Tintern - A family connection
I was very excited to see there is a new Train Spotting community, thanks to 
In later posts I will share various train photos from my archives with you that I have taken over the years. Then I will see what I can do going forwards in writing about heritage railways etc. I am a big fan of them.
First of all, I wanted to talk a little bit about my own family connection with the railway industry.
My great-grandfather Thomas Arthur Davies was a station master who manned the station at Tintern in Monmouthshire. Sadly I never got to meet him, as he died 12 years before I was born.
I've been to the old station a number of times over the years, although not recently, I remember my grandparents taking me there whenever we used to stay with them for a few days. It used to amuse my Mum but I didn't care, I always found it interesting. I think Mum was worried I'd get bored of the same old thing all of the time. However being a geek, there are certain things that don't lose their allure, they become intensely more interesting where most normal people feel inclined to move onto the next thing whatever it may be!
Now years later I am going back in my mind, scouring it for information and I've been searching online for any bits of information I can find, especially photographs. I expect this to be another one of those "projects" of mine! It will go on and on!
Tintern Old Train Station
My Grandparents met in Tintern, as children they lived in the same area and knew each other long before they married and started a family. I can remember that my Grandmother lived in Station House, in fact I think she may have even been born there, which was adjacent to the station itself. Nowadays the line is closed but the station is still there in the form of a museum and visitor centre.
The last time we visited must have been around 2015, as we'd been somewhere else that morning and on the way back down to Chepstow we knew we'd go past Tintern. It seemed criminal not to stop at the old station. It was a glorious spring day, the River Wye glistening in the sun as we drove through the valley, weaving in and out of England and Wales. Tintern was a hive of activity when we arrived and we needed some lunch.
The Cafe there is very good and I believe it's only open from April till Autumn. Check the website https://www.visitmonmouthshire.com/things-to-do/old-station-tintern-p1502751 to make sure you don't turn up to find it closed.
Tintern 1933
I found this photo from 1933 whilst searching online for Tintern and it's station masters. I think one of the people in the photo is my Great Grandfather (I will ask my Dad, he'll confirm it for me).
You know when you see a photo somewhere and have a strong feeling of deja-vu, not as in I was there, I wasn't, it was 1933 but Thomas Davies (my great grandfather) would have been about 55 at the time and would have been working there.
I'm sure I have seen this cutting before, either one of the originals from the printing press or a framed copy on a mantelpiece when my grandparents were still alive, living at their bungalow in Lydney. I shall see if I can find the original that will be fantastic.
It's a great photo nonetheless as it shows us how the station looked at the time it was very much open. Little did they know that 23 years later it would close.
The Wye Valley Railway line
The line originally opened in 1876, closing for passengers in 1959 and freight in 1964 and by the time the line closed completely, Tintern was the second largest station with Monmouth Troy being the most substantial.
The line was 15 miles in length and connected the towns of Chepstow and Monmouth, crossing several times between Wales and England. It was initially leased to GWR who later purchased the line in 1905 with high hopes for it to be connected with Bristol and the industrial Midlands, however that was never to be. Tourism kept the line afloat for a number of years but the income was never anything near that of the more prosperous routes. It was for this reason that in 1959 the line closed for passengers and freight continued to service local quarries for a few years more. Some parts of the line were kept in operation for goods transportation but only between some locations. I can remember that being the case myself as a lad.
The current day remnants
I most definitely want to head up there again because there are remnants of the old line other than the Old Station visitor centre that will be well worth a look.
A lot of the structures are still in place to explore. 3 former railway bridges, including the Penallt Viaduct which you can cross on foot. The Wireworks Branch bridge, also now a footbridge and an impressive viaduct at Monmouth albeit with the middle section now removed. The station building at St Briavels is still intact.
Last year (2021) a section of the railway was opened up for cyclists and walkers. This section links Tidenham to Tintern, including the tunnel of the same name. The route is called the Wye Valley Greenway, sounds pretty awesome! I shall leave you with a brilliant video made by Paul and Rebecca Whitewick on this very topic...
