The Great Western Railway Compan

The Great Western Railway or G. W. R. was to become one of the main railway companies in Britain. Its opreations in Pembrokeshire first began in 1853 when its subsiduary company the South Wales Railway opened the first railway line into the county.

In 1863 the Great Western absorbed the South Wales Railway but the area saw little difference as the Great Western already provided all the locomotives and rolling stock. Fully established in Pembrokeshire the G. W. R. soon set about consolodating its hold on railway business in the area as it controlled the only line into the county.

The main challenge in Pembrokeshire initially came from the Pembroke and Tenby railway who wanted to build their own line from Whitland to Carmarthen independant of the G. W. R. to link up with another company there (such as the Llanelli Railway which was dominated by the very powerful London North Western Railway) and break the G. W. R. monopoly in the area. In 1868 the G. W. R entered into a very skillful agreement with the Pembroke and Tenby Railway, whereby, it would convert its broad gauge line from Whitland to Carmarthen to allow the Pembroke and Tenby Railway to run its standard gauge trains to Carmarthen in exchange for the £20.000 already raised to build the independant line. Rather than convert their line to mixed gauge (able to accept both broad and standard gauge trains), as the Pembroke and Tenby Railway expected, the G. W. R. simply moved one rail inwards to convert one of their lines to standard gauge (the track was doubled along this section). This cost very little and the G. W. R. kept the bulk of the £20.000 for itself and was able to charge the P & T a high rent for the use of the line as well. Unsurprisingly in 1872 the P & T stopped running trains to Carmarthen and had been left without the finance for its own line there.

With the threat of the Pembroke and Tenby seen off the G. W. R. used its control of the station facilites at Clynderwyn to strangle the Maenclochog Railway (who used the site) by means of very high rents. The resulted in the Maenclochog Railway closing in 1884. The same was to happen to the Whitland and Cardigan Railway who rented facilites from the G. W. R. at Whitland station.

During the 1890s the G. W. R. moved to illiminate the remaining railway companies in Pembrokeshire except for the small and unconnected mineral lines. 1890 saw the Whitland and Cardigan Railway finally absorbed, in 1896 the Milford Railway was absorbed (like the Whiland and Cardigan Railway the G.W.R. were already operating the line) and the Pembroke and Tenby Railway was leased. 1897 saw the Pembroke and Tenby absorbed as was the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard in 1898. G. W. R. power in Pembrokeshire was now supreme.

By aquiring the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway the G. W. R. saw off the only other challenge to its positon in the county. There had been plans to link Fishguard with the London North Western Railway (their arch enemies) but the purchase of the Fishguard and North Pembrokeshire line prevented them linking up with the L. N. W. R. and threatening the G. W. R. monopoly of trade in Pembrokeshire. This move also gave the G. W. R. access to Fishguard and they now looked again at the site for a major port for the ferry traffic to Ireland to replace Neyland. It was also hoped to capture the transatlantic liner trade which Neyland was unsuitable for.

In 1899 work started on building Fishguard harbour. It was realised that a high speed rail link to the harbour was needed as the old North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway line between Clynderwyn and Letterston was unsuitable for this and needed to be bypassed. To provide this link the G. W. R. decided to develope Brunel's old route to Fishguard which had been abandoned in 1851 but with some seven miles of earthworks already built. The Clarbeston Road and Letterston Railway was created in 1898 to link these two points for the G. W. R. It would run from Clarbeston Road (on the main line to Neyland) to Letterston. From there the route would use the former North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard line to Goodwick and Fishguard harbour. This new Clarbeston Road and Letterston line required heavy engineering because it passed through Treffgarne Gorge to ensure the shortest and swiftest route. The immense cost of the work and the delays due to the solid rock in the gorge finally bankrupted the company in 1906 and the G. W. R. were forced to complete the work themselves. The line was opened for traffic in late August 1906 and this was the last major railway enginering work to be completed in Pembrokeshire.

The night of the 29th/30th August 1906 demonstrated the G. W. R.'s phenominal powers of organisation. On the 29th Neyland was the terminus of the railway. All the staff, locomotives, rolling stock, steam ships and ferrys to Ireland were moved that night to Fishguard. On 30th August Fishguard became the terminus or the G. W. R. and their port for Ireland.

The railway network in Pembrokeshire was now complete and the G. W. R. were surpreme in the county. Improvements continued to be made to meet the growing business with new sidings being built and stations enlarged. New inovations were introduced to improve services such as the introduction of steam rail cars to provide a more frequent service for local stations.

1914 - 1918 saw the First World War and this marked a more difficult period for the G. W. R. with war time economies and the loss of the transatlantic liner trade at Fishguard. This was followed by labour problems and the General Strike of 1926. Trade increased substantially during the late 1920s, however, and holiday traffic, especially, now assumed huge proportions.

1939 -1945 saw the Second World War and another difficult period for the G. W. R. due to war time economies again. Pembrokeshire saw greatly increased troop traffic on the railways, though, and huge amounts of armaments and muntions were moved over the county's rail network.

During the late 1940s trade again increase and the G. W. R.began to get back into its stride again but on 1st January 1948 the company was nationalised and ceased to exist.