Southerndown Road railway station facts for kids

Southerndown Road railway station was a train station located in South Wales. It opened its doors in 1897 and closed down in 1961. For a while, between 1898 and 1910, it was planned to be a key connection point for a new, smaller railway line called the Vale of Glamorgan Light Railway.

Station Design and Layout

This station was one of the first five stations built when the railway line opened in 1897. It had two platforms, which are the raised areas where people wait for trains. On one platform, there were brick buildings for the station. On the other, there was a signal box, which is like a control tower for railway signals.

At first, the station had extra tracks called 'loops' on both sides. This meant four lines of rails ran through the station, allowing trains to pass each other. These extra loops were later removed. The station also had a goods yard, which was a special area for loading and unloading goods from trains. In 1913, a shed made of corrugated iron was added to the goods platform.

Why This Location?

Unlike most other large stations, Southerndown Road was not built in a town or village. There were hardly any houses nearby! It was meant to serve a very large countryside area. The main reason it was built there was the hope of adding a branch line, a smaller railway track, that would go all the way to the popular holiday spot of Southerndown itself.

The Dream of the Vale of Glamorgan Light Railway

From the mid-1800s, Southerndown was a popular place for holidays. It had the chance to become a big resort town. However, it was hard for people to get there because there was no train connection.

Since at least 1890, a horse-drawn bus service ran between Bridgend railway station and Southerndown. But this service was run by a different railway company, the Great Western Railway. So, it wasn't helpful for the Barry Railway, which ran the Vale of Glamorgan line.

A new law called the Light Railways Act made it cheaper to build smaller railway lines. Over the next ten years or so, many ideas for a "light railway" to Southerndown were suggested, but none of them ever happened.

First Plan: A Direct Route

In September 1897, the Barry Railway company agreed to support a plan for a new line. This proposed line would be about two and three-quarter miles long. It was estimated to cost £13,500. Surveys were done, and plans were made, but this idea didn't go forward. The main reason was that a very important landowner along the route did not agree to it. Because of this, a different route had to be planned.

Second Plan: Following the River

The new plan, made by an engineer, suggested a five-mile-long route. It would leave the main line at Ewenny and follow the River Ogmore to Ogmore-by-Sea. Then, it would go along the coast to Southerndown. This plan was estimated to cost £20,000, plus another £3,000 for a curve towards Barry. The Barry Railway company thought these costs were too high, so these plans were stopped. In 1899, a horse-drawn bus service was started to connect Southerndown Road station with the village.

Third Plan: More Routes Considered

The need for a better connection to Southerndown was still there. The Barry company thought about starting a motor bus service, but they decided it wouldn't make enough money. So, in 1904, they went back to the idea of a light railway. Three possible routes were looked at:

• One route was almost the same as the first plan from 1897 and would have cost £19,000.
• Another route followed the opposite side of the valley from Southerndown Road station and would have cost £2,000 less.
• The third route left the main line at Ewenny and followed a dry valley towards St Brides Major. This route would need new platforms at Ewenny and was estimated to cost £21,000. None of these plans were ever built.

Fourth Plan: A Tramway Idea

Later in 1904, the Barry Directors asked their engineer to look into building a tramway between Bridgend and Southerndown. This idea would cost £30,000. It would likely attract passengers from the Great Western line rather than through Barry. On June 30, 1904, the Barry company decided to wait to discuss this until local authorities allowed level crossings on the route. However, the plans were never started again after this point. The horse-drawn bus continued to run until 1915, when motor buses were introduced to the area. Looking back, it seems unlikely that a light railway would have been very successful for long in that area.

Later Years and Closure

Southerndown Road was the only station that did not get more train traffic from the new RAF (Royal Air Force) bases built in the 1930s. The station completely closed down in 1961. It was the only station on the line to close before the passenger train service was stopped entirely in 1964.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Llandow Halt Line open; station closed		Barry Railway Vale of Glamorgan Railway		Bridgend Line and station open