Gileston railway station

Gileston railway station served the village of Gileston in South Wales.

Gileston
The former station building in 2009
Location	Gileston, Vale of Glamorgan Wales
Coordinates	51.3979°N 3.4141°W
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Barry Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 December 1897	station opened
15 June 1964	station closed

Description

The station had two platforms with a building on the down platform. The station building was of red brick with yellow quoins.[1] The platforms were linked with a metal footbridge. In later years, a wooden canopy was built on the other platform when the opening of RAF St Athan increased traffic on the line. There was also a small goods yard off the down line.

Name

In the early stages of planning, the station's name was not decided upon, and the names 'Gileston' and 'St Athan' were used interchangeably. The name Gileston was not fixed until 1896.[2] At some point in its later life, the station's nameboard read 'Gileston for St Athan'. The boards displayed this name until closing, but the station but was usually referred to just as Gileston.[3]

Additional Duties

When the southern section of the Llantrisant-Aberthaw line between Cowbridge and Aberthaw closed to passengers, the staff at St Athan Road and Aberthaw Low Level were withdrawn, and their duties were allotted to the staff at Gileston.[4]

Closure

The station closed when passenger services on the line ended in 1964. Although the Vale of Glamorgan Line has since re-opened to passengers, no new station at Gileston has been built.

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Aberthaw High Level		Great Western Railway Vale of Glamorgan Line		St Athan

Notes

1. Chapman 1998, p. 146
2. Chapman 1998, p. 34
3. Chapman 1998, p. 148
4. Chapman 1984, p. 103

References

Chapman, Colin (1998) The Vale of Glamorgan Railway The Oakwood Press

Chapman, Colin (1984) The Cowbridge Railway Oxford Publishing Company