The photograph shows the old station constructed by the Great Western Railway (GWR) on the Pontypool Road to Newport line, a line built in competition with the alternative route, which was more direct, from Pontypool to the old Newport Mill Street and Dock Street stations and the Docks.
 
The GWR route is still in operation today but from Cwmbran it sweeps around in a big semi-circle through Llantarnam, Ponthir, and Caerleon, all of which had stations, then through Maindee to join up with the London (Paddington) to Newport (High Street).
 
Cwmbran was a very busy station with main line trains from Hereford to Newport and Cardiff and main-line trains from Crewe to Bristol which bypassed Newport Station by taking the Eastern arm of the Maindee Triangle (the Loop).
 
There were also local trains between Newport and Blaenavon and Newport to Hereford.
 
The station was demolished in the early 1960s when the Newport to Blaenavon trains were taken off.
 
The railway is not as busy as it was 50-years-ago because the Blaenavon line is closed but there are still local and long distance trains.
 
This line is part of the North and West route.
 
The old line from Pontypool to Newport Dock was built by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company, this company and the Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford Company were taken over by the West Midland Railway which was itself taken over by the Great Western Railway.
 
Brian Jelf.