The Neath and Brecon Railway

My visit to the Open Day of the Global Centre for Rail Excellence in June 2023 (described here) led to curiosity about the story of one of the minor standard-gauge railways of South Wales, the Neath and Brecon.

A very brief history

The geology of Wales gave the country massive deposits of coal and other minerals. The Dulais Valley north of Neath had a number of mines which, in turn, prompted the establishment of a number of iron and copper works in the area. Initially, tramroads were used to assist mineral extraction but the growth of steam power (in manufacturing, railways and steamships) increased demand for coal and this led to the building of a number of railways in Wales with virtually each valley producing its own railway. The Dulais Valley spawned the standard gauge Neath and Brecon Railway (N&B). At Neath, the railway ended in a junction with the broad gauge Vale of Neath Railway (VoN) from where a third rail was added for a short distance so that N&B trains could terminate at the VoN station initially called Neath Low Level. This station also formed an end-on connection with the broad gauge Swansea and Neath Railway which in 1863 merged with the Vale of Neath. The first ten miles of the N&B route, from Neath to Onllwyn, was a reasonable proposition because of the established mining industry. But continuing to Brecon, via an arduous route through largely barren uplands made matters problematic. The line opened in 1864 from Neath to a colliery at Onllwyn and in 1867 was extended initially to Brecon Mount Street station, then, in 1874, to an end-on connection at Free Street joint station with the Brecon and Merthyr Junction Railway which also served the Mid Wales Railway (giving connections to the Cambrian Railway) and, via the junction at Three Cocks, the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway. There are links to articles on these other railways in the 'Related articles on other websites' below.

The early days of the Neath and Brecon were not unusual amongst many railways of the period in being associated with various enthusiastic amateurs and dishonest men, resulting in bankruptcy narrowly averted. Improbably, an agreement with the Midland Railway was to provide a lifeline. The Midland was seeking a route from the Midlands to Swansea and this was achieved by a complex web of agreements. The Swansea Vale Railway (SVR), a standard gauge line, was seeking investment and their terminus at Swansea St. Thomas with access to the docks appealed to the Midland. The SVR line passed through Ynysgeinon and the construction of a new Neath and Brecon Junction line from here for seven miles on a rising gradient of 1 in 50 and 1 in 55 to join the N&B at Colbren Junction gave the Midland Railway a route from Swansea to Hereford and beyond. The Junction line opened in 1867 (and was finally closed to all traffic in 1967). Through traffic from the Midland Railway secured the railway's future but local passenger traffic remained poor. The demand for coal and anthracite allowed the Neath and Brecon to continue as an independent company until absorbed into the GWR in 1922 by the Grouping. In the 1920s Neath Low Level was first renamed Neath Bridge Street and finally, a couple of years later, Neath Riverside.


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Neath and Brecon Railway Map in 1871. The N&B Junction line is shown dotted (National Archives)


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Neath and Brecon Railway Gradient Diagram (Tudor Watkins Collection)


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Map of Swansea Vale Railway, 1875, showing how the Swansea Vale Railway (in red) paralleled the Neath and Brecon Railway (shown in green) and part of the N&B Junction line which joined the two routes. (By Afterbrunel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Railway after Nationalisation

The railway was the haunt of the various classes of 'Pannier' tank. Although demand for coal remained strong, by 1954 there were only two passenger round trips daily from Neath to Brecon, worked by one locomotive based at Neath. In 1958 this had reduced to one round trip on weekdays. By 1961, passenger services beyond Colbren Junction ceased with three round trips daily between Neath and Colbren Junction. The line between Craig-y-Nos and Brecon was closed to all traffic in 1962 and the remaining passenger services were withdrawn in 1964. From 1970, the quarry at Craig-y-Nos started to supply limestone to Llanwern steelworks.


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A Brecon train prepares for departure from Neath Riverside on 14 July 1962, a few months before closure. The South Wales main line crosses on the overbridge in the distance (Photo: Flying Stag, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Change to Opencast Mining

Over time, underground mining in the area gave way to opencast mining. Excavators first remove topsoil which is stored in soil mounds to be reused in remediation work when mining is complete. Excavators then remove the unwanted material ('overburden') to access the coal-bearing layers beneath, resulting in a large pit or void. A network of roads allows the coal extracted by excavators to be hauled away. Remediation of areas once extraction ceases can start in some areas even as opencast mining continues in others. Opencast coal is frequestly "washed" to meet the customer's requirements by removing impurities. In a typical industrial Coal Washing process, water is added so that different particles in the coal sink to various depths depending on their densities, allowing separation. The Nant Helen Opencast Mine, near Onllwyn was authorised in 1985 and Onllwyn Wahery was built to process the product which was then transported by rail. The UK commitment to 'de-carbonise' the economy meant that fossil fuel burning needs to be eliminated and friction has arisen with the mining companies. More information can be found on the Coal Action Network site and a report specific to Nant Helen is here. A similar report on the nearby East Pit is here. The refusal by the Coal Authority (a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) to issue a license for continued extraction at Nant Helen precipitated closure of the mine and Washery and the railway was mothballed.

Recent history of the line to Onllwyn

Until 2022, coal from Nant Helen was loaded onto rail wagons at Onllwyn Washery and carried away using the former Neath and Brecon Railway via the remaining connections to the South Wales Main Line in the Neath area. In the future, it is intended that the branch to Onllwyn be used to provide a railway connection to the proposed Global Centre for Rail Excellence. Before closure at Onllwyn Washery, for a time coal was also brought from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen (situated on the branch diverging from the Central Wales Line at Pantyfynnon which had served East Pit) to Onllwyn, as shown in the picture below.


Class 60 No. 60054 arrives at Onllwyn Washery on 26-Oct-2018 with the second train of the day of loaded coal wagons from Swansea Burrows sidings (the wagons having arrived the previous day from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen opencast site). Once unloaded all the empty wagons will return to Swansea Burrows as one, long train (Photo: Gareth Jones)

Signalling

The Neath and Brecon was signalled following Great Western practice. All the signal boxes are abolished but the much-altered and modernised signal box at Neath Riverside was retained to control the remains of the Neath and Brecon (the 'long siding' to Onllwyn) and the remains of the Vale of Neath (the 'long siding' to Cwmgwrach). There's a very informative illustrated report by the Branch Line Society here describing their visit to Port Talbot Power Signal Box and the Neath Riverside Box.

Book references

[1] 'Track Layout Diagrams of the Great Western Railway: Section 52 Neath and Brecon 2nd edition'' by R A Cooke, published Lightmoor Press (ISBN 9781871674507).
[2] 'The Neath and Brecon Railway: A History' by Gwyn Briwnant Jones, Denis Dunstone & Tudor Watkins, published Gomer (ISBN 1-84323-452-1).
[3] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 12 South Wales' by D. S. M. Barrie, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0-7153-7970-4).

Related articles on other websites

Neath and Brecon Railway (Wikipedia)
Neath and Brecon Railway (and related lines) (Welsh Railways Research Circle)
Vale of Neath Railway (Wikipedia)
Swansea and Neath Railway (Railscot)
Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (Wikipedia)
Mid-Wales Railway (Wikipedia)
(Wikipedia)
Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway (Wikipedia)

Onlwyn No.1 Colliery (Railscot)
Branch Line Society Signal Box visit 12/12/2019 (Branch Line Society)

History of Onllwyn Collieries (Welsh Coal Mines)
Report on Nant Helen (Coal Action)
Report on East Pit (Coal Action)

Usual disclaimer: the above links worked when this post was published but may cease to work in the future if the site owner makes changes.

Related posts on this website

Global Centre for Rail Excellence Open Day

My pictures

GCRE: The Neath and Brecon Railway.

More Train Travel

In 2023, my rail trips have been reduced due to my poor mobility, but I thought I'd mention a recent flurry of activity.

25-Nov-2023: Wolverhampton-Birmingham International (return)

The 'Lion' supporters group 'The Old Locomotive Committee' (OLCO) took a stand at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition on 25th and 26th November held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC). There are a few random pictures of the event here which may trigger a post at some point. To reach the Exhibition on Saturday 25th November, I travelled with John H. and Geoff H. from Wolverhampton to Birmingham International to man the OLCO Stand. The outward journey was by TfW Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), rather noisy and crowded but at least fairly fast. The connection from International station to to the NEC by a long, covered footbridge is quite convenient, particularly compared with access by road which I'd undertaken on the previous day (when we'd been setting up) and the following day (when we'd stripped down after the event). Road transport scores when you're transporting all the materials for a small stand (including a 7.25 inch gauge live-steam model!). On Saturday evening, the tired trio walked back to international and caught an Avanti 'Pendolino' service back to Wolverhampton.

28-Nov-2023: Wolverhampton-London Euston

On Tuesday 28th November, I had a Trustee meeting in London so I had booked on-line to travel on the 09:45 Avanti service from Wolverhamton to London (Euston). Sadly, on arrival at Wolverhampton station, I learnt that the train was cancelled at short notice. As far as I could gather from a barely-audible platform announcement this was due to 'equipment failure' and travel to Birmingham by the next available service was recommended. This was the inevitable TfW DMU, noisy and fairly crowded. Birmingham New Street seemed to be fairly disorganised that morning and, failing to find any clear guidance, I reluctantly boarded a West Midland Trains Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) bound for Euston but via the Northampton Loop and stopping everywhere. When the lady train manager came round on ticket inspection, she suggested changing at Coventry as she'd already confirmed that the following Avanti service from Birmingham was running. For some reason, I'd failed to find mention of this at New Street, although I'd expected to find it. This meant about 45 minutes waiting on a rather cold Coventry station but, eventually, I was able to board First Class on a warmer Avanti 'Pendolino'. Of course, I was too late to take breakfast which, in any case, is a very diminished experience compared with a few years ago but with tea and a nicely-presented cheese platter, the day rapidly improved.


A nicely-presented cheese platter, Coventry-Euston by Avanti

Being used to the unreliability of British trains, I'd fortunately allowed a margin in my timings so my later arrival at London still allowed me time to walk the one mile to Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square where the Trustee meeting took place and arrive on time. Following the meeting, I retraced my walking route to Euston.

28-Nov-2023: London Euston-Bangor (Gwynedd)

I had some time to wait before my next booking - the 19:02 Avanti service to Holyhead, alighting at Bangor. I was able to wait in the Avanti First Class Lounge on the Mezzanine Floor, with views of the busy Concourse. It was the first time I'd seen the new Passenger Information System, white-glowing electronic screens arrayed in two banks in the centre of the concourse, at right engles to the north west wall which gives access to the 16 platforms. Previously, that north-west wall hosted a long array of yellow-glowing electronic screens (the black area on the right in the picture below).


Euston Station Concourse following introduction of new Passenger Information system, viewed from Avanti First Class Lounge on 28-Nov-2023. Note Christmas tree

Modest refreshments were available in the lounge and the staff were helpful so I was content to wait to be joined by Steve M. Late arrival of the incoming train to form our departure and the need for staff to perform some cleaning/servicing before passenger loading meant that no early announcement of departure platform had been made. With a clue from the lounge receptionist and the Railcam.UK 'app' on my mobile phone (there's a brief explanation of Railcam.UK here), I'd worked out the platform number and our train's reporting number (1D93). Steve and I were already en route when the announcement of platform was finally made, only a few minutes before scheduled departure. Steve and I became swept up in the all-too-common rush to join the train. As expected, the train was formed of two Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) 5-car 'Voyagers' where one end carriage of each unit provides First Accommodation and a Kitchenette. We found our reserved seats fairly readily. I was sure departure would be late but, in fact, we were not more than one or two minutes adrift setting off up Camden Bank on a cold, dark evening. I remembered that, in 2008, I wrote a brief review of King's Cross, St. Pancras and Euston stations (here which was rather scathing about Euston. Over the following years many changes have occurred at Euston but I'm afraid a more up-to-date review would be no kinder.

Modest refreshments were provided during our journey. I was very tired so I was inattentive on the journey. We lost six or seven minutes to Tring but I couldn't work out why - we didn't seem to be following a slower train, as often happens. The lady Train Manager made an apology over the public address but without a full explanation. But, as we approached Milton Keynes, Railcam.UK revealed that we were now closing up to an earlier Euston-Manchester train We were about thirteen minutes 'down' passing Milton Keynes without a scheduled stop and I expected slow progress onwards to Rugby but the Manchester train scooted ahead and showed us a clean pair of heels (or, more accurately, a series of green signals). We didn't stop at Rugby either and picked up some lost time along the Trent Valley line. The train then made a series of scheduled stops at Tamworth, Lichfield and Stafford, arriving at Crewe's platform 12 only about five minutes late. Our diesel-powered train had just come 158 miles 'under the wires' of the 25kV a.c. electrification system. Whereas in some parts of the world even minor lines received some form of electrification following World War II, the particularly blinkered politics of the U.K. have resulted in vast deserts of non-electrified lines, including the whole of the North Wales route. I don't find the appearance of Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) attractive but the extensive use of diesel power when we are supposedly committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions seems, at the very least, odd. The 'wheeze' of going 'bi-mode', providing trains which are both overhead electric and diesel power as in Class 800 does not appeal either, saddling designs with extra weight, complexity and costs.

Soon, we were off on the Chester line (non-electrified, except in the vicinity of Crewe) for the short 'hop' to Chester. The North Wales line is a fairly 'easy' route, as shown by the gradient diagram below.


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Historical Gradient Diagram: Crewe-Holyhead

With stops at Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction, the train picked up and then lost occasional minutes along the way but was very close to right time when Steve and I left the train at Bangor after our 239 mile journey from London in reasonable comfort at an average speed of around seventy miles an hour.

Background to the TfW 'Premier Service'

At the end of 2008, Arriva Trains (Wales) introduced a locomotive-hauled 'Premier Service' from Cardiff to Holyhead funded by the Welsh Government. Originally, this operated via Crewe with a pair of Class 57 locomotives top-and-tailing four Mark 2 coaches. Later, a single 57 was used, replaced in 2012 by DB Schenker Class 67s when the coaches were upgraded to Mark 3.


Arriva Trains (Wales) Class 67 002 in between platforms 11 and 12 at the North end of Crewe on 11-Apr-2012

The addition of a Driving Van Trailer (DVT) to the formation later in 2012 allowed push-pull operation and the routing was changed to use the former Great Western route between Shrewsbury and Chester, introducing a reversal at Chester. The Covid pandemic caused suspension of the service between March 2020 and June 2021 when the service was re-introduced using Mark 4 coaches and DVT. A similar service between Cardiff and Manchester, operating via Crewe was also inaugurated.

I'd not managed to plan a journey on the Premier Service but, as explained in the post here, on 27-Jan-2022 I unexpectedly found myself a passenger from Rhyl to Shrewsbury on one of the trains.

30-Nov-2023: Bangor (Gwynedd) - Wolverhampton

Both Steve and I were keen to sample the TfW 'Premier Service' so, when our business was concluded on 30th November, a taxi took us the Bangor station to see what was possible.

It's many years since I passed through the main entrance to Bangor station on the North side of the line and I was delighted to see that the original features in the booking hall are largely intact, including two large, round L.M.S. monograms on the walls. Travel, however, remained rather problematic. Although the Holyhead-Cardiff service is nominally three 'Premier Service' trains a day each way, this does not always happen. The suggestion the lady booking clerk made was to travel First Class on the Avanti Holyhead-Euston service departing at 13:15 as far as Crewe where we could join a TfW 'Premier Service' from Manchester to Cardiff, in my case just for the short 'leg' to Shrewsbury, in Steve's case to Newport.

Tickets were booked and we made our way to the Up platform (now No.1). This involved leaving the booking office on the railway side at ground level, crossing the access road to station car parking via a zebra crossing markings and ascending a ramp to the platform itself. This really 'spooked' me because I'd known and been impressed by Bangor station from childhood. Then, the station had two island plaforms giving four main platform faces. Two through lines were provided for non-stop trains with loops serving the inner faces of the island platforms whilst additional tracks served the outer faces of the island platforms. Originally, the booking hall led to a footbridge across the additional track on the up side leading to steps down to the Up island platform or to a further footbridge across the through and platform loop lines with steps descending to the Down island platform. What confronted me was a mere ghost of what I remember. I get this sense of loss in many places on our emasculated railway system, I'm afraid.


Bangor station, showing Up platform. Cars now park in the area where an additional track formerly served the outer face of the Up island platform

I think the booking hall and footbridges date from the 1927 expansion of facilities (hence the 'LMS' monograms). I'd assumed the remaining station building on the Up platform was earlier but I'd not realised that, although modified over the years, it is the original 1848 Chester and Holyhead railway building designed by architect Francis Thompson of Derby in Italianate style with a hipped, slate roof. I'm pleased to report that the building is now listed Grade II: there are more details here. It was completed to serve the opening of the railway from Chester to Bangor in 1848. Two years later, with the opening of the Britannia Tubular Bridge, Bangor became a through station and facilities were expanded in 1852. I'm afraid I'd not spotted the various Chester and Holyhead monograms set in the outside walls of the building (although four are just visible in my 2014 picture below, snatched from a Down train).


Bangor station buildings on Up platform.

Steve introduced me to the Refreshment Room on the Up platform, with its magnificent wooden counter and fittings. Sadly, the various modernisations render the overall effect rather nondescript.


Bangor Station: Counter and fittings in Refreshment Room on Up platform


Bangor Station: View looking west from Up platform (No. 1) with signal box in background

My view looking east from the Up platform does gives a poor view of the imposing West Portal of Bangor Tunnel. The Resident Engineer for this section of the line, Mr. Forster, adopted an Egyptian style portal using coursed stone forming a square headed opening with tapered sides, a wide swept entablature and cornice. Happily this,too, is listed and you can find brief details here.


Bangor Station viewed from Up Platform (No. 1) looking east showing West Portal of Bangor Tunnel

Our train arrived, a 5-car 'Voyager', and we found accommodation in the leading First Class coach. Modest refreshments were provided during the journey. I tried the cheese and onion 'toastie' which I found excellent. Once east of Abergele, I was able to track our progress on Railcam.UK (our reporting number was 1A50). We made the usual stops and approached platform 3 at Chester very cautiously, which did not surprise me, but the final stop was very firm with a metallic 'clang' which suggested that we'd coupled to another set standing on front of us, using the Dellner autocouplers. This seemed to be confirmed as, on Railcam.UK, our reporting number flickered on and off for a few seconds, presumably as the driving cab next to us was closed and the driving cab now at the head of the train was opened. A brief 'sprint' took us to Crewe, where we arrived at platform 6.

The platform was very busy with people getting off, getting on and trying to work out their next train but I was able to confirm that we'd acquired another 'Voyager' trainset in front of us at Chester. We determined from the passenger displays that the Manchester - Cardiff 'Premier Service' was expected at platform 5, departing at 15:10, so we headed for the lift and made our way to the indicated platform. Before long, the headlights of a class 67 appeared, heading a short train of Mark 4 coaches looking quite smart in black livery. Railcam.UK gave the reporting number as 1V46 and arrival at Shrewsbury at 15:44. The last vehicle was the Driving Van Trailer (DVT) with the First Class/Kitchen car last but one. We were welcomed on board by a young, enthusiastic Chief Steward and settled into the comfortable seats as our train set off from Crewe on the Shrewsbury line. I didn't see much of the unfamiliar route as it was already dusk but mainly because, as I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate, I chatted to the Chief Steward about the 'Premier Service' of which he was clearly proud. He agreed that the original Holyhead-Cardiff service had been affected by poor availability of trainsets but said that the Manchester-Cardiff service was establishing a strong following. TfW have eight trainsets to cover both routes with two trainsets out of service awaiting repairs on that date, he said.

All too soon, we arrived at Shrewsbury, ending my sampling of the 'Premier Service'. I said goodbye to Steve, who was continuing to Newport, and the Chief Steward, descending onto a cold, dark, windswept platform. I took a few pictures of the train as it left and then faced a wait until 16:34 when a West Midland Trains service from Crewe to Birmingham International (reporting number 1I22) would complete my journey back to Wolverhampton after an interesting, if exhausting, odyssey.


Shrewbury: 'Premier Service' 1V46 in platform 7 on 30-Nov-2023


TfW 'Premier Service' from Manchester to Cardiff at Shrewsbury: 1V46 in platform 7 on 30-Nov-2023


TfW 'Premier Service' from Manchester to Cardiff leaving Shrewsbury showing DVT at rear

Related posts on other websites

TfW Premier Service (Wikipedia)
Bangor Station Building (British Listed Buildings)
Bangor Tunnel Portal (British Listed Buildings)

Usual disclaimer: the above links worked when this post was published but may cease to work in the future if the site owner makes changes.

Related posts on this website

Rail Travel in January 2022

Historical Gradient Diagram, North Wales Line

BR Gradient Diagrams published by Ian Allen

My pictures

Whilst I added very few pictures on the journeys described above, there are a number of earlier pictures in albums covering areas passed through which are linked below:-



Crewe Area Rail
London & Birmingham Railway
London: Euston Station
North Wales Line (Llandudno-Holyhead)
North Wales Line (Crewe-Llandudno)
Nuneaton Station
Rugby Station
Shrewsbury Area Railways
Stafford area rail
Wellington, ex-Great Western Railway
West Midland Railways
Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line