Notes: New Broughton Road Halt was situated on the Great Central Railway’s Brymbo branch which had originally been opened for goods in the autumn of 1887 by the Wrexham, Mold & Connahs Quay Railway (WM&CQR). The line linked Brymbo to Wrexham Central and became part of the GCR on 1st January 1905. The WM&CQR introduced a passenger service onto the line on 1st August 1889. From the start the line had to compete with a Great Western Railway (GWR) branch that also connected Wrexham to Brymbo.
On 1st May 1905 the GWR introduced a ‘railmotor’ onto their line, and they also opened additional halts in order to secure more traffic.
Not to be outdone the GCR followed suit also introducing a ‘railmotor’ and opening halts. The GCR opened two halts, one of which was New Broughton Road Halt, which first appeared in the timetable in May 1905.
New Broughton Road Halt was located on the north side of its namesake which passed over the line on a bridge. The halt was located on the southern side of the line and was reached by a sloping footpath. It appears to have had a simple shelter and a low platform.
From the start passenger services operated to Brymbo and Wrexham Central calling at all stations. There were four services in each direction on Monday to Friday but an additional six services ran on Saturdays. The GCR line struggled to compete with the GWR route and by the end of the first decade of the 20th century a bus service was also competing against the railway. On 1st March 1917 the GCR withdrew the passenger service from Brymbo to Wrexham Central and New Broughton Road Halt station closed completely.
The original purpose of the branch had been to carry goods and it had always had more goods than passenger trains; it therefore remained lucrative to the GCR. On 1st January 1923 the line became part of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).
On 1st January 1948 the line through New Broughton Road Halt became part of the nationalised British Railways (Western Region). On 30th November 1954 British Railways closed the line through the halt from Plas Power to Brymbo Junction North Fork. The track through the station remained in situ for a few years but it was lifted in 1958.
In the second half of the 20th Century the site was developed as a car dealership and garage but this was in turn replaced by residential development.
Sources:
- The Wrexham, Mold & Connah’s Quay Railway including The Buckley Railway – James I C Boyd – Oakwood Press 1991 ISBN 978-0853614173
- The Wrexham & Ellesmere Railway – S C Jenkins & J M Strange - Oakwood Press 2004 ISBN 978-0853616177
- The Wrexham, Mold & Connahs Quay Railway – J M Dunn - Oakwood Press 1957
- The Wrexham & Minera Railway article in Railway World, Rex Christiansen – Feb. 1987.
- North Wales Branch Line Album, C C Green, Ian Allan 1983 ISBN 978-0711012523
- Forgotten Railways North & Mid Wales – Rex Christiansen - David & Charles 1976 ISBN 978-0715370599
- Wrexham Railways a Collection of Pictures – A Bodlander, M Hambly, H Leadbetter, D Southern & S Weatherley – 1992 ISBN 1-872424-28-7
- Wrexham Railways a Collection of Pictures – Volume 2 – A Bodlander, M Hambly, H Leadbetter, D Southern & S Weatherley – 1992 ISBN 1-872424-35-X
- Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology by Michael Quick (Railway & Canal Historical Society 2009)
- Clinker’s Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots by C R Clinker (Pub: Avon Anglia 1978)
Route map drawn by Alan Young, Bradshaw from Chris Hind.
To see other stations between Wrexham Central and Brymbo (WM&CQR) click on the station name:
Wrexham Central, Wrexham Exchange, Rhosddu, Highfield Road Halt, Moss & Pentre, Plas Power (WM&CQR), Brymbo (WM&CQR) |