| Monmouthshire
Railway and Canal Company |
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Introduction
The MR&CC was a rather
special organisation, possibly even unique, in having developed from a
canal company with associated tramroads, into a railway company passing
through a stage of having some combined edge and plateway sections. Now
that is a challenge for the modelling fraternity! The story of the tramway
developments and conversion to railways is fascinating from both business
and technical viewpoints. Although the Eastern and Western valleys lines
met at Newport, they could be considered in many ways as two separate and
distinct systems. The Eastern valley lines were, essentially, built as
railways whereas in the Western valleys the lines evolved from tramways
and there were no through passenger trains between the two southern termini.
At their workshops in Newport the company built locomotives, coaches and
wagons – in Wales, only the TVR in did the same.
As with many of the railways in south Wales the
MR&CC came into being in the form it was as a result of the geology,
geography and industrialisation of the area. Many of the valley lines originated
at the edge of the coal field where coal, iron ore and limestone out-cropped
but the MR&CC also ran along the eastern edge of the area. As a consequence
it was an early victim of the squeeze between the major railway companies
and was taken over by the GWR soon after that company converted its South
Wales main line from broad to standard gauge.
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Important
Dates
| 1792 |
Formation of the "Company
of the Proprietors of the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation" |
| 1796 |
Canal opened from Newport
to Pontnewynydd with associated tramways |
| 1822 |
Passenger service with horse-drawn
carriages on the Western valleys tramroads |
| 1829 |
Steam locomotive use recorded |
| 1845 |
Authorisation for the construction
of the Newport to Pontypool railway and conversion of Western Valley tramroads
to railways |
| 1849 |
Name change to Monmouthshire
Railway & Canal Company |
| 1852 |
Section to Ebbw Vale, Newport
Dock St. and Newport (Marshes Gate) to Pontypool opened |
| 1854 |
N.A.& H.R opened from
Coed-y-Gric Junction with through running to Newport; Pontypool to Blaenavon
opened. |
| 1864 |
New station opened at Newport
Mill St.; Brecon & Abergavenny canal purchased. |
| 1875 |
MR&CC leased to GWR |
| 1879 |
Line from Pontypool to LNWR
at Abersychan & Talywain opened |
| 1880 |
MR&CC amalgamated with
GWR, passenger trains moved to Newport High St. |
| 1941 |
Passenger services between
Pontypool and Brynmawr stopped |
| 1962 |
Remaining passenger services
terminated |
| 1963 |
Newport Mill St to Cwmbran
closed |
| 1980 |
Cwmbran to Abersychan &
Talywain closed |
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| Selected
Reading
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Railway Page
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Last modified 4 November 2007 |
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