Ruabon Brook Tramway
The Ruabon Brook Tramway was a Welsh branch railway line linking the Ruabon coalfield to the Shropshire Union Canal at Froncysyllte, with a private extension into the Monsanto works at Cefn Mawr which reconnected to the main line at Trevor.[1] The area was rich in coal, clay and minerals.
The tramway was opened on 26 Nov 1805 between Pontcysyllte and Acrefair. The line was extended in 1808 from Acrefair to the Plas Madoc Colliery in Plasbennion and then into "The Delph" which climbed towards Penycae; after 1808 the line advanced via the industrial area around Wynn Hall and Copperas towards its summit at Pant, with level crossings on Plas Bennion and Penycae roads. From 1860 the line was converted from a tramway to a railway, frequently referred to as the Pontcysyllte Branch, with an extension to Rhosllannerchrugog opening on 30 Jan 1867; it continued as the Rhos Branch via Legacy and Rhostyllen and eventually joined the main line slightly South of Croes Newydd junction. Although the line was intended for goods services, the section between Wynn Hall and Rhosllannerchrugog had a railmotor service for passengers between 1905 and 1915, with connections to Wrexham and beyond.
The section between Pontcysyllte and Pant closed in 1953 and was torn up (as far as the bridge over the Afon Eitha brook) in the late 1950s, that from Pant towards Wrexham closed in 1963. Monsanto's private track remained in use until 1968, when the remains of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line closed to goods.
Bibliography
- Forgotten Railways - North and Mid Wales, Rex Christianson 1976, ISBN 0-7153-7059-6
- A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain - Volume 11: North and Mid Wales, Peter E Baughan 1980, ISBN 0-7153-7850-3
Coordinates: 52°58′23″N 3°05′10″W / 52.97318°N 3.08614°W