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Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway

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Location: 51 46N 3 06W; UK National Grid Ref: SO 237 092

Council Offices, 101 High Street, BLAENAVON,
Torfaen, United Kingdom. NP4 9PT
Telephone +44 01495 792263

Email: info@pbrly.co.uk

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The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway Company (PBRC) is located high on bleak mountain moorland in the county of Torfaen, but despite its remote location, it is well worth a visit not only for its setting - and the steepest gradients on a preserved railway in Great Britain -  but also for the wide variety of stock located there. During the Late-Spring Bank Holiday weekend the opening of the two-mile extension to Blaenavon High Level will be celebrated.

On November 30 2000, Blaenavon was declared a World Heritage site, thanks to its history which placed the town at the forefront of the industrial revolution.

History

The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway operates over a section of line opened in 1869 by the Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway Company, supported by the London and North Western Railway.
Over the next few years the line was extended down the valley to join the Great Western Railway at Abersychan and Talywain, passing over the impressive Garndiffaith viaduct which still stands in noble isolation near Talywain.
Meanwhile, the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company was developing a railway between Newport and Pontypool, eventually linked to the LNWR line from Talywain, and it is part of this route which the PBRC is developing as a preserved railway.

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The line today

During one of the P&BR diesel days, an English Electric shunting loco is seen with a short rake of wagons on the new link between the running track and workshopsAt present, the P&BR operates between Furnace Sidings and Garn-yr-erw, adjacent to the Whistle Inn, celebrated in Alexander Cordell's novel Rape of the Fair Country, and home to an extensive collection of miners' lamps.
The PBRC is pressing ahead with an extension south, initially to construct a halt to serve
Big Pit mining museum, then onward to Blaenavon South and Varteg.
When the extension northward to Waunavon goes ahead, it will give the P&BR the distinction of operating to the one-time highest station in England and Wales - 1,401 feet above sea level.
 The picture shows an English Electric Shunting loco and wagons on the new link to the workshops.
On trains and in the platform shop, gifts, models and souvenirs can be purchased, or, in Blaenavon itself, a wider range of goods are available at the railway shop at No 13 Broad Street.

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Locos and rolling stock

The P&BR is home to over 80 locos and pieces of rolling stock, so the complete list is far to big to enumerate here (though perhaps at a later date).

Also at Blaenavon is rolling stock stored for other preserved railway societies, not fortunate enough to have the necessary space to accommodate their acquisitions.

Days and times 2010

On the days of operation, services are either Steam, Diesel or DMU services. Contact the P&BR for details

April

2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th

May

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 15th, 16th, 29th, 30th and 31st

June

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th12th, 13th, 19th, 20th 26th and 27th

July

3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th and 31st

August

1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30

September

4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th

October

9th, 10th, 30th and 31st only

November

28th

December

4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th

There is a half-hourly service from Furnace Sidings between 11.30am and 4.30pm, with return trains from Whistle Inn ten minutes later.
Santa Specials run every half-hour from 11.00am to 3.30pm
A round Trip takes approximately 17 minutes but your return ticket is valid all day for as many trips as you wish, except on Special Event days
 

Special Events *

April 4th and 5th Easter Bunnies
May 2nd and 3rd Teddy Bears' Picnic

May 15th and 16th   Cowboys and Engines

May 29th, 30th and 31st  Official opening of extension to Blaenavon High Level

June 12th and 13th Little Engines weekend

June 26th World Heritage Day

June 27th Garn Lakes Day

July 3rd and 4th Model Railway Show

July 10th and 11th  1940s Weekend and Beer Festival

July 17th and 18th  Diesel Gala

August 14th and 15th  Ivor the Engine

August 29th and 30th Grand Transport Rally and 1960s Weekend

September 4th and 5th  Charities Weekend

September 18th and 19th  Autumn Gala celebrating the 175th Anniversary of the GWR

September 25th and 26th  Southern with Altitude

October 9th and 10th  Class 37 - 50th Anniversary

October 30th and 31st Ghost Train

Santa Specials *

Saturdays and Sundays November 28th (Sun) December 4 and 5 December 11 and 12 December 18 and 19
 
* Special Fares and Timetable apply on Event Days

Fares (2009 prices are shown)
Return fares, giving generally unlimited travel on the day of issue, are shown below. Single fares are also available.
Children three years and under are carried free, while young people aged 15 and over are carried at full fare.
Adult £3.00; Child £1.50; Family Tickets (2 adults, 2 children) £7.50
(Special fares apply to Special Events)

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Nearby attractions

Big Pit is a major tourist attraction based on the former Big Pit colliery which closed in 1980 after 100 years of operation. Coal from the mine was brought to the Washery at Furnace Sidings, a few hundred yards away.
A visit to Big Pit begins with a ride in the pit cage to a coal face 300ft below the surface, where former miners help recreate the atmosphere of a working pit in the heyday of coalmining.
Across the Valley is the site of the former Blaenavon Iron Works, also a museum to past 'glories'.

In 2007, Blaenavon featured in the BBC Wales television series Coal House, which placed three families back in 1927, where they had to cope with the hardship and deprivation faced by families at that time. In 2008 the experiment was repeated, but this time the families experienced living through World War II restrictions.

In Blaenavon itself, the Workmen's Hall - paid for by miners through weekly deductions from their pay - has been refurbished to become one of the major cultural and arts venues in the Gwent valleys.

Garn Lakes result from a land reclamation scheme, and are ideal for walking or a picnic after a ride on the railway.

At Clydach, three miles away, another ironworks has been restored, and is another example of the area's pre-eminence in the industrial revolution.

The Heritage Centre at Pontypool details the history of the area, and includes a photographic display showing some aspects of the former railway network around Blaenavon.

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How to get there

The P&BR can be accessed by road from the A465 Heads of the Valleys trunk road, by joining the A4063 road at Brynmawr. The A4063 also links the railway with Pontypool.
Blaenavon is served by buses from Abergavenny, Pontypool, Cwmbran and Newport, all of which are on the national railway network. There is also a bus service from Cardiff.

For details of connecting services, including travel planner and timetables, visit the Traveline Cymru website.

Select link to go to Pontypool and Blaenavon's official Website

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Copyright © 1996/7/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10 by Deryck Lewis. All rights reserved.
Page created July 22 1996; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated May 27 2010
If you have any suggestions, comments, or glitches to report, please contact the author at WalesRails