Penpergwm railway station

Disused railway station in Penpergwm, Monmouthshire

51°47′05″N 2°58′45″W / 51.7846°N 2.9793°W / 51.7846; -2.9793Grid referenceSO325100Platforms2Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyNewport, Abergavenny and Hereford RailwayPre-groupingGreat Western RailwayPost-groupingGreat Western RailwayKey dates2 January 1854Opened9 June 1958Closed

Penpergwm railway station was a former station which served the Monmouthshire, Wales, village of Penpergwm, although the community adjacent to the station was very small[1] and it could equally be said to have served the larger village of Llangattock Nigh Usk (Llangatwg Dyffryn Wysg in Welsh) which lay less than half a mile away to the east. It was located on the Welsh Marches Line between Pontypool (formerly Pontypool Road) and Abergavenny.

The former station house is now a private residence.[2]

The station closed in 1958.[3][4] The double line remains in use and carries a regular service of trains between Cardiff, Newport and Hereford.

Accidents

The station appears to have been the scene of a surprising number of accidents recorded in local newspapers:

  • 4 April 1865. Thomas Morley, a platelayer, while avoiding the path of one train was hit by a pilot engine on the other.[5]
  • 1871 attempted derailment [6]
  • December 1890. 'A pick-up goods train was being shunted from the up line across the down line into the yard to bring out some laden trucks, when another goods train, coming from Abergavenny and bound for Newport, dashed into it and cut it in two. The accident was due to the steep gradient and' the inability of the driver of the through goods train to pull up in time to avert the mischief.'[7]
  • 7 January 1895. 'As Mr George Hughes, of Penpergwm Farm, was crossing the line at Penpergwm Station on Monday evening, about half-past five, he was knocked down by the northern express train and cut to pieces.'[8]
  • August 1898. Wm. E. Price was crossing the line, thinking the approaching train was stopping, and was hit and killed by a northbound express train.[9]
  • May 1917. Farmer cut to pieces by express train travelling at 50 mph.[10]

References

  1. ^ "OS Plan 1967-1971 1:2,500". old-maps.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Road to Station House, Penpergwm". geograph.org.uk. Geograph Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  3. ^ Rogers, Mick. "70013 at Penpergwm". railwayherald.com. Railway Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  4. ^ Barrie, D.S.M. (31 March 1994). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: South Wales (2nd ed.). Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-946537-69-3.
  5. ^ "Penpergwm". The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald. 15 April 1865. hdl:10107/3081515 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  6. ^ "Penpergwm". The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald. 15 April 1865. hdl:10107/3081515 – via Welsh Newspapers.[clarification needed]
  7. ^ "Railway Accident Near Abergavenny". South Wales Echo. 12 December 1890. hdl:10107/4232789 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  8. ^ "Railway Fatality Near Abergavenny". South Wales Daily News. 9 January 1895. hdl:10107/3733466 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  9. ^ "Fatal Accident at Penpergwm Station". South Wales Daily News. 5 September 1898. hdl:10107/3740928 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  10. ^ "Penpergwm Tragedy". Abergavenny Chronicle. 4 May 1917. hdl:10107/4122203 – via Welsh Newspapers.

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2005). Hereford to Newport. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 37-44. ISBN 978-1-904474-54-8. OCLC 318952259.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Abergavenny Monmouth Road
   Great Western Railway
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway 		  Nantyderry
Line open, station closed