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
Locale	Blaenavon
Terminus	Blaenavon High Level
Commercial operations
Name	Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway
Original gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated by	Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway Company Ltd
Stations	4
Length	3.5 miles (5.6 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened	1866
1922	Absorbed by London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Closed	1941
Preservation history
1983	Taken over by the preservation society
2004	Work starts on extension to Blaenavon High Level
2010	Opening of extension to Blaenavon High Level
2011	Opening of extension to Big Pit Halt
2013	P&BR marks 30 years of running (and operating services along) the line
2015	The Little Engine That Could Events

v t e Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
Legend
Phase 1
to Beaufort Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway to Abergavenny 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) Garndiffaith Viaduct Abersychan and Talywain Big Arch Pentwyn Halt Pentrepiod Halt Cwmnantddu Viaduct Cwmffrwdoer Halt Ffrwdoer Viaduct Wainfelin Halt to Pontypool Crane Street

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]