Longest private railway in Herefordshire
Titley Junction
24 September 2006
Between the "North and West" and the Central Wales line,
there was once a network of minor lines. Some are fairly well
known - the lines centred on Brecon perhaps. In the north of
the region was a "mini" network, connected to the "North and
West" at Leominster, and the Brecon - Hay - Hereford line at
Eardisley Junction. Branches ran north to Presteign (without
the 'e') and west, through Kington, to New Radnor. The hub of
this little network? Titley Junction! (It was obvious, wasn't it?)
Inevitably, these routes, very much minor lines in the general scale
of things, closed completely many years ago. Kington - New Radnor
went in 1951, as did the Presteigne passenger service. The Kington
- Leominster passenger service ended in 1955. Finally, 1964 saw
the last goods trains run, and that was it...
...until the 1980s, when the then owner of the station began
restoration work, and laid some track. Present owners Robert &
Lesley Hunt purchased the station in October 2001, and soon began
the work which culminated in the present ¾mile or so of
track, running west from the station towards Kington. At
this extremity a run-round loop is being laid, and it is
intended to provide a similar facility at Titley Junction.
Immediately beyond both extremities, bridges have been
taken out, so perhaps that will be it for the time being.
The whole operation is strictly private - but today was an
open day, largely, I think, to satisfy the curiosity of the
Kington locals, if overheard conversations are anything to
go by. I found the open day listed on Kington Tourist
Centre's "What's On in Kington" page (can't remember
what I was actually looking for...), and decided a visit was
called for.
Pea-green Percy Peckett 1738 of 1928 was wearing his
face, there were people everywhere, and there is lots of
construction clutter, so this trip was not one for
photographic masterpieces. However, the ride along the
line (in a nicely-repainted DMU car, propelled by Percy)
was pleasant. Overall, this was an interesting little trip
out, and clearly Titley Junction is worth keeping an eye
on for future events.
Link: Kington Tourist Information Centre
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
