When did the Taff Vale Junction Railway get made?
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
In time the Canal became overwhelmed by the volume of traffic, and encouraged by the successful opening of railways with more advanced technology than the horse tramways of previous years, the Taff Vale Railway was promoted. It was authorised by Parliament in 1836 and it opened between Merthyr and Cardiff docks in 1841. The line passed close to the Maesmawr workings but did not make a connection.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
The line opened by 30 August 1883, but although business was brisk (due to the Glyn backlog) the company still lacked money for ordinary operational purposes, and a lease to the TVR was discussed. The talks proved successful, and a lease was authorised by Act of 14 July 1884, ratifying the effective date of 5 May 1884.
Ely Valley Railway
At the time these discussions were proceeding, the Taff Vale Railway were encouraging the promotion of what became the "Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway", a line to Llantrisant from near Treforest, connecting up numerous small mines on between, and forming an intrusion into territory that the broad gauge companies considered their own.
Taff Vale Railway U1 class
The Taff Vale Railway U and U1 classes were 0-6-2T steam tank locomotive operated by Taff Vale Railway, Wales, from 1895. All were still in use when the Taff Vale Railway was acquired by the Great Western Railway in 1922, but were withdrawn from traffic between 1927 and 1931.
Vale of Neath Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway and its successor the West Midland Railway had opened the Taff Vale Extension Railway as far as Quakers Yard in 1858.
Taff Vale Railway
A mineral branch from Pontypridd to Dinas (Rhondda) opened in June 1841.
Taff Vale Railway
An Act of 13 July 1899 formalised the ownership.
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The South Wales valleys may be considered to run broadly southwards and many of them were already served by a railway line running to the ports. The Taff Vale Extension line was to run from east to west; this would enable it to connect into many of the valley lines, but as it crossed the grain of the valleys, it would be challenging to construct. In 1853 work was started on the Crumlin Viaduct, stated to be the largest viaduct in the world, crossing the Ebbw Valley at a height of 200 feet, and 1650 feet in length. The first section of the Taff Vale Extension line from Pontypool Road to Crumlin Junction was opened on 20 August 1855. It was a single line of Barlow rails at first, but was doubled soon afterwards. The branch down to Llanhilleth was opened to an NA&HR goods depot there on 3 September 1855 and a connection joining the Monmouthshire Railway's Western Valley line at Llanhilleth opened on 20 October 1855. Crumlin Viaduct was finished in May 1857 and was opened for traffic on 1 June 1857, together with a further three miles of single line to Tredegar Junction (now Pontllanfraith) on the Sirhowy Railway. The Sirhowy Railway had not yet been converted to a standard gauge railway, and it was not until 1865, when this was done, that the junction was used for through running.
Llancaiach Branch
The "'Llancaiach Branch" railway line was a mineral branch line in Glamorganshire, South Wales. It was authorised in 1836 as part of the Taff Vale Railway, and its purpose was to connect collieries at Llancaiach and bring their output to Cardiff for onward shipment. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built on the standard gauge. It opened in 1841 from a junction (later known as Stormstown Junction) with the Merthyr line immediately south of Abercynon (then called Navigation House). It was intended to be horse worked, and included a self-acting rope-worked inclined plane near the junction. The collieries were slow to use the line, preferring their customary use of a tramroad and the Glamorganshire Canal, and the value of the line was diminished when the "Taff Vale Extension line", an east-west connecting line belonging to the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway, intersected it and cut off the colliery connections, and the line became dormant.
Taff Vale Railway
The Bute Docks Company was created on 1 June 1887 when the Bute Docks properties were vested in the new company. In 1897 it succeeded in getting authorisation to build a railway, which became the Cardiff Railway, to build from Heath on the Rhymney Railway to Treforest on the Taff Vale Railway, and a southward line from Heath to the docks at Roath. It took until 1911 to construct he line from Heath as far as a point close to the Taff Vale line at Treforest, but the Taff Vale succeeded in fending off the incursion. In fact the connection was never made, and the Cardiff Railway never achieved its potential.
Taff Vale Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway reached Quaker's Yard on 11 January 1858, and made a connection with the TVR there. This gave a route for minerals from the TVR network to reach much further afield, but reduced the haul length on the TVR system. The Taff Vale Extension Railway was later extended to Middle Duffryn, near Aberdare, opening in April 1864. The extension crossed the Llancaiach colliery sections of the TVR on the level, and Llancaiach coal was transported via Quakers Yard on the TVER in preference to using the Llancaiach line inclined plane.
Taff Vale Railway
The line was originally single, except for the Quaker's Yard and Llancaiach inclines, which were double; Cardiff to Taff's Well was doubled in 1846, and through to Navigation House in 1847. The doubling was completed to Merthyr in 1862.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
The Treferig Railway found it almost impossible to raise funds for its construction, and the TVR, thinking the line had potential, agreed to guarantee 4% on the line's capital. This was objected to by the GWR, but an accommodation was reached with them. The Treferig still found it difficult to get all the money it needed for the construction, and the TVR provided a loan. There was some urgency as a stockpile of coal was accumulating at Glyn Colliery, waiting for transport away. The steep gradients meant that trains were always propelled up the branch.
Llantrisant-Aberthaw line
The Taff Vale Railway was persuaded to acquire the Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway company, which it did from 1 January 1895, authorised by Act of 17 August 1894.
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
A further Act was passed the following year authorising minor changes to the route, and a junction with the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway. The timing of the 1846 authorisation was unfortunate, as the continuing financial crisis at the time made it impossible to raise money for railway schemes, and for some years no attempt was made to start building the line. Nevertheless in 1847 the Company also applied, and secured, authorisation for the Taff Vale Extension line, from Llanvrechva to a junction with the Taff Vale Railway near Quakers Yard, requiring a further £400,000 of capital.
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
On 15 June 1964 the passenger service on the Taff Vale Extension route was ended. The line was closed entirely from Hafodyrynys to Panteg Junction on 31 March 1979.
Taff Vale Railway
The Penarth scheme experienced determined hostility from the Bute docks interest, and there was protracted litigation over the validity of the powers; although the final outcome was in favour of the Taff Vale Railway, the House of Lords decision bound it to charge shipping rates no lower than the Cardiff rates. A major extension was later made, opening in 1884.
Taff Vale Railway
The main line railways of Great Britain were taken into nationalised ownership at the beginning of 1948, following the Transport Act, 1947. The former Taff Vale area became part of the Western Region of British Railways. The end of World War II had brought to notice what had become inefficient working methods, and British Railways immediately set about some closures.
Richmond Vale railway line
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly passed the Richmond Vale Coal-mine Railway Act in 1900 which allowed the construction of line from the Minmi line (at a location later known as Minmi Junction) to serve Richmond Vale Colliery. In October 1900 before construction of the line had commenced the Browns had purchased the adjoining Stanford Greta Colliery which was renamed Pelaw Main in April 1901. Until the RVR was completed to Pelaw Main its production was hauled over a connecting railway to the East Greta Coal Mining Company's Stanford Merthyr Colliery and then onwards to East Greta Junction. Construction of the RVR did not commence until early 1904, with construction of the line to Pelaw Main completed June 1905, with the branch line to Richmond Vale Colliery being completed in August 1905. Richmond Vale Colliery although founded in 1890, was not fully developed until 1910 when the colliery was renamed Richmond Main in 1911, however the mine did not reach full production until 1918.
Taff Vale Railway
Canals were built down some of the valleys, to bring the iron down to the coast for shipping elsewhere. The Glamorganshire Canal was opened in 1794; it ran from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff, a distance of 25 miles. Local mine owners (within four miles of the canal) were authorised to build tramroads to the canal. At least 400 miles of tramroad was built under this and similar arrangements before the coming of modern railways. 200,000 tons of coal were brought down by the canal in 1839 to the dock that became Bute West Dock.
Merthyr Tramroad
In 1823 a Bill was unsuccessfully promoted to extend the line to Cardiff. It was some of the same promoters who obtained the Act for the Taff Vale Railway in 1836. Although the Taff Vale Railway opened to Merthyr in 1841 it wasn't until 1851 that the standard gauge Dowlais Railway was completed allowing through running to its works. Penydarren Ironworks closed in 1859. Plymouth Works didn't cease iron production until 1880 but had built a standard gauge line over part of the tramroad in 1871. South of Mount Pleasant the disused tramroad was lifted in about 1890.
Ynysybwl branch line railway
The Taff Vale Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1836, with the principal objective of conveying the iron production of Merthyr and Dowlais to Cardiff for onward transport by ship; in addition there were connections to certain collieries, and the carriage of passengers was permitted. It was a standard gauge railway, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Taff Vale Extension line was opened through to Quakers Yard Low Level Junction, connecting there with the Taff Vale Railway, on 11 January 1858. The final section, on from Quakers Yard to Middle Duffryn Junction, joining the Vale of Neath Railway, was opened on 18 April 1864 for goods trains, and on 5 October 1864 for passenger traffic; this was after the NA&HR had been taken over by the West Midland Railway, and that company had itself amalgamated with the Great Western Railway.
Taff Vale Railway
Closures in the mid 20th century left the Taff Vale as the only railway route to Merthyr Tydfil. Plymouth Street goods station was closed in 1968. The line from Black Lion signal box (Merthyr Vale) to Merthyr Tydfil was singled in February 1971. As mineral traffic declined, the quadruple track south of Pontypridd was unnecessary, and it was reduced to double line in 1980.
Barry Railway Company
The Taff Vale set about obtaining Parliamentary authorisation in 1885 to acquire the Bute Docks, but this was refused by the Lords Committee when the Taff Vale would not agree to running powers requested by the Barry Railway northward from the Trehafod and Treforest connections. The Taff Vale also supported a nominally independent Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway which would be a spoiler to the Barry company's development plans at Barry itself, but this was refused, the Barry being granted a corresponding railway from Barry to a junction at Cogan with the Taff Vale's Penarth lines, by Act of 31 July 1885. The Taff Vale was granted a circuitous coastal route from Penarth to Cadoxton.
Rhymney Railway
In 1871 another, short branch was opened: it was from Ystrad Mynach on the RR main line to Penalltau Junction on the Taff Vale Extension line. By this time the Great Western Railway had taken over the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway (through its successor, the West Midland Railway) so the Taff Vale Extension was GWR territory. The line had been extended to Middle Duffryn in the Aberdare Valley, and connected there with the Vale of Neath Railway, also now controlled by the GWR. As part of the deal when the Taff Bargoed line was agreed with the GWR, the Rhymney Railway had secured running powers through Aberdare to Hirwain.
Walter Coffin
Coffin became a deputy chairman of the Taff Vale Railway in 1846, and in 1855 its Chairman.
Taff Vale Railway
In 1854 the Eirw Branch was opened; under a mile long it left the Rhondda line at Trehafod to serve nearby collieries.
Llancaiach Branch
After much rivalry in securing authority for the line, the Rhymney Railway and the Great Western Railway agreed to sponsor jointly a line from Llancaiach to Dowlais, to get access to the thriving iron and steel works there. The line was authorised on 15 July 1867, and was known as the Taff Bargoed Joint Line. The authorising Act gave the Taff Vale Railway running powers over it. The TVR already had access to Dowlais ironworks, but this was over the Dowlais Railway, which had an obsolescent rope worked incline. The Taff Bargoed line opened to goods and mineral traffic on 10 January 1876, and to passengers on 1 February 1876, although the intervening terrain was very thinly populated.
Cardiff Queen Street railway station
The first station close to the site of the current station, was opened by the Taff Vale Railway in October 1840 and was known as "Cardiff Taff Vale". This station had one platform to begin with, but a second was added in 1862, and at the same time, the head office of the Taff Vale Railway was moved alongside the station. In 1887, Taff Vale station was demolished and replaced by a new station with the current name "Cardiff Queen Street", which at this time consisted of two through platforms and a south facing bay, all covered by a large overall roof.
Vale of Neath Railway
It appears that the West Midland Railway had already made the connection with the Taff Vale Railway at Mountain Ash; at any rate the Great Western Railway (having amalgamated with the West Midland Railway in 1863) was now remarkably dilatory in completing the Taff Vale Extension Railway through to Middle Duffryn. This may have been because the LNWR had running powers over the former NA&HR line to that point, and the GWR did not wish to encourage a rival.
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Bargoed Joint Line had been authorised in 1867 and there were certain protections in its Act for the Taff Vale Railway, including running powers over it. In 1872 the TVR presented a Parliamentary Bill to build on that, making a new railway to Llancaiach, with new connections to the Taff Vale Extension line. The intention was to run to Dowlais over the Llancaiach line and the Taff Bargoed line. The TVR already had access to Dowlais over the Dowlais Railway, but this route seemed more attractive, linking in the Navigation Colliery, and possible traffic from the Taff Bargoed line itself.
Nelson, Caerphilly
Originally created as a result of transport needs for the Llancaiach Colliery, the Taff Vale Railway's Llancaiach Branch serviced only freight needs until the development of the Taff Vale Extension, which brought about the introduction of passenger services from 1862. Nelson's position as a junction station was increased after it was joined by a passenger and freight line to Dowlais on the Taff Bargoed branch which opened in 1876 and closed in 1964. Passenger services from Pontypridd were withdrawn along the Llancaiach Branch from 1932, and the Taff Vale Extension from 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts. The station was demolished in 1972, but a very small part of the TVE Vale Of Neath line still exists to service the freight associated with coal extraction of the Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme on the Taff Bargoed branch. Since the closure of its railway stations, the closest railway station to Nelson is two miles away at Ystrad Mynach.
Barry Railway Company
The Barry Railway had been able to access the Rhymney Railway since 1891, using the running powers on the Taff Vale Railway from Cogan to Taffs Well. As volumes of traffic increased, crossing the busy Taff Vale main line at Walnut Tree Junction became increasingly difficult and subject to delays. If the Barry Railway could make a more direct connection, it could also connect with the Sirhowy Valley line of the London and North Western Railway, and a huge new route would be opened up, enabling a general merchandise traffic between Cardiff and the West Midlands and North West of England as well as bringing down the mineral resources of the upper valleys.
Taff Vale Railway O4 class
The Taff Vale Railway O4 class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by Tom Hurry Riches and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1907. They were rebuilt with taper boilers and superheaters by the Great Western Railway (GWR) from 1924.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
Waterhall Junction was to be built on the line of the Penarth Harbour Dock and Railway, giving direct access to Penarth Harbour. (The Waterhall Junction was originally planned to be triangular, allowing trains to turn north and reach the lower part of the Taff Vale Railway system, but this was not built.)
Barry Railway Company
In addition, running powers west of Trehafod on the Taff Vale Rhondda lines were sought and refused, but during the 1894 session it was suggested that the Barry Railway be allowed to operate passenger trains over the Taff Vale from Porth to Barry. Seeing this as a small concession to make, the Taff Vale agreed and from 16 March 1896 the Barry Railway operated such a service. Of course its own main line had not previously operated passenger trains, so new stations were required; in most cases these were made with platform loops to avoid conflict with the heavy mineral trains service.
South Wales Railway
The Taff Vale Railway had been opened between Cardiff and Merthyr in 1840 and 1841, and the company went on to expand its network considerably. It extended south from its Cardiff terminus to the Bute West Dock in Cardiff in 1848, so that the South Wales Railway needed to cross it.
Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
Moreover, it was not until 1888 that the essential junction with the Taff Vale Railway at Treherbert was authorised in Parliament. In 1890 some short extension lines were authorised, at Swansea Docks, in Aberavon and Port Talbot, including the formation of a quay or wharf at Aberavon.
Taff Vale Railway
Seeking further expansion north of Llantrisant, the Taff Vale encouraged the formation of the Treferig Valley Railway, incorporated on 21 July 1879. This opened a 2-mile 56 chain branch from Treferig Junction, near Common Branch Junction on the Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction line, to Treferig and Glyn Collieries in April 1883 for mineral trains only.
Taff Vale Railway
Edge railways began to be made elsewhere in the country; the Stockton and Darlington Railway of 1825 and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway of 1830 showed what current technology was capable of.
Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway
The NA&HR built its Taff Vale Extension Line from Pontypool to Quakers Yard, opening progressively from 1855 to 1858. This east-west route intersected numerous valleys and as their own railway systems developed, many mineral sites used the Taff Vale Extension to pass their production towards London and the north-west of England. The NA&HR was merged with other companies to form the West Midland Railway in 1860, and that company in turn amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863. Coal production at Aberdare was exceptionally buoyant, and much of the product was sent to London.
Vale of Neath Railway
The West Midland Railway had been formed in 1860 from the amalgamation of the NA&HR with other lines. It still harboured a desire to reach Aberdare, but in frustration it now considered joining the Taff Vale Railway at Mountain Ash to do so, although this would have deprived it of the possibility of reaching above Aberdare.
Glamorgan
The first railway network to be built in Glamorgan, the Taff Vale Railway, was also the first in Wales. Linking the ironworks of Merthyr to the ports of Cardiff, the Taff Vale line was given royal assent in 1836, with work commencing the same year. It was completed in 1840, and as well as carrying goods the trains made limited passenger trips from the very beginning. By 1856 the Taff Vale Railway was extended to service the top of the Rhondda Valleys at Treherbert and Maerdy, which allowed the exploitation of the minefields in one of the most coal-rich areas of Britain. The second major railway to open was the South Wales Railway, linking Gloucester in England to Neyland. The line was designed to link the coalfields of Glamorgan to London, and was also part of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's vision of a transport link from London to New York. The South Wales Railway serviced Cardiff, Bridgend, Neath and Swansea, with its final destination within Glamorgan being Loughor, before continuing through Carmarthenshire. Other railway lines that opened during the mid to late 19th century included the Vale of Neath Railway, the Swansea Vale Railway and the Rhymney Railway; all designed with the primary purpose of transporting metals and coal from the uplands of the county to the ever-expanding ports. The cargo carried on these lines was of a very high volume, and in 1850 the Taff Vale Railway was transporting 600,000 tons of coal per annum.
Taff Vale Railway
Immediately prior to the amalgamation, the trading position of the Taff Vale was (compared to the GWR in brackets):
Taff Vale Railway O1 class
The Taff Vale Railway O1 class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by Tom Hurry Riches and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1894.
Taff Vale Railway
In 1767 Anthony Bacon of Cyfarthfa persuaded his fellow ironmasters to join in a scheme to build a trunk roadway from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff. He used mule-trains.
Hengoed Viaduct
During the Industrial Revolution, and the mass-extraction of coal from South Wales, there was a resultant growth in construction of railways into the South Wales Coalfield. The Taff Vale Railway so monopolised the trade of shipping coal to Cardiff Docks, that mine owners were desperate for competitor railway companies to both improve speeds of shipping, provide access to new markets, and hence reduce shipping rates.
Taff Vale Railway
The Aberdare Railway was incorporated on 31 July 1845 to make a mile branch from Navigation House to Aberdare. It was worked by the Taff Vale from the outset and leased to it from 1 January 1847. It opened for passenger and goods and mineral traffic on 6 August 1846. Navigation House station was renamed Aberdare Junction on the opening of the branch. There was a 49 chain branch off the Aberdare line from Cwmbach to Abernant colliery, also opened in 1846; it crossed the River Cynon to get access.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
In 1863 John Brogden and Son leased extensive coal bearing areas in the Ogmore Valley, to the north-west of Llantrisant; the intention was to export the bituminous coal through Porthcawl Harbour. However the harbour there was seriously deficient in its capacity, notwithstanding improvement works costing £250,000 in 1867. In any case the principal market for the mineral output was at the ironworks at Merthyr, Dowlais and nearby. The Ogmore Valley Railway was opened in 1865 to convey the minerals to Tondu, joining there the Llynvi Valley Railway; the two railways combined to form the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway in 1866. The Ogmore Valley Railway had been built as a narrow (standard) gauge line, and the Llynvi line and other nearby lines were broad gauge lines. The OVR urgently needed a narrow gauge connection, and the Taff Vale was the obvious partner to supply it. However relations were not friendly, and competing Parliamentary Bills were presented in successive sessions, also by the Great Western Railway and the Ely Valley Railway.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
Beddau Platform was opened in July 1910, and both it and Tonteg were lengthened subsequently to allow two-coach conventional trains to call.
Taff Vale Railway
In 1900 the branch was extended northward to join the earlier Llancaiach branch, at Ynysdwr Junction; this was opened to traffic on 1 June 1900. A passenger service operated from Pontypridd to Nelson, on the TVR line a little short of the junction with the Taff Vale Extension line, and did not use the GWR Llancaiach station there. A motor car (railmotor) service was inaugurated on 10 August 1904.
Taff Vale Railway
Following World War I the government decided to restructure most of the railways of Great Britain into one or other of four large companies. The process was called the "grouping" and was legislated in the Railways Act 1921. The old Great Western and six of the South Wales railway companies were constituents of the new Great Western Railway. The other smaller railways in the GWR area were "subsidiaries". The Taff Vale Railway was the second largest constituent of the new Great Western Railway; the old GWR was the largest. The Taff Vale Railway was amalgamated into the putative new GWR on 1 January 1922.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
The Government passed the Railways Act 1921 which mandated the "grouping" of most of the railways of Great Britain into one or other of four new large companies. In fact in the area the Great Western Railway name continued; the old Great Western Railway was of course the largest constituent of it, but the Taff Vale Railway was a significant constituent company. Although the grouping is generally considered to have taken place at the beginning of 1923, the necessary negotiations resulted in the Taff Vale's transfer to the new GWR effective from January 1922.
Taff Vale Railway O3 class
The Taff Vale Railway O3 class was a class of 2 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by Tom Hurry Riches, built by Kitson & Co. and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1904. They were rebuilt with new boilers by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1930.
Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway O1 class class No. 28, built in 1897 at Cardiff West Yard Locomotive Works, is the last surviving Welsh standard-gauge locomotive. It is owned by the National Railway Museum, under the custodianship of the National Museum of Wales and requires a major overhaul. As of 2013, the cosmetic restoration of No. 28 was to go ahead. The aim was to return the locomotive to original condition.
Rhymney Railway
The first line was dependent on the co-operation of the Taff Vale Railway (TVR) for part of the transit, and this relationship was uneasy; the Rhymney Railway built an independent line to Cardiff in 1871. Better relations were created with the London and North Western Railway, and later the Great Western Railway (GWR), and two important joint lines with the GWR were built: the Taff Bargoed line (1876) and the Quakers Yard and Merthyr Joint line (1882).
Taff Vale Railway
The Albion Colliery branch, served from Pont Shon Norton, closed completely in September 1970.
Llancaiach Branch
The Government passed the Railways Act 1921, which forced the consolidation of most of the railways of Great Britain into four new, large companies, the "groups". Although this is generally considered to have taken place at the beginning of 1923, the Taff Vale Railway became a constituent of the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922. The process was known as "the grouping".
Taff Vale Railway
In 1900 a south curve connection to the main line was opened, but the TVR was concerned about congestion at Pontypridd, and held off from starting the southward passenger service. After a delay, a motor car (railmotor) passenger service connecting Pontypridd and Ynysybwl was started on 17 October 1904, the northward service to Abercynon being then discontinued.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
In 1903 the Taff Vale Railway experimented with what it called "motor cars"—railmotors, that is, single passenger coaches with an integrated small steam engine. The intention was to provide a passenger service in remote areas by setting up low-cost stopping places; these were generally 40-feet long timber platforms without shelter or any other facility. After trials on the Penarth branch the system was adopted throughout the TVR system, and from 1 May 1905 the motor cars operated most of the passenger services in an enhanced timetable between Pontypridd and Aberthaw, reversing at Llantrisant and continuing over the Cowbridge Railway and the Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway. A new motor car platform was provided at Tonteg. The motor cars could not convey tail traffic so some conventional trains were run, but they could not call at the motor car platforms.
Taff Vale Railway
The first experimental run was on the Penarth branch on 21 December 1903
Taff Vale Railway
In 1867 the Rhymney Railway obtained running powers over the Taff Vale Extension line between Hengoed on the Rhymney system, through Aberdare to Hirwaun, giving it direct competitive access to the Aberdare coalfield.
Maerdy
Between 1849 and 1856, the Taff Vale Railway opened the Maerdy Branch from , including a station at . Passenger services were withdrawn in 1964, and the line closed completely in August 1986 after coal from Mardy Colliery was raised through Tower Colliery.
Taff Vale Railway
The Barry Railway went on to promote a direct Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway, which would run direct and also have a roundabout line following the coast. The Taff Vale opposed this and promoted its own alternative lines. Parliament decided on a compromise, in which the Barry Railway could build the direct line from a junction with the Taff Vale and Cogan, and the Taff Vale would build the coastal route, from Penarth Town, joining the Barry Railway at Biglis Junction, near Cadoxton. The Taff Vale scheme was authorised by the Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway Act of 6 August 1885. The line was ready and opened on 1 December 1887, but the junction connection at Biglis was not made at first; for the sake of diplomacy it had to wait until the Cogan connection of the Barry line was ready, and they both opened on 20 December 1888. Taff Vale passenger trains ran through to Biglis Junction station of the Barry Railway from August 1889. (The station was renamed Cadoxton on 1 June 1890). The Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway became vested in the Taff Vale Railway by Act of 26 August 1889.
Rhymney Railway
The Taff Vale Railway had a branch line to Llancaiach, where there were productive collieries. This spate of railway building in South Wales, mirroring that in England, encouraged thoughts of a railway serving the Rhymney ironworks. An agreement was reached with the Taff Vale Railway that it would convey the Rhymney traffic over its line from Llancaiach. Separate dock facilities at Cardiff would be provided, at what became Bute East Dock.
Hengoed Viaduct
The line opened as a double track as agreed in 1858. Integrated as part of the Great Western Railway during the railway grouping in 1921, in 1928 the entire length of the Taff Vale Extension was downscaled to a single track.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
The Llantrissant and Taff Vale Junction Railway was incorporated by Act of 7 June 1861; it was to acquire the Llantwit Vardre Railway; capital was set at £40,000, and the Company could arrange for the Taff Vale Railway to work its line.
Taff Vale Railway A class
42 of the A class locomotives were rebuilt with taper boilers and superheaters by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and vacuum brakes for passenger working in 1924. All 58 passed to British Railways (BR) in 1948, until the introduction of the BR 82xxx 2-6-2Ts in the mid-1950s, these engines were widely used on passenger workings in the South Wales Valleys.
Taff Vale Railway
Now a main line railway was available for the Ogmore Valley traffic via Bridgend, and at a stroke most of the (unbuilt) diagonal line was of little value. However, there were severe penalties in the legislation if it were not constructed, so the TVR used delaying tactics. It was eventually built throughout: the section from Common Branch Junction to Waterhall Junction, between Radyr and Penarth, giving direct access to the docks opened in 1886 for goods and mineral traffic only.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
In 1880 however, the picture began to change; a new branch line, the Treferig Railway, was being planned and it might bring traffic to the line. The west curve at Common Branch Junction had been lifted, probably without ever having passed a train over it, and a new junction to the future Railway No 1 was made. Nevertheless progress was very slow on the new line; the application to form Waterhall Junction was only submitted in 1886, and the line was opened on 11 September 1886.
Cardiff Railway
The Taff Vale Railway was alarmed at this development, as it could only result in traffic, and income, being diverted from its line to the Cardiff Railway. Having found success, the Cardiff Railway promoted a further Bill in the following session, and was authorised on 12 August 1898 to build a railway from Roath Dock to its newly authorised line, joining the Rhymney Railway near the junction. Also proposed in the Bill was a new line from Heath Junction to the Docks, which would have made the Cardiff Railway independent of other lines at the southern end, but this was rejected by Parliament.
Taff Vale Railway
From 1923 the Taff Vale Railway was a constituent of the new Great Western Railway at the "Grouping" of the railways, imposing its own character on the larger organisation. The decline in the coal and iron industries took its toll on the mainstay of the network, but passenger trains operate at the present day on most of the main line sections,
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
There was workable coal south of Treforest and by 1810 a tramroad had been made from the canal at Pont Maesmawr to Maesbach. From Pont Maesmawr it ran east, immediately crossing the River Taff by a floating bridge, that is, a ferry, at the ford just below Upper Boat. The pit had mixed fortunes but by 1842 it had enlarged considerably, employing 157 persons.
Cardiff Docks
The Taff Vale Railway was built to transport coal from the South Wales Valleys to the docks. Its headquarters were a currently derelict building in Cardiff Bay railway station. The building was turned into a railway heritage centre in 1979 by the Butetown Historic Railway Society. By 1994 the Society had started to run steam locomotive hauled passenger services up and down 550 yards of track. However, as the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation had no interest in the railway, the society changed its name to the Vale of Glamorgan Railway and moved from the site in 1997 to Barry Island railway station.
Taff Vale Railway
The Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway was authorised on 12 August 1889 to build from the end of the Cowbridge Railway to Aberthaw on the Bristol Channel, where there were important limestone quarries. The Cowbridge terminus was not aligned to permit the extension, and a new Cowbridge passenger station was opened on the Aberthaw line, the old terminus reverting to goods status. The Aberthaw line opened on 1 October 1892. The little company was vested in the Taff Vale Railway effective from 1 January 1895. The opening of the Vale of Glamorgan Railway in 1895 abstracted much of the potential mineral traffic.
Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway O2 class class 0-6-2T No. 85, built in 1899 at Neilson, Reid & Co., Glasgow, and as of 22 October 2018, is currently undergoing overhaul on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway with a boiler ticket that expires in 2026.
Taff Vale Railway
There was intensive mining activity in the hills to the south of Aberdare, and the Vale of Neath Railway had already opened a branch there. In 1866 the Dare Valley Railway, incorporated 1863, was opened from Aberdare to the Bwllfa Colliery in 1866. The line was worked by and leased to the TVR.
Taff Vale Railway
The incline at Quaker's Yard had become increasingly busy to the point of serious congestion, and in 1864 the decision was taken to by-pass it. A new route with a gradient of 1 in 40 was installed nearby and was commissioned in mid-1867. The TVR had running powers over the GWR Taff Vale Extension line from Quaker's Yard to Llancaiach and the mineral output from the mines there could now more conveniently be brought out via Quaker's Yard, avoiding the incline on the Llancaiach branch, which was closed except for a short section at the north end. A north curve at Pontypridd was opened in October 1872, also facilitating the transfer of mineral output between the branches of the TVR system.
Taff Vale Railway
The volume of mineral traffic exported through Penarth Docks had continued to grow, and capacity of the railway and of the docks was overwhelmed. On 23 April 1888 the Taff Vale Railway opened a branch railway to the Roath Dock, itself opened in 1887, on the east side of the Cardiff complex of docks. The line diverged from the main line at Roath Branch Junction and arched round the east of the built-up area of the city of Cardiff as it was at that time, connecting with the Cardiff Railway lines in the docks.
Taff Vale Railway
In 1849 the Taff Vale offered a £500 premium for proving the existence of deep-seam coal in the Treherbert area. At the same time a 77 chain extension from Porth to Ynyshir was opened for mineral traffic; that stub was extended to Ferndale in 1856 and later to Maerdy, which at 900 feet above sea level was the most elevated location on the Taff Vale system.
Taff Vale Railway
On 23 January 1911, a passenger train ran into the rear of a coal train at Coke Ovens, near Pontypridd. Eleven people were killed and five were seriously injured. The accident was due to irregularities in the block working by the signalman, who forgot that he had admitted the first train into the section and had not received Train Out of Section for it. The block instruments were of the two-position type.
Taff Vale Railway A class
The Taff Vale Railway A class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by J. Cameron and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1914. The A class was an enlarged version of the Taff Vale Railway O4 class designed by Tom Hurry Riches in 1907.
Taff Vale Railway
In 1889 the line was extended privately to Clydach Colliery, making a little over two miles in all; the private extension was acquired by the TVR in 1896.
Taff Vale Railway
In fact Brunel soon (in 1836) revised his estimate upwards, to £286,031, to accommodate improved gradients, mineral branches and shipping staithes.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
The Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway was a railway company that constructed a standard gauge line in South Wales, connecting Llantrisant and the Taff Vale Railway near Treforest. It ran through thinly populated country, and linked to a number of iron mines, collieries and other mineral sites. It opened in stages in 1863 and 1864. In 1865 through passenger trains from the Cowbridge Railway ran over the line, to Pontypridd, although for some time there were no passenger stations on its own network. At the Llantrisant end, it was reliant on broad gauge railway companies which were not always friendly to it. The company leased its line to the Taff Vale Railway in 1870.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
Thomas Powell had extensive colliery interests in Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire, and he needed to get a transport link to pits he owned at Llantwit Fardre. Failing to generate interest elsewhere, he determined to build a railway himself to the Glamorganshire Canal at Maesmawr from Llantwit Fardre. This was known as the Dihewyd Railway or the Llantwit Fardre Railway. It was completed by 28 December 1843 and a connection to the Taff Vale Railway was opened on 25 April 1844, when a train of Powell's coal was taken to Cardiff. His line climbed out of Maesmawr on a 297-yard self-acting incline at a gradient of 1 in 6.6. The line was later extended to Ystradbarwig colliery.
Great North of Scotland Railway
Plans to reach fishing ports at Macduff and Banff from Inverurie were proposed when the Great North was first suggested, but failed because of the lack of financial support. A different route, from Milton Inveramsay, allowed for a shorter route with easier gradients. Unable to raise sufficient money for a line to the coast, a shorter line to was built. The Great North invested in the railway, and directors sat on the board of the Junction Railway. The new line, together with a junction station at , opened on 5 September 1857. A separate company, the Banff, Macduff and Turriff Extension Railway, built an extension to a station called . The line was operated by the Great North from 4 June 1860, and served an inconvenient terminus high on a hill from Macduff and from the bridge across the River Deveron to Banff. Four trains a day ran from Inveramsay, taking between 1 hour 30 minutes and 1 hour 50 minutes, with connections with services to Aberdeen. Both railways were absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway on 1 August 1866, and the line was extended to a new station in 1872.
Rhymney Railway
The Rhymney Railway observed the considerable success of the Taff Vale scheme, and in 1907 procured two such vehicles from Hudswell, Clarke to its own design; the steam engine part was a small 0-4-0 tank engine with 3 ft 6in wheels. The carriage part was supplied by Cravens. There were soon complaints of unsteady running, and a trailing axle was added to the locomotive unit, with 2 ft 9 in. wheels.
Taff Vale Railway
Iron production in South Wales peaked in 1871, after which the process was remorseless decline. An exception was at Dowlais, where the Bessemer process of steel making was instigated from 1865. This required a different quality of iron ore, not available locally, and the potential traffic flow of imported ore encouraged thoughts of improved railway connection. Several unsuccessful schemes were put forward, but a joint venture between the Rhymney Railway and the Great Western Railway (by now owner of the Taff Vale Extension line) resulted in the Taff Bargoed Joint Line. This opened on 10 January 1876 for goods and minerals from Taff Bargoed Junction, immediately west of Llancaiach station, to Dowlais. Passenger operation started on 1 February 1876.
Danescourt
The Taff Vale Railway built the railway through Danescourt in the 19th century. It became part of the Great Western Railway in the 1923 grouping. British Railways opened Danescourt railway station as part of the Cardiff City Line in 1987.
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Taff Vale Extension was immensely important strategically, giving access to South Wales Valley lines and their mineral resources, at twelve junctions in 20 miles.
Tonteg Halt railway station
The station on the Taff Vale/Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway was opened on 1 May 1905, originally being named "Tonteg Platform"; and extended in length on 7 October 1910. The station consisted of a single platform accessed via a still existing footpath from the road. Immediately to the east of the station was a small stone bridge over said road. On 1 October 1923, it was renamed "Tonteg Halt". This station existed until 5 May 1930 when it was closed along with the line from Tonteg Viaduct to Llantrisant Junction because of the construction of a chord from Tonteg Viaduct to Tonteg Junction to connect with the Barry Railway. This new chord was brought into use on 5 May 1930, at the same time the chord to Llantrisant Junction closed.
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway had been the first railway to serve the valleys of South Wales, at first to chiefly handle the iron products of Merthyr, but soon to bring the coal output of the area served to the docks of Cardiff. As the coal production of the region grew so greatly, it was inevitable that competing companies would enter.
Rhondda
In conjunction with the sinking of the first colliery at the head of the Rhondda, the second issue of transportation was being tackled at the same time with the extension of the Taff Vale Railway (TVR) line. After Royal Assent was given to construct the railway in 1836, the original line was laid from Cardiff to Abercynon, and by 1841 a branch was opened to link Cardiff with Dinas via Pontypridd. This would allow easier and faster transportation for Walter Coffin's Dinas mine, an unsurprising addition considering Coffin was a director of the TVR. In 1849 the TVR had extended into the Rhondda Fach and by 1856 the railway had reached the furthest areas of both the Fach and Fawr valleys at Maerdy and Treherbert. For the first time the Rhondda Valley was connected by a major transportation route to the rest of Wales and the exploitation of its coalfields could begin.
Llancaiach Branch
The first main line of the Taff Vale Railway, between Merthyr and Cardiff, was opened on 9 October 1840, and by that time the emphasis there had been a significant change of emphasis. The potential of the district for coal extraction had become clear: iron was still important, but the main traffic was now seen as the movement of coal from existing and new collieries, to Cardiff and to the ironworks. The first main line included a rope-worked incline near Quaker's Yard: to overcome a large and sudden ascent there, a length of double track was installed together with a stationary steam engine, and passing trains were hauled up and let down on a rope. The times of the trains were arranged so as to pass up and down at the same time, to some extent balancing the load.
Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
On 17 September 1863 the line was opened between Llantrisant Junction (near Treforest) and the Llantwit collieries. By 29 January 1864 the line was extended to a new colliery to the west of Llantwit, and on to Llantwit Dynevor Colliery and Cross Inn, just short of Maesaraul Junction. The provision of mixed gauge on the Mwyndy branch was much delayed by the GWR, only being ready on 5 December 1864, from which date the majority of the iron ore traffic was able to take the new route.
Taff Vale Railway
In 1865 the Ogmore Valley Railway was opened. It was a standard gauge line, and there appeared to be enormous potential to bring standard gauge mineral trains to Penarth. The Taff Vale obtained authority to build a north-west to south-east diagonal line across the Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway system to handle this traffic. Financial difficulties delayed construction, and in the meantime the South Wales main line of the GWR was converted to standard gauge.
Vale of Neath Railway
Long before that, in 1847, the NA&HR had obtained Parliamentary powers for the Taff Vale Extension Railway, which was to run westward from Pontypool to Quakers Yard, where it would join the Taff Vale Railway. This line had the potential to connect with numerous of the south-to-north lines in the valleys, thereby conveying mineral products from collieries and ironworks on their network to the industrial north of England. The Taff Vale Extension Railway opened progressively from 1855, and many of the junctions with valley lines were only effected in later years.
Taff Vale Railway
The opening of the Penarth Docks proved a huge benefit to the Taff Vale Railway, not only in bringing in direct revenue, but in easing congestion on the main line as mineral trains were diverted from Radyr. Enormous volumes were moved through the docks: 2.8 million tons in 1885. The Penarth Harbour, Dock and Railway was leased to the Taff Vale, although the owning company retained its independent existence until 1922.
Bwllfa Colliery
In 1866, and extension by the Taff Vale Railway followed a route near the River Dare from a junction close to Aberdare.