A liitle background
The geology of Wales gave the country massive deposits of coal and other minerals. Initially, early tramroads were used to assist extraction but the growth of steam power (in manufacturing, railways and steamships) increased demand and led to a series of railways being created. The Dulais Valley had a number of mines, giving rise to various local iron and copper works.
Over time, underground mining gave way to opencast mining. Excavators first remove topsoil which is taken away by large dump trucks (called 'Haulers') and stored in soil mounds to be reused 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, equipped with a network of roads allowing 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.
Until 2022, coal from Nant Helen was loaded onto rail wagons at Onllwyn Washery and carried away using the former Neath and Brecon Railway. 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 forced closure of the mine and Washery and the railway was mothballed.
The Welsh Government, Powys County Council and Neath Port Talbot County Council developed an ambitious scheme to convert the Nant Helen site into a world-class test site for railway rolling stock and advanced railway infrastructure construction techniques called Global Centre for Rail Excellence (GCRE). GCRE will compete with existing facilities at Wildenrath, Velim and Old Dalby (Wikipedia)
The Open Day
Invitees to the open day were representatives from organisations who'd been involved in Innovate UK Phase 1 Bids at the site and were interested in bidding for further support on twelve projects during Phase 2 of this project. The meeting point was Onllwyn Welfare Hall (formerly Onllwyn Miners' Welfare Hall). After brief introductions given by GCRE staff, participants were divided into a number of parties to be escorted on a tour of the site using a fleet of Land Rovers. The site of GCRE is currently a building site where remediation work is being carried out using heavy plant, so the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, usually referred to as 'CDM Regs', apply requiring invitees to use full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the tour.
GCRE: Onllwyn Welfare Hall, GCRE 'Open Day'
The Land Rovers were lined up in the car park outside the Welfare Hall and, once loaded, a short drive on public roads took us to the road overbridge where the currently-disused single-line railway from Neath enters the Nant Helen site near Onllwyn Washery.
GCRE: View from bridge over railway on Onllwyn Road, looking towards former Washery. Note trap points, operated from single-lever ground frame incorporating a keylock
GCRE: View from bridge over railway on Onllwyn Road, looking towards Neath. In the distance, note the level crossing on an internal site road formerly used by mining vehicles.
We then continued on a surfaced internal site road towards the offices of the former opencast complex.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour approaching offices/car park through land restored L: 1995-2000 R: 1980-1990
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour passing the Offices/Car Park
We continued past the offices to the northern boundary of the site where we stopped to see the result of remediation work, including tree planting, carried out between 1993 and 1998.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour paused to show the land towards the north of the site restored between 1993 and 1998.
Looking north, there were impressive view towards the Brecon Beacons with Abercrave village in the foreground (served by the A4221 road hidden in the trees).
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour showing Abercrave to the north of the site.
The Land Rovers returned to the office complex and turned west, past rows of parked heavy plant left and right and what I assumed were the vehicle maintenance workshops. From here, we continued on what had been named the Haul Road - a feature of mining sites where massive vehicles bring back the extracted material from the working face to a central point for processing or distribution. Some heavy plant was in use but many vehicles appeared to be in store. Presumably some of the plant previously used in the extraction of coal has been re-purposed for the ongoing remediation work.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour showing tracked excavators in store. They appear to be Komatsu PC 2000. CAT 'Dozers' are also parked
Our Land Rovers started to prove their worth as we entered a grey 'moonscape' where the surface, frequently wide enough for a motorway, had been rolled but not surfaced.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour on the Haul Road
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour showing a 20-ton tracked excavator (JCB 220X LC) operated by Walters with a number of Volvo A30G Articulated Haulers parked
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour on the Haul Road showing a CAT 'Medium Dozer' being refuelled from a Fuel Bowser
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour passes a Volvo A30G Articulated Hauler ('Dump Truck') which can carry a 29 tonne net load
I was fascinated as we approached an unfamiliar-looking tracked machine being loaded onto a trailer. By the time we passed the scene, the machine had been left halfway up the trailer ramp. It appeared to be a drilling rig but, knowing nothing of groundworks, it took a little searching to conclude it was a Eijkelkamp Fraste CRS XL140 DUO multi-purpose sonic rig.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour on the Haul Road with plant at work and Drilling Rig about to be loaded onto low loader hauled by tractor
Eijkelkamp Fraste drilling rig: It appears to be a CRS XL140 DUO multi-purpose sonic rig (GCRE)
Mining operations had left a large Void and the tour paused to allow the appearance, somehat softened by remediation work and fringed by spruce trees, to be viewed.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour paused to view the Void
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour at The Void
At the highest point on the site, we passed a battered-looking self-supporting telescopic antenna which had been used for site communication using hand portables or private mobile radios.
GCRE: Land Rover Site Tour passes a rather battered transmission tower which supported site communications
The Land Rovers then returned us to the Welfare Hall for welcome refreshments.
GCRE: Onllwyn Welfare Hall, GCRE 'Open Day'
In the afternoon, we had a walking tour, proceeding on foot to the railway bridge on Onllwyn Road. After some discussion regarding the planned work to renew the rusting structure and adjust the railway track level, we took the internal site road to the level crossing on the Neath site of the bridge. It looked as if the level crossing and associated site roads had been provided to allow heavy road traffic from the mine to reach the Washery without crossing the rather fragile-looking road bridge.
GCRE: Washery-Depot Area Walking Tour, GCRE Open Day, showing party joining the branch line at the level crossing
The tour continued along the railway track towards the Washery, passing under the Onllwyn Road bridge.
GCRE: Washery-Depot Area Walking Tour, GCRE Open Day, showing Onllwyn Road bridge with stone-built pediments.
We passed the original trap points, operated from a key-locked single-lever ground frame, which controlled movements from the Washery area onto the single line to Neath. Two original turnouts remain, as the single line fans out, but further on all permanent way has been lifted with a few panels of track neatly piled.
GCRE: Washery-Depot Area Walking Tour, GCRE Open Day, showing two turnouts and stop block. Note spare track panels in background.
Beyond here, the original sidings have been lifted and earthworks have been carried out, leaving a solitary abandoned CCTV camera (fitted in what appears to be a Dennard pan and tilt housing with windscreen wiper).
GCRE: Washery-Depot Area Walking Tour, GCRE Open Day, showing abandoned CCTV camera. Note tripod for surveying equipment in background.
Although the walking had tired me, it was disappointing that we didn't go further into the Washery area but instead cut through a car park near the security building and site entrance from Onllwyn Road to regain the public road and return to the Welfare Hall.
An unusual and absorbing visit.
Introduction to other Test Centres on other websites
Wegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre (Wikipedia)
Velim test centre (Wikipedia)
VUZ TEST CENTRE VELIM
Old Dalby Test Track (Wikipedia)
The Old Dalby Test Track
Related articles on other websites
History of Onllwyn Collieries (Welsh Coal Mines)
Global Centre for Rail Excellence (Wikipedia)
Eijkelkamp Fraste CRS XL140 DUO
Coal Authority (Wikipedia)
Related posts on this website
By Train to Newport (Getting to Wales for the Open Day)
My pictures
GCRE.
