WYNN HALL HALT

HISTORY

[Source: Paul Wright and Alan Young]

TWynn Hall Halt was adjacent to the 1808 extension of the Pontcysyllte Tramway. The first section of the tramway had opened in 1805 and its purpose was to take coal to the Llangollen Canal of the Ellesmere Canal Company (ECC) at Pontcysyllte. It was a narrow gauge double track horse-drawn line. In 1846 the ECC became part of the Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company which was in turn leased by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR). The LNWR decided to convert the tramway to a single track standard gauge railway and extend it to Rhos to serve the Llwyneinion Brick Works. They carried out the conversion of the original tramway in stages while building the extension; the line was completed by January 1867. Being completely isolated from the LNWR system the branch was at first worked by a locomotive owned by the New British Iron Company but in December 1870 an 0-4-0 locomotive of the LNWR arrived from Crewe.

The OS 6-inch scale map published in 1879 shows that the Pontcysyllte Branch was connected to numerous local industries including collieries, brick works, clay works and an iron works. However from this time a number of industries contracted and closed which reduced the profits of the LNWR. In 1896 the LNWR sold the line to the GWR for £51,000.

The GWR was partly motivated to buy the Pontcysyllte Branch in order to frustrate the plans of the East Denbighshire Railway (EDR), a company that had been set up locally to build a line from Wrexham to the Rhos area. The GWR also wanted to introduce passenger services onto the branch. The GWR defeated the aspirations of the EDR and in 1901 they opened their Rhos Branch which connected the Pontcysyllte Branch to the GWR’s Shrewsbury and Chester main line at Rhos Junction (near Rhostyllen). Stations were opened at Rhos (on the Pontcysyllte Branch), Legacy and Rhostyllen and a passenger service was introduced on 1 October 1901 that ran to and from Wrexham General.

In 1905 the GWR upgraded the section of line between Rhos and Wynn Hall for passenger working. Signal boxes were provided at Rhos, Brook Street and Wynn Hall. The signal box at Wynn Hall was provided with a thirteen lever frame. Wynn Hall Halt opened on 1 May 1905, and other halts were also opened at Pant and at Brook Street (in Rhos).

Wynn Hall Halt was located on the north side of the junction from where the Wynn Hall Colliery line diverged. The OS 6-inch scale map published in 1914 shows structures on the west side of the Rhos line and signal posts. The latter would have controlled the junction and the passenger trains that terminated at the halt. It is known that Pant and Brook Street halts had platforms so it is highly likely that Wynn Hall did too. most probably of timber construction.

The steam rail-motor service ran between Wynn Hall Halt and Wrexham General with some short workings between Rhos and Wrexham. The Wynn Hall Halt services called at the intermediate points of Pant Halt, Brook Street Halt, and the stations at Rhos, Legacy and Rhostyllen. The journey overall journey time between Wynn Hall Halt and Wrexham General was 25 minutes which was relatively fast.

The November 1906 timetable (click here) showed ten trains in each direction Monday-to-Friday with two additional services on Saturday. This was a good level of service for this era.

The introduction of bus services after 1910 had a detrimental effect on the rail-motor service and on 22 March 1915 it was cut back to run only between Rhos and Wrexham. Wynn Hall Halt closed completely (as were the halts at Pant and Brook Street). The Wynn Hall signal box was closed in 1928. As the line to Wynn Hall Colliery had closed by then there was probably little point in it by that time.

The line passed into British Railways ownership in 1948 but in 1953 the section between Pant and Pontcysyllte was closed completely. The line between Pant and Rhos Junction ceased to be use after 14 October 1963 and was dismantled.

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[Source: Paul Wright and Alan Young]


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