Someone's idea to re-open the Wye Valley Railway

[adamt958]

Not sure if has been posted previously,

This site looks at all aspects of re-opening the Wye Valley Railway (Cardiff (Via the main line to Chepstow on the line via Newport, Seven Tunnel Jcn, Caldicot, Chepstow then using the original junction (still mainly in place?) just outside Chepstow.

a nice little article.

not something i think we will ever see though

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nigel.nicholson/gn/page 32.htm

The Wye Valley Railway opened on the 1st November 1876, linking the south-east Welsh towns of Chepstow and Monmouth (then both in England) via stations serving the villages of Tidenham, Tintern, St Briavels and Redbrook. The line was 14¾ miles long. At Monmouth Troy station passengers could change for trains serving the towns of Pontypool (15 miles south-west), Ross-on-Wye (10 miles further north) and, from 1883, the town of Coleford, 5 miles to the east in the Forest of Dean. Ultimately it lost large sums of money and closed to passengers in 1959. Freight followed in 1964. The continued occasional use of a miniature gauge railway at Tintern station means that the line has not quite been abandoned by rail transport but all the sections still carrying track are currently being proposed for conversion to a new cycleway.

This website looks at the possibilities of re-instating it without actually being in a position to do so.

 

[Rapidash]

Thats good timing, I recently returned from there!

I walked along a fair chunk of the old route near to Tintern/Brockweir. It was really odd being so far from the nearest railhead. It's a shame a heritage group wasnt able to jump in when it closed in the 50's, as I'm sure the scenery would have it a popular attraction nowadays, similar to the Kingswear line.

 

[Mintona]

On a personal level (being from the area) I would love to see it re-instated, preferably all the way through to Ross on Wye with the line from Hereford to Gloucester re-instated also.

Sadly, probably just a pipe dream.

 

[Tumbleweed]

It would be a great to see this re-opened. If by any chance it was to be then it could only be a tourist railway, again, it would serve a sparse population, the bus services in rural Monmouthshire struggle as it is.

 

[HowardGWR]

Thats good timing, I recently returned from there!

I walked along a fair chunk of the old route near to Tintern/Brockweir. It was really odd being so far from the nearest railhead. It's a shame a heritage group wasnt able to jump in when it closed in the 50's, as I'm sure the scenery would have it a popular attraction nowadays, similar to the Kingswear line.

As a cycle / walking path it has a great future, IMO. I suspect quite a few present 'heritage' railways will end up as pathways, and this is the best use of them. I think there are far too many hobby lines as it is and many of those are spoiling the countryside with huge ugly sheds in which to keep their inappropriate rolling stock such as express engines and corridor coaches.