Lines from Ross-on-Wye
This section covers the lines south and east of Ross-on-Wye, to Monmouth (part of the Ross, Monmouth and Pontypool Road Line) and Grange Court (the junction with the South Wales line between Gloucester and Newport).
Timeline
1844
The line from Hereford to Ross and Gloucester is surveyed.
August 1845
The Monmouth and Hereford Railway Bill is given Royal Ascent. This original proposal for a railway was intended to follow a route similar to that of the one eventually adopted.
1847-1851
A financial crisis hits the line in 1847, work ceases and the Monmouth and Hereford Railway is officially abandoned. The project is resurrected in the early 1850s by two Railways : The Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway and the Ross and Monmouth Railway, although the latter would not be authorised until 1865.
July 1853
The first five miles from Grange Court is completed
June 1855
The line (which has been built in broad gauge) is opened from Hereford to Gloucester.
October 1857
A branch line from Pontypool to Monmouth Troy is opened.
1862
The Great Western Railway takes over the Hereford-Gloucester Line
July 1865
The Ross & Monmouth line is authorised.
1866
The Hereford-Gloucester line is converted to standard gauge. Financial problems hit the Ross and Monmouth Railway, with the result that construction of this line doesn't start until 1868.
1872
An agreement is reached between the Ross and Monmouth Railway and the Great Western Railway, whereby the latter will operate the former for 50% of the gross receipts.
August 1873
The Ross-Monmouth line reaches a temporary terminus at Monmouth May Hill. The opening is delayed slightly due to issues arising from the Board of Trade inspection, but it is eventually agreed that the line to May Hill can be opened for passengers on the 4th August, although the lack of turning facilities at May Hill mean the line can only be worked by tank locomotives at this point.
January 1874
The section of the Ross and Momouth line between May Hill and Monmouth Troy is inspected, but major problems are found with the bridge over the River Wye, and the section is not passed for public use.
May 1874
The section between May Hill and Monmouth Troy is finally opened.
July 1922
The Ross and Monmouth Railway is absorbed into the Great Western Railway, as part of "The Grouping" (the Monmouth to Pontypool Road section having been absorbed by the GWR in 1887).
July 1929
The decision to close passenger services on the Severn and Wye routes north of Lydney Town mean that Lydbrook Junction is no longer a junction for passenger use.
1931
The town of Ross-on-Wye is officially renamed as such (having been just Ross up to this point). The station would be renamed in 1933.
1935
A Camping Coach is installed at Kerne Bridge Station in order to develop tourist traffic to the area.
1936
Diesel railcars are introduced to the Ross and Monmouth line. November sees the Royal Train use the Route as King Edward VIII tours South Wales on a morale-boosting visit.
June 1955
The line from Monmouth to Usk is officially closed, although a strike by ASLEF results in the last services being run on the 28th May. However the line would not be lifted for several years, and a railtour was able to work this section two years later.
January 1959
Passenger services along the Ross-Monmouth section are withdrawn. Goods from Lydbrook Junction to Monmouth are also withdrawn, although it is agreed to leave the infrastructure in place for three years to allow for a possible re-opening.
[There is some controversy over the figures produced to justify the closure of this line, especially with regards to the increased level service provided west of Monmouth in 1954, a service that may have been more than the line needed, and possibly skewing the figures in favour of making a loss.]
November 1964
The Grange Court to Hereford section closes to passengers. Goods follows a year later.
Most freight services between Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth are also withdrawn at this time, although some private siding traffic would continue from Lydbrook Junction via Ross until November 1965.