Milford Haven and Neyland Branches

Part of the West Wales Railways series, this book starts at Clarbeston Road, covers the oil-rich town of Milford Haven, where oil refineries were opened mostly in the 1960s in association with the deep-water port, to accommodate super tankers from the Middle East, though the development of other products and pipelines in the oil world has seen the number of oil terminals there currently reduced to one at Robeston. Neyland was the original West Wales terminus of the GWR, after plans to develop Fishguard were delayed until 1906, and saw several through Passenger and Parcels trains to Paddington until 1963, when through passenger trains between Paddington and West Wales were terminated at Swansea with a DMU service beyond. The Neyland branch from Johnston was closed under the Beeching cuts of 1964, involving the closure of the important Motive Power Depot whose allocation of County Class engines is well illustrated, though the effect of this was largely nullified by the arrival of the diesel age.

Auteur

JOHN HODGE is a former railway manager during the 1960s who, since retirement in 1992, has produced many articles and books on South Wales railways.