BRECON and MERTHYR RAILWAY

Contents

1 The Routes 2 How the company began 3 The connection to Merthyr 4 The slow train 5 The end of the Brecon and Merthyr 6 Partial resurrection of the Brecon and Merthyr 7 The future? 8 References 9 External Links

The Routes

The Brecon and Merthyr Junction Railway was one of several railways that served the industrial areas of South Wales and Monmouthshire. It ranked fifth amongst them in size, although hemmed in by the Taff Vale Railway and Great Western Railway

It was once described as a "lively octopus in a tank of sharks", but despite the aggresive activities of the "sharks", it survived until the railway grouping.

It absorbed several smaller companies, including the Hay Railway, and by negotiating running powers over the lines of other companies, it established links between Newport docks and Brecon, and hence into Mid-Wales.

To develop routes into and through the rugged South Wales landscape, it was forced to construct two tunnels. One of these tunnels survived to become the oldest in regular use, and the other was the highest above sea level anywhere in Britain.

The system eventually comprised two sections of lines. The Southern section linked Bassaleg and the iron works town of Rhymney, near the head of the Rhymney valley. The Northern section linked Deri junction in the Bargoed Rhymney valley to Pant, Pontsticill and Brecon via a tunnel through the Brecon Beacons. These sections were connected by means of running powers over the lines of the Great Western Railway.

The section to the north of Pant was primarily a passanger service, serving isolated farms and villages. South of Pant, it was mainly a mineral line and carried coal from the mines down to the Newport docks.

The tunnel through the Beacons was 666 yards long, and reached by a three mile ascent. Exiting from the tunnel, the line descended along the side of Glyn Collwyn (now flooded to form a reservoir) to the River Usk at Talybont, and thence to Brecon.

How the company began

The company was established by an Bill of 1858, with the directors including several prominent Brecon citizens. The Beacons tunnel was completd by 1862, and runs between Brecon and Pant commenced in 1863.

The connection to Merthyr

Initially, the only connection to Merthyr Tydfil was by means of a horse-drawn bus from Pant, but by 1868, a connection with Merthyr had been established by sharing lines with Vale of Neath, London and North Western and Taff Vale railways. This involved the building of nearly seven miles of line from Pontsticill to Merthyr, with an almost continuous descent of 1 in 45-50, two complete reversals of direction and the construction of two viaducts to carry the line over the Taf Fechan at Pontsarn, and the Taf Fawr at Cefn Coed. The Pontsarn viaduct is 455 feet long and 92 feet hight, whilst the Cefn Coed (or Pontycapel) viaduct is 770 feet long with a height of 115 feet.

The company also operated special colliers trains, with rolling stock provided by the coal companies, including Powell Dyffryn .

By 1913, the line carried nearly 3.5 million tons a year of coal and 227,000 tons of other minerals.

The slow train

Prior to the two sections of line being linked, the train services had been somewhat unpunctual, with unconnected timetables, and the company acquired the unenviable reputation of operating "slow trains". They became the butt of music-hall jokes.

The end of the Brecon and Merthyr

The line was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway following the grouping. Most of the lines survived nationalisation into British Railways, but during and after the Beeching Axe, most were eventually closed. By 1980, only one short section of 10.5 miles survived, serving coal traffic. With the demise of the coal industry in South Wales, this section has probably since closed.

Partial resurrection of the Brecon and Merthyr

In 1980, a private company, the Brecon Beacons Mountain Railway began to build a narrow-gauge steam-hauled tourist line on the existing 5.5 mile roadbed from Pant through Pontsticill to Dol-y-gaer. The initial section of 1.75 miles from Pant to Pontsticill opened in June 1980.

The future?

Plans exist to extend the line as far as Torpantau, at the southern entrance to the tunnel. Large portions of the roadbed, including the bank from the northern end of the Beacons tunnel along the side of Glyn Collwyn, can still be followed and walked upon. They form part of the Brecon Beacons National Park and the views of the countryside are much enjoyed by walkers.

References

The Brecon and Merthyr Railway, by D S Barrie. Oakwood Press 1957-1980

A Brief History of Merthyr Tydil, by Joseph Gross. Starling Press, 1980

External Links

The Brecon Beacons Mountain Railway [http://www.breconmountainrailway.co.uk/direct.html