Rhymney Railway

The Rhymney Railway was virtually a single stretch of main line, some fifty miles in length, by which the Rhymney Valley was connected to the docks at Cardiff in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales.^[1]

Rhymney Railway

Legend        Dowlais Cae Harris Dowlais Steelworks   Zig Zag Lines Junction    Incline Top    Cwmbargoed Washery To Dowlais High Street   To Brynmawr        Nantybwch To Rhydycar Junction   Cwmbargoed B&MJR to Pant   Rhymney Bridge GWR to Aberdare   B&MJR to Fochriw Cyrfartha Junction   Bedlinog Pit Abercanaid   Bedlinog Troedrhiw   Rhymney Aberfan    Merthyr Vale Collieries   B&MJR to Bargoed    Pontlottyn TVR to Merthyr   B&MJR to Dowlais    Darran & Deri GWR to Aberdare   Groes-Faen Quakers Yard Low Level   Quakers Yard High Level TVR to Cardiff   Cwmtysswg Colliery Treharris   Tir-Phil Merthyr Dowlais Colliery   Brithdir Taff Merthyr Colliery   Trelewis    Bargoed    Gilfach Fargoed Nelson & Llancaiach   Pengam    B&MJR to Alexandra Docks TVR to Pontypridd   Llancaiach Junction Penrhiwfelin   GWR to Hengoed Penallta Colliery   Hengoed Viaduct Hengoed Low Level   Hengoed High Level Penallta Junction    Penallta (Goods)       Cylla Junction Universal Colliery   Ystrad Mynach Senghenydd   Penallta Branch Junction Windsor Colliery   To Barry Junction Abertridwr   Llanbradach Penyrheol   Llanbradach Viaduct North Junction   South Junction Penyrheol Viaduct   Aber Branch Junction    Aber        Energlyn Colliery To Pontypridd   Beddau Loop Junction To Walnut Tree Junction   Watford Crossing Junction Penrhos Viaduct   Upper Junction Lower Junction    To Cadoxton   West Branch Junction    Caerphilly East Branch Junction   B&MJR to Alexandra Docks    Caerphilly Tunnel (1,935 yards)    Cefn Onn Halt    Lisvane & Thornhill    Llanishen    Heath High Level Coryton Line    Merthyr & Rhondda Line    Cardiff Queen Street   Cardiff Parade    South Wales Railway to Newport    To Cardiff Docks    Cardiff Central To Bridgend   To Barry

History

The aim of the railway was to gain access to the large iron works and collieries at the extreme north of the Valley. Short extensions, connecting with other railways, gave the Rhymney routes to take its (largely mineral) traffic to the Midlands and the North of England, or opened up connections to collieries and iron works. Some of those routes were worked jointly with other companies, particularly the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).

Growth of the railway

The original incorporation was in 1854, and the railway was opened in various sections as follows:

• Rhymney to Hengoed, January 1858
• Hengoed - Walnut Tree Junction, February 1858
• line into Cardiff 1864
• Rhymney - Nantybwch, giving access to the LNWR. This section was worked jointly by the two companies April 1871
• Ystrad Mynach - Penallta Junction, giving access to the Great Western Railway and the Aberdare Valley, April 1871
• Taff - Bargoed giving access to the Dowlais Iron Works. Nine miles in length, with a gradient of 1:40, it had heavy usage. In 1911 the Rhymney conveyed over 300,000 tons of iron and iron ore per annum over this route. Opened January 1 1876
• Quaker's Yard - Cyfarthfa, authorised 1882
• Aber branch, 1890
• Ystrad Mynach - Cylla Valley, 1895

The Rhymney owned 120 locomotives in 1911. By then the total mileage of the Rhymney was over 61 miles; a further 16 miles of 'foreign' track was also worked over. Over two million tons of freight had been carried.

Details above taken from The Railway Year Book 1912 (The Railway Publishing Company Ltd)

The first workshops for the railway were in Cardiff, opening in 1857 but, as their work increased, there was insufficient room for expansion, and Caerphilly railway works was opened in 1899.

Merging

Although the Rhymney was nominally independent until absorption in the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922, the same managing director, in 1917, took over control of the line and the Taff Vale Railway and the Cardiff Railway, making them to all and intents and purposes one undertaking.^{[citation needed]}

The route

The stations of the line from Cardiff to Rhymney were as follows:-

Main Line

• Cardiff Queen Street
• Heath High Level
• Llanishen
• Cefn On Halt (now replaced by nearby Lisvane and Thornhill railway station)
  • here is the Caerphilly tunnel 1.1 miles (1.77 km) in length
• Caerphilly
• Aber
• Llanbradach
• Ystrad Mynach
• Hengoed
• Pengam
• Gilfach Fargoed
• Bargoed
• Brithdir
• Tirphil (New Tredegar)
• Pontlottyn
• Rhymney
• Rhymney Bridge (joint station with LNWR)
• Nantybwch (also joint station with LNWR)

Branch lines

From south to north these were:

• Caerphilly - Taffs Well connecting with the Taff Vale Railway Openeed 1858
• Senghenydd branch: with intermediate stations serving:
  • Penyrheol
  • Abertridwr
• From Ystrad Mynach a spur connected with the GWR; from Treharris on that line there was a Rhymney Railway line direct to Merthyr Tydfil over the Taff-Bargoed Joint Line undertaking
• Deri branch connecting at Deri Junction with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway

All of those branches have since been closed.

Officers

Cornelius Lundie, from the outset of the line and for more than 40 years, was General Manager, Traffic Manager and Superintendent of the line. Upon his retirement in 1904,^[2] the Rhymney did a spring cleaning, which notably included the scrapping of his favourite engine, which he had been preserving for a number of years.

Locomotive Superintendents

• T. Clenents (1858–1863)
• J. Kendall (1863–1869)
• J. Canty (1869–1884)
• R. Jenkins (1884–1906)
• C. T. Hurry Riches (1906–1922)

C. T. Hurry Riches was the son of Tom Hurry Riches, Locomotive Superintendent of the Taff Vale Railway (1873–1910).^[3] One Locomotive Superintendent had an unfortunately short career with the Rhymney, which was cut short when he visited the Brecon and Merthyr Railway to examine a new engine of theirs. It overturned, killing him and his B&MR counterpart.^{[citation needed]}

Locomotives

Early locomotives

The early locomotives were tender engines, whether for passenger or goods:

• 0-6-0 Vulcan Foundry 1857: inside frames; freight
• 2-4-0 Vulcan Foundry 1858, 1861: passenger locomotives
• 0-6-0 Kitson 1859-1868: double frames, outside cranks; freight
• 0-6-0 ST 1872 onwards: various builders. All Rhymney locomotives from then were of this type.
  • Notes taken from The Railway Magazine February 1923

Later locomotives

• Rhymney Railway A class 0-6-2T
• Rhymney Railway B class 0-6-0WT
• Rhymney Railway I class 0-6-0ST
• Rhymney Railway K class 0-6-2ST
• Rhymney Railway L class 2-4-2ST
• Rhymney Railway L1 class 0-6-2ST
• Rhymney Railway M class 0-6-2T
• Rhymney Railway P class 0-6-2T
• Rhymney Railway R class 0-6-2T
• Rhymney Railway S class 0-6-0T
• Rhymney Railway S1 class 0-6-0T

Today

The "main" line is now largely in use as the Rhymney Line. Evening trains traditionally stop closer and closer to Cardiff as the night wears on. For example, the last trains typically only go as far as Ystrad Mynach station.

References

External links

• The Rhymney Railway: including map, dates of opening