012 - South Wales Contract No.1N

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012 - South Wales Contract No.1N

SW01N - The South Wales Railway was authorised in 1845. It was conceived as a broad-gauge railway to link the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales. It also served the South Wales Valley, shipping coal to London and Ireland. It was part of Brunel's ambition to better link London and New York. A plan was launched in 1844 to build a railway in South Wales from a junction with the Great Western Railway at Standish, Gloucestershire. The route would travel from Fishguard and cross the River Severn just west of Gloucester. £2,400,000 was required to build the railway and the Great Western Railway subscribed £600,000. Objection to a long bridge over the River Severn led to a diversion at Grange Court, adding 18 miles to the total journey. On 18 June 1850 the line between Chepstow and Swansea was opened. When the bridge at Chepstow was finished in July 1852 the connection to Gloucester and London was completed. Due to financial problems, construction of the line west of Swansea was delayed and the construction of the Irish railways that would connect with the Fishguard ferries at Waterford were abandoned. The western terminus of the line was changed from Fishguard to New Milford (Neyland). The line reached New Milford in April 1856. The South Wales Railway and Great Western Railway merged in 1862.