Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway

Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
Hunslet 18 Inch 0-6-0ST Eastmoor Steelworks No. 18 'Jessie' runs round the train at Blaenavon High Level
LocaleBlaenavon
TerminusBlaenavon High Level
Commercial operations
NameBrynmawr and Blaenavon Railway
Original gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated byPontypool and Blaenavon Railway Company Ltd
Stations4
Length3.5 miles (5.6 km)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1866
1922Absorbed by London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Closed1941
Preservation history
1983Taken over by the preservation society
2004Work starts on extension to Blaenavon High Level
2010Opening of extension to Blaenavon High Level
2011Opening of extension to Big Pit Halt
2013P&BR marks 30 years of running (and operating services along) the line
2015The Little Engine That Could Events
Pontypool and
Blaenavon Railway
Phase 1
Brynmawr
Waenavon
Milfraen Pit
Garn-yr-Erw
Whistle Inn Halt
Furnace Sidings
Loco sheds
Rolling stock shed
Big Pit Halt
Blaenavon High Level
Varteg Hill Colliery
Varteg
Garndiffaith
(Six Bells Halt)
Abersychan and Talywain
Big Arch
Pentwyn Halt
Pentrepiod Halt
Cwmnantddu Viaduct
Cwmffrwdoer Halt
Ffrwdoer Viaduct
Wainfelin Halt

The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Pont-y-pŵl a Blaenafon) is a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) volunteer-run heritage railway in South Wales, running trains between a halt platform opposite the Whistle Inn public house (famed for its collection of miners' lamps) southwards to the town of Blaenavon via a two-platform station at the site of former colliery furnace of the Big Pit National Coal Museum.[1]

The line is the highest preserved standard-gauge line in the United Kingdom,[2] and also uniquely having the only standard-gauge rail-over-rail bridge within preservation.[3]

  1. ^ "railways-of-britain.com". railways-of-britain.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Blaenavon HLCA007". Ggat.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Development – Bridge 12". 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2015.