1810 Tramway from Howler Slade in the Forest of Dean to Monmouth
Mumbles Railway 1889 Line from the Oystermouth Railway to Mumbles Head, Gower, Glam.
Neath & Brecon Railway 1863 1864 Later name of Dulas Valley Mineral Railway. Amalgamated with the Swansea Vale
and Neath & Brecon Junction Rly 1869
Newport, Abergavenny & 1846 1854 Formed by the amalgamation of the Hereford Rly, the Llanfihangel Rly and the
Hereford Railway Grosmont Rly. Taken over by the West Midland Rly in 1860
Ogmore Valley Railway 1863 1865 Amalgamated with the Llynvi Valley Rly 1866 to form the Llynvi & Ogmore Rly
Oystermouth Railway 1804
Pembroke & Tenby Railway - For a detailed history go to Graham Davies' history of the company
Penarth Extension Rly 1876 1878 Passed to Great Western Rly 1923
Penarth Harbour, Dock 1856 1857 Originally incorporated as the Ely Tidal Harbour Rly. Passed to the Taff Vale Rly 1863.
& Railway
Pontypool, Caerleon & 1865 1874 Passed to the Great Western Rly 1876
Newport Railway
Pontypridd, Caerphilly & 1878 1884 Amalgamated with the Alexandra Dock & Rly 1897
Newport Railway
Port Talbot Railway & Docks 1894 1897 Passed to the Great Western Rly 1922
Rhondda & Swansea Bay Rly 1882 1885
Rhondda Valley & Hirwaun 1867 1878 Vested in the Taff Vale Rly 1889
Junction Railway
Rhymney Railway 1854 1858 Passed to the Great Western Rly 1922
Ross & Monmouth Railway 1863 1873 Passed to the Great Western Rly 1922
Rumney Railway 1825 Passed to the Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction Rly 1863
Saundersfoot Railway & 1829 Mineral railway
Harbour
Swansea & Carmarthen Rly 1871 Became the Central Wales & Carmarthen Junction Rly in 1873
Swansea & Mumbles Railway 1806 The first railway in Britain to carry fare paying passengers. Closed 5 January 1960
Swansea & Neath Railway 1861 1863 Amalgamated with the Vale of Neath Railway 1863
Swansea Vale & Neath &
Brecon Junction Railway 1864 Amalgamated with the Neath & Brecon Railway 1869
Swansea Vale Railway 1855 Incorporated to take over the Swansea Valley Rly. Vested in the Midland Railway 1876
Swansea Valley Railway 1847 Became the Swansea Vale Railway 1855
Taff Vale Railway 1836 1840 Took over many of the smaller local lines over the years. Absorbed by the Great Western Railway 1922
Tredegar & Newport Tramroad 1802 1805 Mineral railway
Vale of Glamorgan Rly 1889 1897 Passed to the Great Western Railway 1922
Vale of Neath Railway 1846 1851 Amalgamated with Swansea & Neath Railway 1863
Vale of Towy Railway 1854 1858 Leased to the Llanelly Railway 1858. Leased to the Knighton, Central Wales Extension
Rly & the Llanelly Railway jointly in 1868. Vested in the London & North Western Rly 1884.
West Midland Railway 1860 Amalgamation of several English Midlands lines with the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly.
Operated in conjunction with the Great Western Railway from 1861
Whitland & Cardigan Railway 1869 1873 Vested in the Great Western Railway 1890
Whitland, Cronware & 1887 Abandoned 1892
Pendine Railway
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