Closed Stations Journey quiz

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Drysllwyn

 

[DerekC]

Oh, dear -- seemingly, then, the result of a Tony Dewick opium dream. Or -- his Complete Atlas of Railway Station Names puts the names in red -- White Mill thus characterised -- of stations closed during the 19th century. Is this a matter covered in our rules -- failed to have been noticed by me?

I can't find this station on OS maps but the oldest available is 1892 so not surprising. However there is a village/hamlet called Felin-wen (which I think means "white mill") with a farm next to the railway called White Mill Farm, which suggests that further investigation might be fruitful.

PS - "Whitemill" is shown in Wignall's "Complete British Railway Atlas and Gazeteer" (1981 version) with a closure date of 1870, so a definite maybe, I think. (The line opened in 1865)

Golden Grove

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Llandilo Bridge

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I have asked the contact that I know in that part of Wales in question and he ventures a view of "Whitemill" being just a temporary goods station facility as the settlement of Felin Wen did have a corn mill

I will accept that particular short-lived station on this branch line if a timetable can be sourced showing it.

 

[DerekC]

I have asked the contact that I know in that part of Wales in question and he ventures a view of "Whitemill" being just a temporary goods station facility as the settlement of Felin Wen did have a corn mill

It also had two pubs, a school, a Baptist chapel, a smithy, a quarry and a number of cottages so it could just as well have been a passenger station, I would have thought. What we need is a timetable!

Derwydd Road

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Parcyrhun

 

[Ash Bridge]

Grovesend

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Gorseinon

 

[Ash Bridge]

Gowerton South

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Dunvant

 

[Ash Bridge]

Killay

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Mumbles Road

 

[backontrack]

further investigation might be fruitful

It also had two pubs, a school, a Baptist chapel, a smithy, a quarry and a number of cottages so it could just as well have been a passenger station, I would have thought. What we need is a timetable!

Could this have been the old station platform at Whitemill?



The slope and height seem right for a rail platform, and the road is straight here.

From this overhead scene, it appears that the A40 takes the old alignment of the railway between Abergwili and Nangaredig:



This is partially inference. A quick Google turned up a snapshot from an OS Map, which showed part of the route of the dismantled line, revealing that at least the eastern half of the noticeable 'alignment' was the old railway route; it went blank before it could reach Felin-wen, but the field boundaries follow on distinctly, so this - coupled with the location of the station in Abergwili, which is just off the A40 road - is probably evidence that the A40 takes the route of the old line past Felin-wen.

There are no buildings, unlike at Abergwili and at Nantgaredig, along the route which could be railway buildings, which might support the theory that White Mill was a non-passenger siding; however, it could also have been a passenger platform with no buildings.

short-lived station

The station does crop up on some route maps on Wikipedia (though not all); it's on one for the Llanelly Railway [sic] but not the other, (and it features on that line's route diagram (it doesn't have its own article) too). It doesn't appear in 1873 on the maps, but it does in 1891, suggesting it was a later addition to the railway.

But then Wikipedia says this:

"opened January 1867; closed October 1870"

It was short-lived, then.

But the station appears on the 1891 map.

From this - assuming this information is correct - we can draw one conclusion:

In October 1870, Whitemill station closed to passenger services. It continued to be used for freight (or as an unadvertised stop) until a later date - after 1891.

If the station closed, then it had to open. For it to appear on a map in 1891 suggests it had some sort of functionality back then, but we know (if Wikipedia's correct) that it 'closed' in 1870. If the station survived after 1870, then it must have closed to passengers, rather than having closed fully (unless it later reopened, but there is nothing here to suggest that it did). That means that Whitemill might well have lived on as a goods station after being closed to passengers.

RailScot is blank for Whitemill, but it does show an excerpt from an OS map, limiting the station to being in this area:



The 'platform' above is between the middle and right of the map excerpt.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I think that tentative acceptance of Whitemill station has now been accepted, but do wonder why it only lasted for five years.

 

[backontrack]

I think that tentative acceptance of Whitemill station has now been accepted, but do wonder why it only lasted for five years.

Perhaps Whitemill never really generated much passenger traffic. As my new edits state, I think that they evidence may well point to Whitemill having closed as a passenger station in 1870, but continuing on as a goods-only station for some time longer - at least until 1891, when it appears this Wikipedia map.

The only issue with this theory is that the station did not feature on the Wikipedia map of the Llanelly Railway in 1973. Maybe it did reopen to goods services after closure in 1870, or maybe its inclusion/exclusion on certain Wikipedia maps is a mistake. We would really need to see it on a timetable to draw any sort of firm conclusion.

 

[DerekC]

Mumbles Road

Swansea Bay

PS to discussion on Whitemill - thanks for all the info @backontrack - seems pretty clear that it existed but unclear when it closed. The piece of walling shown in one of your photos is unlikely to be part of the station, I think. The A40 runs close to the old railway line to the east of White Mill/Felin Wen, but never actually on top of it. The overlay tool in the National Library of Scotland's website is very useful for checking things like that. You can see the old map overlaid on a Google Earth image.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Swansea Victoria

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The only issue with this theory is that the station did not feature on the Wikipedia map of the Llanelly Railway in 1973. Maybe it did reopen to goods services after closure in 1870, or maybe its inclusion/exclusion on certain Wikipedia maps is a mistake. We would really need to see it on a timetable to draw any sort of firm conclusion.

As a result of my discussion with one of the senior editors on Wikipedia, they now have added Whitemill to the Abergwili to Ffairfach branch line shown on the template of the Llanelly Railway and Dock Company.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Swansea Wind Street

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Danygraig Halt

 

[Ash Bridge]

Briton Ferry Road

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cardonnel Road

 

[Ash Bridge]

Neath Abbey

 

[DerekC]

Neath Low Level

(with my GWR Neath & Brecon track diagrams book open)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Neath Low Level ... (with my GWR Neath & Brecon track diagrams book open)

That station is also known as Neath Riverside.....but to continue...

Cadoxton Terrace Halt

 

[DerekC]

Penscynor Halt

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cilfrew

 

[Ash Bridge]

Cefn Coed Colliery Halt

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Crynant

 

[Calthrop]

Crynant Colliery Halt

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Crynant New Colliery Halt