(This index covers Carmarthenshire, Glamorganshire & Monmouthshire plus lines in Breconshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire & Pembrokeshire which ran into the former)

NAME OF COMPANY       INCORPORATED  OPENED              NOTES


Aberdare Railway            1845    1846   Leased by Taff Vale 1847 & vested in it 1889

Aberdare Valley Railway     1855    1856   Amalgamated with Swansea & Neath Rly 1864 

Alexandra (Newport) Dock Co 1865           Name changed to Alexandra (Newport & South Wales) Docks & Rly 1882

Alexandra (Newport and      1882           Name changed from Alexandra (Newport) Dock Co;
 South Wales) Docks & Rly                   Merged with the Pontypridd, Caerphilly & Newport Rly 1897

Barry Railway               1865           Abandoned before commencement of construction 1879

Barry Railway               1884           Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922

Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil     1859           Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922
 Junction Rly

Bridgend Railway            1828         
 
Brynmawr & Blaenavon Rly    1866    1869   Worked by London & North Western Rly & later absorbed by them  
 
Burry Port & Gwendraeth     1865    1869   Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922
 Valley Railway  

Burry Port & North West     1876           Abandoned 1889  
 Junction Rly 

Bute Docks Railway          1886           Name changed to Cardiff Railway 1897

Cardiff & Ogmore Valley Rly 1873    1876   Amalgamated with the Llynvi & Ogmore Rly 1876

Cardiff, Penarth & Barry    1885    1887   Vested in the Taff Vale Railway 1889 
 Junction Railway     
                       
Cardiff Railway             1897           Name changed from Bute Docks Railway; Taken over by Rhymney Rly.

Carmarthen & Cardigan Rly   1854           Wound up & sold to the Great Western Railway 1881

Central Wales & Carmarthen  1873           Name changed from Swansea & Carmarthen Rly. Passed to London &
 Junction Railway                          North Western Railway 1891

Cowbridge & Aberthaw Rly    1889    1892   Passed to the Taff Vale Railway 1895

Duffryn-Llynvi & Porthcawl  1825    1829   Amalgamated with the Llynvi Valley Railway 1847
 Railway  

Dulas Mineral Rly           1826    

Dulas Valley Mineral Rly    1862           Name changed to Neath & Brecon Rly 1863

East Usk Railway            1885    1898   Taken over by Great Western Ralway before opening (1892)

Ely Valley Railway          1857           Leased to the Great Western Railway 1862

Great Western Railway - FOR A HISTORY OF THIS COMPANY SEE "THE GREAT WESTERN ARCHIVE"

Grosmont Railway            1812           Bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly 1846

Hereford, Hay & Brecon Rly  1859    1863   Leased to the Midland Railway 1874

Hereford Railway            1826           Bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly 1846

Llanelly & Mynydd-Mawr Rly  1875    1883   Absorbed by Great Western Railway 1922

Llanelly Railway & Dock     1828    1833   Passed to the Great Western Railway 1889

Llanfihangel Railway        1811           Bought by the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly 1846

Llangammarch & Neath and    1888           Abandoned before construction 1890
 Brecon Junction Rly

Llantrissant & Taff Vale Rly1861    1863   Vested in the Taff Vale Railway 1889

Llynvi & Ogmore Rly         1866           Formed by the amalgamation of the Llynvi Valley Rly & the Ogmore Valley Rly

Llynvi Valley Railway       1846           Amalgamated with the Duffryn-Llynvi and Porthcawl Rly 1847
                                            Became part of the Llynvi & Ogmore Rly 1866

Mamhilad Railway            1814           Tramway from Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal to Usk Bridge

Merthyr, Tredegar &         1859    1862   Leased to London & North Western Rly 1862 & vested in that company 1866
 Abergavenny Railway

Monmouth Railway            1810           Tramway from Howler Slade in the Forest of Dean to Monmouth

Mumbles Railway             1889           Line from the Oystermouth Railway to Mumbles Head, Gower, Glam.

Neath & Brecon Railway      1863    1864   Later name of Dulas Valley Mineral Railway. Amalgamated with the Swansea Vale
                                            and Neath & Brecon Junction Rly 1869

Newport, Abergavenny &      1846    1854   Formed by the amalgamation of the Hereford Rly, the Llanfihangel Rly and the
 Hereford Railway                           Grosmont Rly. Taken over by the West Midland Rly in 1860  
  
Ogmore Valley Railway       1863    1865   Amalgamated with the Llynvi Valley Rly 1866 to form the Llynvi & Ogmore Rly

Oystermouth Railway         1804

Pembroke & Tenby Railway - For a detailed history go to Graham Davies' history of the company


Penarth Extension Rly       1876    1878   Passed to Great Western Rly 1923

Penarth Harbour, Dock       1856    1857   Originally incorporated as the Ely Tidal Harbour Rly. Passed to the Taff Vale Rly 1863.
 & Railway 

Pontypool, Caerleon &       1865    1874   Passed to the Great Western Rly 1876
 Newport Railway 

Pontypridd, Caerphilly &    1878    1884   Amalgamated with the Alexandra Dock & Rly 1897
 Newport Railway

Port Talbot Railway & Docks 1894    1897   Passed to the Great Western Rly 1922

Rhondda & Swansea Bay Rly   1882    1885   

Rhondda Valley & Hirwaun    1867    1878   Vested in the Taff Vale Rly 1889
 Junction Railway

Rhymney Railway             1854    1858   Passed to the Great Western Rly 1922 

Ross & Monmouth Railway     1863    1873   Passed to the Great Western Rly 1922

Rumney Railway              1825           Passed to the Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction Rly 1863

Saundersfoot Railway &      1829           Mineral railway
 Harbour

Swansea & Carmarthen Rly    1871           Became the Central Wales & Carmarthen Junction Rly in 1873

Swansea & Mumbles Railway           1806   The first railway in Britain to carry fare paying passengers. Closed 5 January 1960

Swansea & Neath Railway     1861    1863   Amalgamated with the Vale of Neath Railway 1863

Swansea Vale & Neath &
 Brecon Junction Railway    1864           Amalgamated with the Neath & Brecon Railway 1869

Swansea Vale Railway        1855           Incorporated to take over the Swansea Valley Rly. Vested in the Midland Railway 1876

Swansea Valley Railway      1847           Became the Swansea Vale Railway 1855

Taff Vale Railway           1836    1840   Took over many of the smaller local lines over the years. Absorbed by the Great Western Railway 1922

Tredegar & Newport Tramroad 1802    1805   Mineral railway

Vale of Glamorgan Rly       1889    1897   Passed to the Great Western Railway 1922

Vale of Neath Railway       1846    1851   Amalgamated with Swansea & Neath Railway 1863

Vale of Towy Railway        1854    1858   Leased to the Llanelly Railway 1858. Leased to the Knighton, Central Wales Extension
                                            Rly & the Llanelly Railway jointly in 1868. Vested in the London & North Western Rly 1884.

West Midland Railway        1860           Amalgamation of several English Midlands lines with the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Rly.
                                            Operated in conjunction with the Great Western Railway from 1861

Whitland & Cardigan Railway 1869    1873   Vested in the Great Western Railway 1890

Whitland, Cronware &        1887           Abandoned 1892
 Pendine Railway 

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