Pentre Saeson Halt opened in 1905, when railmotor services were introduced along the line. Contemporary sources described the stop as “Pentre Saeson (for Bwlchgwyn)”, providing the village with its nearest passenger railway connection.

The halt stood beside a level crossing and was a very simple station. Its platform was constructed from timber and it later had a small corrugated-iron booking hut and shelter. It was normally unstaffed, although a porter was sent from Wrexham to sell tickets there on Saturdays during the 1920s.

The name came from nearby Pentre Saeson Farm. Pentre Saeson can be translated as “village of the Englishmen.”

23 minutes to Wrexham

The railmotor journey from Pentre Saeson to Wrexham General took around 23 minutes, covering a little over three miles.

Services could be surprisingly frequent. By the early 1920s there were trains throughout the day towards Wrexham, Coedpoeth and Berwig. Saturdays were particularly busy, and demand could become so great that the small railmotors had to be replaced by a conventional locomotive and coaches.

The end of passenger trains

Increasing competition from buses during the 1920s contributed to a decline in railway passenger numbers. Passenger services on the Wrexham–Minera line were eventually withdrawn at the end of 1930, bringing Pentre Saeson's 25 years of service to Bwlchgwyn to an end.

The halt was subsequently demolished and no trace of it survives today. 

The railway itself remained important for local industry long after the passenger trains disappeared. Goods traffic continued over the line until the section between Brymbo West and Minera closed in January 1972. The track was lifted shortly afterwards.

For Bwlchgwyn, Pentre Saeson is a reminder of a period when a walk down from the village could connect residents with a train into Wrexham — a journey that took little more than twenty minutes.