Llynvi and Ogmore Railway

v t e Llynvi and Ogmore Railway
originally Duffryn, Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway
Legend
to Glyncorrwg South Wales Mineral Railway to Tonmawr Cymmer Viaduct Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway to Port Talbot │ to Treherbert West Junction Cymmer Afan Abergwynfi Abergwynfi Colliery Cymmer Tunnel 1591 yd 1455 m Caerau Colliery Caerau Nantyffyllon Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company to Pontyrhyl Maesteg (Neath Road) PTR&DCo to Port Talbot Maesteg Castle Street Maesteg Maesteg (Ewenny Road) Garth Troedyrhiew Garth Llangynwyd Ogmore Valley Railway to Brynmenyn Tondu South Wales Main Line to Bridgend Cefn Junction PTR&DCo Kenfig Hill South Wales Main Line to Bridgend Pyle Junction Pyle South Wales Main Line to Swansea Cornelly Quarry Nottage Halt Nottage Tunnel 63 yd 58 m Porthcawl

In 1861 the Llynvi Valley Railway was opened in Glamorganshire, Wales, to convey mineral products to the Bristol Channel at Porthcawl. It adopted an earlier tramroad, the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway. The Llynvi and Ogmore Railway was opened in 1865, and the two companies amalgamated to form the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway in 1866. At first Porthcawl harbour was an important destination for onward transport, but this soon declined.

The area covered by the two lines combined developed considerably serving collieries and the iron and zinc smelting industries, and the L&OR system was extremely busy in conveying minerals up until 1914. A number of extensions to the system were made, even after takeover by the Great Western Railway in 1873 for management purposes and in 1883 as full amalgamation.

Passengers were carried on parts of the network, but were never dominant except at Porthcawl, which declined as a harbour and arose as a holiday and residential location. As the mineral industries declined after 1945 the railway network followed, but in 1992 the line from Bridgend to Maesteg was reopened to passenger trains, and that is the principal remaining railway activity on the old L&OR network.