Vale of Neath Railway

Before the railway The Vale of Neath is a river valley descending from Pontneddfechan and Glynneath to the town of Neath, close to Baglan Bay, itself part of Swansea Bay. By the 18th century, Merthyr Tydfil was the centre of a huge iron smelting industry; excellent coal was beginning to be mined at Aberdare, and these two industries became dominant in their respective localities. The town of Neath itself became a centre of engineering industry. Until late in the 18th century, the difficulty was transporting the heavy products of the mineral industries to market, overseas and domestically. The roads were extremely poor, and the River Neath was unnavigable. Yet the demand for satisfactory transport was powerful, and eventually the Neath Canal was opened fully in 1795, running down from Glynneath to Neath itself. Even then, the canal did not immediately serve the originating point of mineral products, and some short tramways were built to make the connection. Indeed, coal from Aberdare was hauled uphill by horse power in the Cynon Valley to cross to Glynneath for the canal. The Aberdare Canal was opened in 1812, leading instead down the valley to Abercynon, where it connected with the Glamorganshire Canal. This was reached by continuing on from Dare Junction and curving round the east side of Rhos-gwawr. Both these branches were laid in Barlow rail. It appears that the West Midland Railway had already made the connection with the Taff Vale Railway at ; 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 its rival. Nevertheless, on 28 December 1863 the VoNR ran a demonstration narrow gauge engine and brake van from Swansea to Middle Duffryn, and soon afterward a standard-gauge coal train was run from Gadlys Colliery near Aberdare to Swansea. At first, hired LNWR engines were used. Still the link at Middle Duffryn was uncompleted, until a temporary connection was made on 19 March 1864. The line was more properly opened on 18 April 1864, when two goods trains a day used the connection. Little traffic was carried and the LNWR seem to have been the chief beneficiary. The line opened to passenger traffic on 5 October 1864. Local services resumed on the Swansea and Neath line on 1 October 1881 but used East Dock station as the Swansea terminus, avoiding crossing the site of the accident; the location was remarkably inconvenient for the town. In 1936 this service was again ended; Neath Riverside became a terminus for short-journey trains on the VoNR and for some terminating trains on the Neath and Brecon Railway. During the period when VoNR trains were running to Swansea High Street over the SWR main line, they reversed at Neath General station. ==Timber viaducts==

There were a number of timber viaducts on the line from the beginning. The River Neath viaduct at the southern end of the line was in length; it was replaced in 1875 partly by embankment. There were three other crossings of the River Neath using timber viaduct construction. Pencaedrain Viaduct between Glynneath and Hirwaun had eight spans on a radius curve. On the Merthyr arm of the line there were three viaducts, one at Abernant and two at Merthyr. Merthyr Viaduct had 27 spans totalling in length. All these bridges and viaducts were replaced in the 1870s except two river bridges at Resolven, replaced in 1894 and 1896. The Dare branch from Gelli Tarw Junction had two viaducts, Gamlyn Viaduct (13 spans) and Dare Viaduct (11 spans). The Dare branch closed in 1939 but the viaducts remained in place until 1947; accordingly they were the very last Brunel timber viaducts to survive. The Dare Viaduct was subject to the problems of thermal expansion in June 1857; Brunel reported that The traffic upon the Dare Branch was interrupted for a short time by the singular effects of the rails upon the Dare Viaduct from the excessive heat at the end of June. The line being here upon a sharp curve, the expansion of the Rails forced the Viaduct sideways a few inches and disturbed the Line, so as to render it impassable. The Rails and the Viaduct were soon restored to their correct position, and any recurrence of the same thing, however improbable, guarded against upon this and other Viaducts under similar circumstances by the introduction of expanding joints on the rails. ==Engine power==

The dominant theme of the Vale of Neath Railway was the transport of large quantities of Aberdare coal to London, and towards Southampton and Liverpool (for bunkering ships). At the closing years of the 19th century this was largely handled by 0-6-0 saddle tank locomotives, which ran through from Aberdare to Swindon; with a water capacity of 1,060 gallons this was a prodigious feat, albeit with frequent stops for water columns. From 1896 the GWR built more powerful tender engines for the traffic, but the first 4-6-0s were unsuccessful, and it was not until the "Aberdare" 2-6-0s were introduced that the trains had reliably better locomotives. Seventeen of the class were based at Aberdare in 1903. Even so, these were considered capable of improvement, and the 2800 class 2-8-0s were felt to be much better. They were allocated to Aberdare from 1906, although the Aberdare class maintained near dominance there at least until 1923. The 4200 class of 2-8-0T followed, and were especially successful where high power on relatively short runs was required. Some of the 4200 class were converted to 2-8-2T with a much larger bunker, and were useful in handling longer distance runs. In the 1920s ROD 2-8-0 engines were in use, and after 1945 the later design of Austerity 2-8-0 appeared, as well as Stanier 2-8-0s of the 8F type. ==Halts==

The count of stations on the original line of the VoNR was rather limited. In the twentieth century a number of halts were opened; Melyncourt Halt was a small wooden platform; Clyne Halt opened in 1905 to serve the Resolven Tinplate Works. Cwmrhyd-y-Gau Halt operated from 1935 to 1945 to serve the Abernant Brick and Tile Works; British Rhondda Halt was opened for miners at an adjacent colliery of the same name. It had a platform on the down line only; terminating up trains reached it by reversing back over a crossover. It opened in 1906 but in 1911 it was replaced by a two-platform halt called Pontwalby, a short distance to the north. Rhigos Halt was opened in 1911, and Hirwaun Pond Halt was opened in 1941 for the use of workers at a nearby armaments factory. Trecynon Halt was a mile west of Aberdare, and there were two halts east of that point, Cwmbach and Duffryn Crossing; these were served by a rail motor service from Swansea East Dock to Mountain Ash. Cwmaman Colliery also had a railmotor service; there were halts at Black Lion Crossing, from 1903. The service was for workmen only at first, but in 1906 three more halts were opened and the service became public. It did not make a direct connection with the rest of the passenger network. ==Later history==

From 1923 The Railways Act 1921 dictated that most of the railways of Great Britain should be "grouped" into four large companies. The Great Western Railway continued in name and in fact; certain other large South Wales railway companies including the Taff Vale Railway were constituents of the new company. The changes took effect immediately prior to the beginning of 1923. During the Second World War a considerable number of munitions and other war materials factories were in operation along the line and a number of workmen's passenger services were operated in order that workers could reach new workplaces. The Royal Ordnance Factory at Hirwaun was a particular centre of this activity, thirteen trains each way being operated, mostly reversing at Rhigos carriage sidings. Closures The line depended for its business on coal mining, and as that industry declined, so the railway came into question. The Merthyr line passenger service was ended on 31 December 1962, and the main line lost its passenger service from 15 June 1964, and Glyn Neath to Hirwaun closed completely on 2 October 1967. On 29 November 1971, Aberdare (High Level: the VoNR station) to Middle Duffryn was closed completely. Aberdare reopening Aberdare was an important community that had lost its passenger train service in 1964, although a basic freight service continued. In 1973 the route was restored for goods service, connecting from Abercynon over the former Taff Vale line as far as Abercwmboi. The reinstated route then crossed the Cynon to the north side by a new bridge (though very close to the alignment of a much earlier TVR connection to Werfa Colliery) then following the VoNR route to Aberdare station, at the site of the former High Level. From there the line continued on the VoNR route to Tower Collery, near Hirwaun. The new Aberdare station opened on the site of the former High Level station, on 3 October 1988. ==Present-day use==

Accordingly, at present (2017) a short length at Merthyr, and a slightly longer section at Aberdare, are in passenger use. At Aberdare mineral traffic from Tower Colliery runs from Hirwaun and continues towards Abercynon. The Swansea and Neath Railway route between Swansea Eastern Dock and Cardonnel Junction near Briton Ferry is still in use, although it was hugely developed in the early twentieth century and then "rationalised" in the later part of the century, so that the earlier route is not exactly followed. ==Location list==

Aberdare to Swansea • Middle Duffryn Junction; end on junction with Taff Vale Extension line; • Cwmbach Halt; opened 12 July 1914; closed 15 June 1964; reopened as '''''' 3 October 1988; still open; • Aberdare Canal Wharf; • Aberdare; opened 24 September 1851; renamed Aberdare High Level 1924; closed 15 June 1964; reopened as Aberdare 3 October 1988; still open; • Trecynon Halt; opened 1 May 1911; closed 15 June 1964; • Gelli Tarw Junction; convergence of Merthyr Line and Dare Valley lines; • Merthyr Road; opened 24 September 1851; closed 2 November 1853; • Hirwain; opened 24 September 1851; renamed Hirwaun 1928; closed 15 June 1964; • Hirwaun Pond Halt; opened 23 July 1941; closed after 1945 but possibly reopened for trading estate; closed 15 June 1964; • Rhigos Halt; opened 1 May 1911; closed 15 June 1964; • Pencaedrain Tunnel; 526 yards; • Pontwalby Halt; opened 1 May 1911; closed 15 June 1964; • British Rhondda Halt; opened 27 August 1906; closed 1 May 1911; • Cwmrhyd-y-Gau Halt; opened 14 January 1935 for miners only; closed by October 1945; • Glyn Neath; opened 24 September 1851; closed 15 June 1964; • Resolven; opened 24 September 1851; closed 15 June 1964; • Melyncourt Halt; opened 1 June 1905; closed 15 June 1964; • Clyne Halt; opened 1 June 1905; closed 15 June 1964; • Aberdylais; opened 24 September 1851; Aberdylais Halt from 1954; closed 15 June 1964; possibly known as Aberdulais and also Aberdulass in early days; • Neath Junction; • Neath; South Wales Railway station. Merthyr line • Merthyr; opened 2 November 1853; sometimes known as Merthyr High Street; renamed Merthyr Tydfil 1980; still open; • Merthyr Tunnel; 2,497 yards; • Abernant; opened June 1854; closed 31 December 1962; • Llwydcoed; opened 2 November 1853; closed 31 December 1962; • Gelli Tarw Junction; above. Swansea and Neath Railway • N&B Junction; convergence of Neath and Brecon Railway; • Neath (Low Level); opened 1 August 1863; closed 1 August 1878; reopened 1 October 1880; renamed Neath Bridge Street 1924; renamed Neath Riverside 1926; closed except for school trains 15 October 1962; closed completely 15 June 1964; • Neath Abbey; opened 1 August 1863; closed 1 March 1873; reopened 1 October 1880; closed 28 September 1936; • Cardonnel Halt; opened 1 June 1905; closed 28 September 1936; • Briton Ferry Road; opened 1 August 1863; closed 1 March 1873; reopened 1 October 1880; closed 28 September 1936; • Swansea East Dock; opened 1 October 1880; closed 28 September 1936; • Danygraig Halt; opened 14 March 1895: closed 28 September 1936 • Drawbridge; • Wind Street Junction; • Swansea Wind Street; opened 1 August 1863; closed 1 March 1873; • South Dock. Dare Valley branch Mineral branch line; a passenger service was opened 1 January 1906; restricted to miners 1918; fully reopened 7 July 1919; restricted to miners 22 September 1924; fully closed to passengers about 1932. • Cwmaman Colliery; • Cwmaman Colliery Halt; • Cwmaman Crossing Halt; • Cwmneol Halt; • Godreaman Halt; • Ton Llwyd Halt; • Black Lion Crossing Halt; • Dare Junction; divergence of mineral line to Bwllfa Colliery; • Gelli Tarw Junction; above. ==Early locomotives==

The Vale of Neath Railway owned 19 broad gauge and 6 standard gauge locomotives: • Nos 1–6 4-4-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1851 • Nos 7–9 4-4-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1854, rebuilt as 0-6-0STs in 1858 • Nos 10–12 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1854 • Nos 13–15 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1856 • Nos 16–19 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1861 • Nos 20–23 0-6-0ST standard gauge locomotives • Nos 24–25 0-8-0T broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1864 ==Notes==