The Saundersfoot Railway

[rogerfarnworth]

This is the first of two articles about the Saundersfoot Railway.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part

 

This is the fourth article about Pembrokeshire's Railways. The first focussed on the pre-railway age, the second focussed on the mainline railways of the county. The third article focussed on the industrial railways in the vicinity of Milford Haven. .... This article looks specifically at the Saundersfoot Railway in Pembrokeshire.

[The Stationmaster]

15 hours ago, rogerfarnworth said:

This is the first of two articles about the Saundersfoot Railway.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part

 

This is the fourth article about Pembrokeshire's Railways. The first focussed on the pre-railway age, the second focussed on the mainline railways of the county. The third article focussed on the industrial railways in the vicinity of Milford Haven. .... This article looks specifically at the Saundersfoot Railway in Pembrokeshire.

Link seems 'bad' for some reason  -  I get 'Does Not Exist' every time I try it.

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

Link seems 'bad' for some reason  -  I get 'Does Not Exist' every time I try it.

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part/

 

An 's' was missing in the link.

[Danemouth]

Good article. As a boy at the end of the 1950s we had several caravan holidays at Wisemans Bridge. I remember the three tunnels when walking into Saunderfoot.

 

Dave

 

[rogerfarnworth]

Thanks for sorting this out ...

 

If anyone is still struggling then this should work! ....

 

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part/

 

It seems that sometimes the link comes across without the final '/'! I am not sure why. Thank you for your patience.

 

[Northmoor]

On 26/09/2022 at 20:24, rogerfarnworth said:

This is the first of two articles about the Saundersfoot Railway.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part

 

This is the fourth article about Pembrokeshire's Railways. The first focussed on the pre-railway age, the second focussed on the mainline railways of the county. The third article focussed on the industrial railways in the vicinity of Milford Haven. .... This article looks specifically at the Saundersfoot Railway in Pembrokeshire.

Interesting articles Roger and well done on your research.

 

There's an important aspect missing from your second article (main line railways) which is that Fishguard (actually Goodwick) wasn't Brunel's intended destination; that was Abermawr about 8 miles away the other side of Dinas Head.  The work was started - some earthworks can still be found such as in Treffgarne Gorge - but was abandoned when the potential trade opportunity evaporated after the Irish Potato Famine.  Had the main line been built to Abermawr, the railway map of Pembrokeshire would have looked very different.

[The Stationmaster]

4 hours ago, rogerfarnworth said:

Thanks for sorting this out ...

 

If anyone is still struggling then this should work! ....

 

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part/

 

It seems that sometimes the link comes across without the final '/'! I am not sure why. Thank you for your patience.

 

That one worked instantly Roger, thanks.

[kevinlms]

8 hours ago, rogerfarnworth said:

Thanks for sorting this out ...

 

If anyone is still struggling then this should work! ....

 

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/26/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-first-part/

 

It seems that sometimes the link comes across without the final '/'! I am not sure why. Thank you for your patience.

 

The failure of the original link had nothing to do with the final '/'. The fault was that you had 'http', whereas it should be 'https'.

[rogerfarnworth]

Thanks for clarifying. Not at all sure how that happened as the link was cut-and-pasted. I will keep an eye out for it in the future. Once again. Thank you.

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post is a follow-up to the first and covers the other main line of the Saundersfoot Railway which ran between the Harbour and Thomas Chapel and Reynalton. ...

 

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/28/railways-in-west-wales-part-1c-pembrokeshire-industrial-railways-section-b-the-saundersfoot-railway-second-part/

[kevinlms]

54 minutes ago, rogerfarnworth said:

Thanks for clarifying. Not at all sure how that happened as the link was cut-and-pasted. I will keep an eye out for it in the future. Once again. Thank you.

I have no idea of the why either! At least you know what to check in future posts. Thanks for your efforts.

[Ramblin Rich]

Roger, I've enjoyed these Saundersfoot articles very much (as well as the previous ones about the Welshpool town section).

I was  fascinated by this area's past when we holidayed in the area 40 odd years ago. I walked the line from Saundersfoot to Stepaside, then up to Grove colliery. It's quite some distance higher than the Iron Works  on the valley floor. It seems strange to have built the colliery up on a hill then dig one of the deepest shafts around! I also managed to walk to the incline down to Saundersfoot. Sadly well before the days of digital cameras and I can't recall taking pictures.

The elusive Reynalton extension is certainly difficult to trace, but the current OS maps does show earthworks at either end - the inverted U shape by Thomas Chapel, and the curved line with trees shown in the aerial view of Reynalton. If, as suggested, the line was built cheaply to follow contours, these features pretty much line up with the 200' contour on old maps and, if you follow that contour from Reynalton, it goes slightly north towards Hackett, then slightly south again before looping north to pick up that inverted U  - which is what the route map at the start of your Wordpress post shows. If it was built cheaply with little earthworks this explains why there's little trace left - which then makes me wonder, why the expense of a bridge over the road south of Reynalton when a level crossing further down the road would have been far cheaper?

Edited September 29, 2022 by Ramblin Rich
why do you only see typos after posting?

[Northmoor]

I'd forgotten about that bridge @Ramblin Rich; nearly 40 years ago I cycled along the former route from Begelly to Thomas Chapel.  The track was like a muddy lane, but because of all the coal dust in it, the mud was incredibly abrasive.  The little wheel that drove my speedometer off the wheelrim wore smooth in just a couple of miles.

I have an idea for a model based on the Saundersfoot Railway surviving until after WW2, being transferred to the NCB after Nationalisation and converted to standard gauge.  The exchange sidings would be just West of the A478 opposite the Kingsmoor Road junction.