The Golden Valley Railway (SMR 19263)

The idea of this line was to create a route from Pontrilas to Hay-on-Wye within the county boundaries. It was to be a single line track 18 3/4 miles long.

The line was promoted by a local company of landowners, tenant farmers and tradesmen in an isolated area in the hope that it would lower the cost of goods. The principal landowners involved were the Revd. Sir George Henry Cornewall, Bart of Moccas Court and E L Gavin Robinson JP, of Poston Lodge, who was also the first chairman of the company.

Left: Peterchurch Station (© Hereford Library) The first meeting of the company was held at the schoolroom in Peterchurch on the 30th of September 1875. There were a few objections to the proposed line as many people felt there wasn't enough passenger traffic to sustain it. The first turf of the railway was cut by Lady Cornewall on Thursday 31st August 1876. To mark the day a special programme of events was held at Peterchurch:

12pm - Service at the church.
1pm - Cutting of the first sod in a field next to the vicarage.
2pm - Public luncheon.
4pm - Sports and other pastimes (polo, pony and donkey races, athletics all with prizes for amateur competitors).
4.30pm - Tea and cake for locals issued with a free ticket.
5.30pm - Athletics prizes presented by Mrs E G L Robinson.

The luncheon menu included:

Roast, boiled and pressed beef,
Roast veal and ham,
Roast lamb,
Roast chicken and Ox tongues,
Roast ducks,
Pigeon Pies and
Lobster salads.

The Toast list included the Chairman of the Railway, the Royal Family, the Clergy, Armed Forces, success to the Golden Valley Railway and to the Ladies of the parish. (Hereford Record Office - B43/23)

It took 13 years from the cutting of the first sod in August 1876, until its completion at Hay in 1889. The first stretch from Pontrilas to Dorstone was opened on 1st September 1881 and involved 6 level crossings and the River Dore had to be crossed and re-crossed several times. There were stations at Abbey Dore, Vowchurch, Peterchurch and Dorstone. Each one was built of wood and had a single platform and a looped siding. Left: Pontrilas Station from an old photograph (© Hereford Library)

Unfortunately money began to run out and there was no capital to continue the line to Hay. The Great Western Railway Company were consulted, with a view to them taking over the line, but the feedback wasn't positive and there was no real interest. A second plan was put forward to extend the line southeast from Pontrilas to Monmouth to link up the lines there, but this was never achieved.

At its height there were three trains a day on this route and an extra train on Wednesdays for Hereford Market. The GWR were again asked to run the line for a percentage of the receipts but they refused and the Golden Valley line was forced to struggle for a further 17 years.

On the 27th June, 1885, a shareholders meeting was called and Robinson Green-Price stepped down as Chairman to be succeeded by Sir Richard Dansey Green-Price. After this the building of the Hay-on-Wye extension took place.

The engineer for this new stretch of line was G Wells Owen and Charles Chambers was the contractor. Charles Chambers offered to build the line for £154,000. The line involved heavy earthworks with 9 over bridges and one under built of stone, and 6 under bridges with stone abutments and wrought iron girders. Just west of Clifford there was a small viaduct. After 13 years the line finally reached Hay on May 5th, 1889, where the trains used the Midland Station.

The Golden Valley soon began to owe more money than it could make and on August 23rd, 1897, the Dorstone to Hay Junction section of line was closed and on the 20th April, 1898, the line from Pontrilas to Dorstone closed. Eventually, after much persuasion, the GWR bought the line for £9,000. They then spent over £15,000 relaying and reconditioning parts of the track and it was reopened on May 1st, 1901.

The line ran as a stable investment for some time, but as road transport in the area began to improve regular services were suspended in 1941. Goods trains continued to use the line occasionally but in 1957 the line was closed for definite, apart from a small section that serviced the War Department depot at Elm Park.

MG