Notes: Goitre Halt (‘Halt’ was omitted in Bradshaw) was situated on the 3¾-mile Kerry branch which had been opened between Abermule and Kerry by the Oswestry & Newtown Railway on 2 March 1863. The line had passed to the Cambrian Railway on the 25 July 1864 and to the Great Western Railway (GWR) on 1 January 1922. The branch had been opened to serve the sheep trade at Kerry but passenger services had run from the start. By 1922 they had declined to only a couple of trains per day in each direction with no Sunday service.
There was a siding at Goitre which was listed in the Railway Clearing House Handbook of Stations 1904 as being under the supervision of Kerry station. The siding served a brick works that was located a short distance to the east of the line.
The GWR most have hoped to increase passenger traffic by opening Goitre Halt on 9 July 1923.
The halt was on the east side of the line, consisting of a short platform constructed from stone, backfilled with earth and cinders. The siding which connected to the branch to the south of the halt terminated at the rear of the platform giving very little space for passengers.
It would have been served by trains running between Kerry and Abermule which were operated by former Cambrian Railway 0-6-0 and 2-4-0 tank engines. Seven trains in each direction were operated in the first few years but that declined to only a few trains by the end of the decade.
Failing to attract much traffic, Goitre Halt was closed on 9 February 1931 when the Kerry branch passenger service was completely withdrawn. The line continued to be used by goods services until 1 May 1956 and it had been lifted by the end of 1959.
Ticket from Michael Stewart and route map by Alan Young
Sources:
- A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain - Volume II North & Mid Wales - Peter E Baughan - David & Charles 1980.
- Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies - Christopher Awdry - Guild Publishing 1990.
- Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain - A Chronology - Michael Quick - Railway & Canal Historical Society 2009.
See also: Abermule, Ffronfraith Halt and Kerry |