Plans to preserve Raglan's old railway station for the nation are at full steam ahead

The derelict building, which sits in the centre of Monmouthshire County Council's highways depot, off the A449 on the outskirts of the village, is shortly to be transferred brick by brick to St Fagans National History Museum.

Raglan Station was on the Pontypool to Coleford railway line, which was opened in 1856 mainly to carry iron ore from the Forest of Dean to furnaces near Nantyglo.

Although the railway was not primarily for passengers, Raglan was one of a number of passenger stations on the route. As time went on, however, the railway became less viable and was finally closed in May 1955.

MCC decided that refurbishing the building would be both impractical and prohibitively expensive - and railway enthusiasts who approached the council didn't come up with any feasible plan to remove it.

Instead, the council decided to offer it as a gift to St Fagans.

"The building may be in a poor state of repair but most of its original features are intact and we're delighted that it's going to get a new lease of life at one of the world's leading museums."said an MCC spokesman. "A lot of old station buildings have been converted into private houses or business units and, in many cases altered out of all recognition."

At the other end of the line plans have yet to be finalised.

Gerallt Nash, Senior Curator at St Fagans National History Museum said: "Raglan Station is a good example of the sort of small country station that was once a common feature of rural Wales.

"The station building, which was constructed in 1876, is made of brick, with sandstone sills and heads to the window and door openings.

"Many original features still survive, such as the deep cast-iron rainwater gutters, wrought iron brackets for the paraffin oil lamps and the platform canopy. Most of the doors and windows also appear to be original.

"However, whilst the building is largely complete, some items, such as the fireplaces have been removed and other features including some brickwork have suffered considerably from erosion and it may be necessary to source matching replacements."

He said the museum's specialist Historic Buildings Unit, having taken precise measurements of the building, will begin the careful dismantling process at the end of this month. The museum will then be able to start on an 'interpretation strategy'.

MCC's Deputy Leader, Councillor Bob Greenland, said the council was keen for the station to be preserved for future generations.

"We will work closely with St Fagans over a period of several years to make this project a success," he said.