GWR branch line from Legacy station

[whole diary]

[XenophonPCDGS]

There were three halts on this branch line, Fennant Road Halt, Aberdefyn Halt and Ponkey Crossing Halt in the early years of the 20th century. Did any branch line trains carry on past Ponkey Crossing Halt to join the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Ruabon to Barmouth line and if so, did they then go in the Ruabon direction or the Llangollen direction?

[Lee]

There were three halts on this branch line, Fennant Road Halt, Aberdefyn Halt and Ponkey Crossing Halt in the early years of the 20th century. Did any branch line trains carry on past Ponkey Crossing Halt to join the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Ruabon to Barmouth line and if so, did they then go in the Ruabon direction or the Llangollen direction?

All the research material I have to hand - and it was a cursory look - suggests not. Happy to be corrected though.

[Lee]

Here is the 1906 timetable:

[grahame]

From 1911

[grahame]

There were three halts on this branch line, Fennant Road Halt, Aberdefyn Halt and Ponkey Crossing Halt in the early years of the 20th century. Did any branch line trains carry on past Ponkey Crossing Halt to join the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Ruabon to Barmouth line and if so, did they then go in the Ruabon direction or the Llangollen direction?

There are maps at http://disused-stations.org.uk/p/ponkey_crossing_halt/index.shtml and http://disused-stations.org.uk/p/ponkey_crossing_halt/index2.shtml , and the National Library for Scotland's maps show the lines from Wrexham branching at Legacy, with one leg going on to Rhos and Wynn Hall Halt, and the other let going on to Ponkey Crossing.   Looking at the times of Wynn Hall trains at Ponkey Crossing - back to front in the column - it would seem that the train sometimes served Wynn Hall, sometimes served Ponkey Crossing, and sometimes served both with a reversal at Legacy (or did they even spit and rejoin two rail motors?).   As even, Richard's map at https://www.systemed.net/carto/New_Adlestrop_Railway_Atlas.pdf is also very helpful in setting out the lie of the land, and I suspect he researched this fascinating area in drawing it up.

Beyond Wynn Hall and Ponkey Crossing, away from Wrexham, the OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) maps at NLS^▸ (Nailsea & Backwell station) and also the disused stations maps show them as mineral lines, and the disused stations site talks about the line via Legacy being upgraded (better signals) to take passenger trains in around 1906 - onward to Wynn Hall and Ponkey Crossing.  I would therefore be surprised if passenger trains carried on to rejoin the main line - in whatever direction - at or near Ruabon.   Of course, there could have been the odd mine director's special ...

P.S. Looks like the Barmouth line bridged the mineral branch as it ran to Trevor Wharf - not sure if there was a physical connection.

[XenophonPCDGS]

Thanks for all the information. Since I opened this thread, I have found a hand-written note in my railway archives of quite some age, that makes mention of a goods or mineral train using the branch and then meeting a connection with the Barmouth to Ruabon line in the Ruabon facing direction. Has anyone any news of such a train service as that?