Station Name: MONTGOMERY
[Source: Paul Wright]


Date opened: 10.6.1861
Location: On the south side of the small settlement of Caerhowel
Company on opening: Oswestry & Newtown Railway
Date closed to passengers: 14.1.1965
Date closed completely: 14.1.1965
Company on closing: British Railways (London Midland Region)
Present state: Station building extant in use as private residence.
County: Montgomeryshire
OS Grid Ref: SO204979
Date of visit: 3.5.2016

Notes: Montgomery station was situated on the Cambrian Railway (CR) main line that linked Aberystwyth and Whitchurch. The section of line on which the station was located was opened between Welshpool and Abermule by the Oswestry & Newtown Railway (O&NR) on 10 June 1861. They had previously opened a section of line between Oswestry and Pool Quay on 1 May 1860 and between Newtown and Abermule on 14 August 1860. At Newtown the O&NR had an end-on connection with the Llanidloes & Newtown Railway (L&N) which had opened to goods services on 30 April 1859. On 25 July 1864 the L&N and O&NR merged with the Oswestry, Ellesmere & Whitchurch Railway and the Newtown & Machynlleth Railway to form the CR (which also absorbed the Aberystwyth & Welch Coast Railway [sic] in 1865). The merger of the companies created the through route between Aberystwyth and Whitchurch.

Montgomery station opened on 10 June 1861 and was located two miles to the north-west of its namesake to the south of what became the B4368 road. The CR main line was mostly single track but at Abermule there was a passing loop so the station had two platforms. At first it was fairly basic but in 1871 more substantial passenger facilities opened. They were located on the up platform (Whitchurch direction) and consisted of a main building and wings of cruciform plan constructed. The brick-built station house presented two-storeys to the platform, with an undercroft facing the forecourt which was at a lower level than the railway. Gables faced both the platform and the forecourt. A bay window abutted the platform and a pair of Gothic-arched windows lit the upper storey. Single-storey wings with tall pitched roofs stretched along the platform, the north-eastern one being the longer and having an interesting raised section midway where there was a generously-sized window facing the platform. Between the station building and the signal box (which stood immediately south-west of the platform ramp) was a brick-built shelter with an open front and serrated valance, with a store at one side and a toilet on the other.

On the down platform (Aberystwyth direction) there was a simple timber waiting shelter.

Montgomery was also provided with goods facilities which included sidings on both sides of the line to the west of the passenger station. There were goods sheds on both sides of the line and a loading wharf on the south side.

The station opened as a temporary railhead terminus on 14 August 1860. Eastwards towards Welshpool the line was still under construction. It was served by trains to and from Llanidloes via Newtown. The trains were operated primarily for the workmen who were engaged in the line’s construction towards Welshpool.

At the time of opening six trains were operated in each direction on weekdays running between Oswestry and Llanidloes. There were two trains in each direction on Sunday. With the opening of the line to Machynlleth on 3 January 1863 trains also started to serve that destination.

By 1864 the CR main line was complete and Montgomery had up services to Oswestry and Whitchurch and down trains to Machynlleth and Llanidloes.

Following the introduction of a Railway Act in 1879 the electric tablet system for single-line working was installed at Montgomery which gained a signal box at the west end of the up platform. It was a brick-and-timber structure with a gabled roof and a 30-lever frame.

The December 1895 timetable showed xx up trains on Monday-to-Saturday. There were four down trains Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and six on Tuesday as shown in the table below. The timetable also showed three down and one up train making signal stops at Abermule on Monday-to-Saturday. On Sunday there was one train in each direction.

Up Trains December 1895

Destination

Down Trains December 1895

Destination

7.19am

Whitchurch

7.40am (Tuesday Only)

Newtown

10.37am

Whitchurch

9.40am

Llanidloes

4.40pm

Oswestry

11.35am (Tuesday Only)

Newtown

8.24pm

Whitchurch

11.48am

Aberystwyth

-

-

5.00pm

Newtown

-

-

9.35pm

Llanidloes

During the 1890s improvements were made along the CR main line which resulted in better timekeeping and faster services. However the average speed of an express train between Whitchurch and Aberystwyth was still only 28mph.

On 1 January 1922 the CR was absorbed into the Great Western Railway (GWR). The July 1922 timetable showed four trains in each direction Monday-to-Saturday. No trains called on Sundays. .

On 1 January 1948 Montgomery became part of British Railways [Western Region] (BR[WR]). The summer timetable for 1949 showed eight up and seven down services on Monday-to-Saturday. There was one train in each direction on Sundays.

In the late 1950s the station was fitted with WR totem signs of the fully-flanged design.

The 15 September 1958 timetable showed six trains in each direction Monday-to-Saturday. There was an additional down train that set down only by request. There was one train in each direction on Sunday.

On 1 January 1963 Montgomery passed to the operational control of British Railways [London Midland Region] (BR[LMR]). Three months later the Reshaping of British Railways report (the ‘Beeching Report’) was published. What was, by then, the main through route from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth was to be retained for passenger traffic, but with only Welshpool, Newtown, Machynlleth and Dovey Junction stations to remain open. Curiously, the Dovey Junction to Pwllheli line was to be left unscathed. Montgomery’s goods services were withdrawn on 4 May 1964. On 15 May 1964 the intention to close the intermediate stations named by Beeching, including Montgomery, was published. On 29 December 1964 the Minister of Transport, Thomas Fraser, announced that all of these stations, bar one, would close; only Caersws was saved as it was notionally the railhead for Llanidloes. BR[LMR] closed Montgomery and the other minor Shrewsbury – Aberystwyth stations on 14 June 1965.

The signal box closed in 1969 when the line through the station was singled.

The station up platform and station building survived the latter becoming a private residence. The goods shed also survived and in 2016 it was part of an industrial complex.

Ticket from Michael Stewart and route map by Alan Young

Sources:

  • A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain - Volume II North & Mid Wales - Peter E Baughan - David & Charles 1980.
  • Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies - Christopher Awdry - Guild Publishing 1990.
  • Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain - A Chronology - Michael Quick - Railway & Canal Historical Society 2009.

To see other closed stations on the Whitchurch - Newtown line click on the station name: Whitchurch STILL OPEN, Fenn's Bank, Bettisfield, Welshampton,
Ellesmere, Frankton, Whittington High Level, Tinkers Green Halt,
Oswestry (Cambrian), Llynclys, Pant (Salop), Llanymynech, Four Crosses, Arddleen Halt, Pool Quay, Buttington, Welshpool, Forden and Abermule


Montgomery station looking east from the up platform in the late 1950s. The Cambrian Coast Express is seen passing through the station heading west. The signalman is holding out the single line token for the section of line to Abermule.
Photo from John Mann collection



Montgomery station shown on a six-inch scale map from 1901.


Looking west along the down platform at Montgomery in the late 1950s. The goods shed can be seen beyond the platform.
Photo from John Mann collection

A view looking east from the west end of the up platform at Montgomery station in the summer of 1963.
P
hoto from the John Mann collection

The up platform at Montgomery station seen from a passing train on 17 June 1964.
P
hoto by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream


In the summer of 1971 an unidentified class 24 locomotive is seen passing through Montgomery on a down Saturday passenger service.
Photo by Richard Coy


Montgomery station looking east from a passing train on 1 August 1973.
P
hoto by Alan Young


Looking east at Montgomery station in August 1974 after the down passing loop had been removed.
Photo by John Mann

A view looking north-east along the up platform at Montgomery station on 3 May 2016.
Photo by Paul Wright

Click here to see more photos

 

 

 

[Source: Paul Wright]




Last updated: Sunday, 21-May-2017 15:43:24 CEST
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