To Wales by Car

I'd agreed to attend a business meeting near Bangor on Tuesday 22nd August, 2023. The people we're working with on this project were travelling from the south-west on Monday to be at the meeting and they suggested that we might travel together by car and that they would collect me around 1 p.m. This allowed me to work in the office in the morning, before they arrived at lunchtime.

The weather was good, so there was time for a brief tour of the garden and the Hall before we set-off together. It was agreed that we'd take the 'pretty route', using the A5 through Llangollen. Since this would take us near the commercial woodland at Ty Gwyn, it was further agreed that we'd make a short detour to Ty Gwyn as neither of my friends had previously visited the plantation.

After a pleasant journey, the weather remained mild on arrival at Ty Gwyn and we were able to explore the forest roads on foot.


Alex and Steve at Ty Gwyn 2023


Ty Gwyn 2023: Progress achieved by the sitka spruce which was replanted in 2016.


Splendid Rowan berries: Ty Gwyn 2023

Leaving Ty Gwyn, we headed on through the spectacular scenery around Snowdonia as the weather rapidly deteriorated. Having negotiated heavy rain, conditions improved as we approached Bangor at dusk. Overnight accommodation had been arranged at The Management Centre operated by Bangor University. The main university campus at Bangor is at the summit of a hill overlooking the town and the Menai Strait. The Management Centre is a Residential Training, Conference and Events Venue housed in three buildings built in 1910 on the slope below the main campus. After restoration and refurbishment, these three buildings were re-opened with their present role in 2010. My pleasantly-situated room in one residential block gave a view of the main Management Centre building to the left, faced a similar residential block and revealed the Menai Strait looking to the right.


Main Management Centre building, Bangor


View of the Menai Strait from The Management Centre, Bangor

We'd arrived early enough to take dinner in the '1884' restaurant at The Management Centre (1884 was the founding date of Bangor University). Informed that fish had run out (my usual choice), I opted for vegetarian tagliatelle which was very good. After the enjoyable meal with my friends, I was happy to retire to my well-appointed bedroom for a good night's sleep. On Tuesday morning, we took the buffet breakfast at the '1884' before setting off for our meeting.


Bedroom at The Management Centre, Bangor


Breakfast at '1884' Restaurant, The Management Centre, Bangor

Since our meeting was scheduled to last all day, we made a brief stop on the way at the large Marks and Spencer's supermarket to select sandwiches, snacks and drinks to sustain us. The meeting was near Bethesda at Felin Fawr Cyf. Here, a series of early industrial buildings have been converted into 'Units' for small business use. Concentrating on the business of the meeting, my antenna failed to alert me to the significance of the location until Steve said "There's an abandoned railway out the back!". When the meeting finished, Steve was hoping to drive back to South Wales, dropping me off on the way so there wasn't much time to explore, but I made sure of a few pictures to prompt further study later. I was puzzled that the truncated trackwork, with a gauge of around two feet, included some modern sleepers, indicating fairly recent (say within 10 years) maintenance. Well, that was a puzzle for the future. I was returned home safely by car after an interesting couple of days and eventually added a post about the Penrhyn Quarry Railway here.


Railway sidings at Felin Fawr

Related posts on other websites

The Management Centre, Bangor.


Related posts on this website

My posts on Brewood Hall are here.
My posts on Ty Gwyn are here.

My pictures

My pictures of Brewood Hall are here.
My pictures of Ty Gwyn are here.
My pictures of The Management Centre are here.
My pictures at Felin Fawr Cyf (showing the reconstructed trackwork) are here.


[Link to Penrhyn Quarry Railway post added 31-Oct-2023]

Global Centre for Rail Excellence Open Day

On Monday 12th June 2023, I visited the former Nant Helen Opencast and associated Onllwyn Washery site (extending to 550 hectares) which is to become the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) in South Wales to attend their 'Open Day'. I travelled by rail to Newport the previous day with an overnight stay in Newport (described here). before the 'Open Day' visit.

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.

Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

On 25th July 2023, Brewood Garden Party was held, for the ninth time, in the garden at Brewood Hall. In 2023 it was a rather different experience as we had heavy, intermittent rain throughout the day (and the preceding and following days). Visitor numbers were somewhat down on previous years but the organisers were gratified that most people seemed determined to enjoy the event, rain or no rain!

Earlier in 2022, the organising committee (representing 2nd Brewood Scouts, Brewood Parish Church and the informal group Friends of Brewood Hall) met a number of times to plan the event.

Setting Up

During the two days prior to the event, the marquees, tents, tables, chairs and other items needed were brought to Brewood Hall from various locations using cars towing trailers. Brewood Scouts and other volunteers erected the tents and arranged the seating areas. On the day of the Garden Party, despite the indifferent weather, all the work was completed in time for the public to be admitted at noon. The Garden Party, lasting just four hours, requires a lot of commitment from those involved before, during and after the event.


Setting-up the event during rather indifferent weather: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


Erecting the marquees: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


Plenty of marquee space offered some defence against inclement weather: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

The Event

The weather prior to the Garden Party had been unusually cool with rain but the organisers decided that cancellation was not an option, although it was feared that, if wet, nobody would come. The morning of the garden party was a mixture of heavy rain, light rain with periods when the rain stopped and optimists cried "I think it's clearing up!". But the weather didn't improve much during the afternoon. To the relief of the organisers, at noon visitors started to arrive, seemingly determined to enjoy the event whatever the weather.

Once again, Peter Plowright was a welcoming presence on the admissions table, this time with rather limited protection from a gazebo.


Peter Plowright handled admissions: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

During the rainy periods, the refreshment tent provided plenty of tables and chairs under cover to enjoy the selection of drinks and food, ensuring the catering volunteers were kept busy throughout the afternoon. The adjacent Beer Tent offered locally-brewed Enville Ale, lager, Pimms and soft drinks and the next tent offered Burgers and Hot Dogs which proved very popular. Although the weather was less than ideal, a mobile ice-cream van made a visit during the afternoon and appeared to do reasonable business.


The Refreshment Tent was always busy: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


Enville Ale, Lager, Pimms and soft drinks at the Beer Tent: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


Burgers and Hot Dogs were available throughout: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

Young visitors were well looked after by the attractions with a large marquee with games and Tuck Shop. Outside, there was the ever-popular coconut shy, they could closely examine the locomotive 'Phoenix' (although, sadly, not in steam) and Brewood's big red Fire Engine.


A large marquee housing games and attractions for children was always busy: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


The steam locomotive 'Phoenix', although static, was popular with youngsters: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


The Fire Service displayed the impressive Brewood equipment: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

We welcomed back local group 'Hubbub' who entertained during the afternoon. As usual, there was a Tombola stall and members of the parish church had produced a wide range of Plants and Produce for sale.


'Hubbub' provided a variety of music throughout the event: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


Left: Extra refreshment stall seating, Centre: Music group 'Hubbub', Right: Tombola stall. The Hall watches all the activities impassively at Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


The Plants and Produce Stall attracted plenty of interest: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

Established favorites Chase Ferrets returned with their animals. Ferrets are part of the weasel family and were first domesticated over 2,500 years ago. Brighter Days Dog Rescue made their first appearance.


Established favorites Chase Ferrets attended again: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023


Brighter Days Rescue made their first visit: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

The Brewood Community Hub now has a wide range of activities and clubs including Baby Sling, Bouncing Bunnies, Dementia Support Group, Sewcialise and Table Tennis. Rooms are used by Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Guides and Brownies and are available for hire. In connection with the Community Hub Art Club, Hannah Broadhead Art arranged an extensive display of her art.


Crochet, knitting and other crafts on a Brewood Community Hub stall: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

Despite the less-than-ideal weather, all reports from visitors were encouraging. Not only did people enjoy the activities but funds were generated for the supported charitable initiatives.


Not all rain! In the background (L-R) Coconut Shy, Hot Dog Stall, Beer Tent: Brewood Hall Garden Party 2023

After the Event

The Event closed at four o'clock leaving lots of work for the volunteers. Admissions money and stall takings were counted on the day with Geoff H. then arranging refund of agreed expenses and distribution of nett proceeds to the beneficiary charities. Dismantling the stalls and Marquees was started on the day but loading up trailers and returning equipment to storage was spead over a couple of days.

Reports on previous garden parties at Brewood Hall

Brewood Vintage Garden Party 2013.
Brewood Vintage Garden Party 2014.
Brewood Garden Party 2015.
Brewood Garden Party 2016.
Brewood Garden Party 2017.
Brewood Garden Party 2018.
Brewood Garden Party 2019.
Brewood Garden Party 2022.

Related posts on other websites

2nd Brewood Scouts
Chase Ferret Rescue
Brighter Days Rescue

Pictures of the event in 2023

Depending on the display device, the right hand edge of pictures may not display. To see an uncropped image, click on the picture. Alternately, you can find the image by following the link below and display or download the image in various resolutions.

Brewood Garden Party 2023

By Train to Newport

A visit to the site which is to become the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) in South Wales to attend their 'Open Day' involved a Sunday journey to Newport on 11th June 2023, returning the following day after a visit to the extensive GCRE site.

Sunday travel is rarely convenient on the British Railway Network as it's a favourite day for Network Rail to carry out engineering works, frequently substituting Rail Replacement Bus Services for part or all of the route of scheduled trains. I expected to find a Cross Country service via Bristol Parkway but, instead there appeared to be a number of trains running between Nottingham and Newport via Gloucester, with a bus service forward to Cardiff. I pre-booked tickets online.

On Sunday, Dean took me by road to Wolverhampton station in plenty of time to catch my first train to Birmingham New Street. At Birmingham, I made my way to the wide concourse area connecting the different platforms. The station was very busy but I easily located the Passenger Information Screens which showed my train approaching platform 12 on time. After purchasing food for the onward journey, I made my way to the platform which was crammed with passengers. Platform 12 is the highest-numbered platform, sharply-curved on the southern side of the station.

The first station in Birmingham was the 1838 Curzon Street, equipped with a suitably grand building by the London and Birmingham Railway. Although the grade 1 listed building survives, it has been neglected for years. It's to become subsumed into the ridiculous new terminus being built for the unwanted and expensive HS2 railway.


Curzon Street station building in 2007

Curzon Street was relegated to a goods depot when New Street Station was built, one kilometre to the south-west. The rail approaches to New Street were all by tunnel so the cramped station was built in a 'hole in the ground' between the North and South tunnels. The London and North Western Railway managed to get straight platforms but the Midland Railway had to settle for curved platforms which are little changed today. Glazed, arched train shed roofing originally covered the platforms. That on the London and North Western side was lost, I think to bombing in the second world war, so I only remember the utilitarian umbrella roofing which replaced it but I remember the Midland side train shed which survived the war in a dingy and delapidated state. British Railways rebuilt the station by burying the whole area beneath a multi-storey building and its approaches. Even after electrification (and still today) many of the services remained diesel powered, ensuring an unpleasant environment for waiting passengers. Birmingham New Street held my 'Britain's most unpleasant station' award for many years until it was decided to rebuild the station again, creating years of additional confusion for passengers as the work proceeded. Unfortunately, because of the site constraints, few of the fundamental defects could be remedied, although I think platform ventilation is improved. The station now boasts an even larger shopping centre, styling itself 'Grand Central'. Having visited the rather better-known Grand Central in New York, I think the appropriation of the name at New Street is unjustified.


Grand Central, Birmingham New Street: Atrium showing retail outlets at Concourse Level and around the Gallery.

My train, a Class 170 3-car diesel multiple unit, arrived on time and a stream of passengers got off, to be replaced by the hordes waiting on the platform. I gratefully found my reserved seat and tucked myself in the corner. If I'd noticed just how many young people had boarded, I might not have been surprised when, at our first stop at University after just five minutes travel, a large number of passengers abandoned the train. Even after the exodus, the train remained pretty crowded. The next stop was Worcestershire Parkway. This is a recent addition, opened 2020, with a large car park. In addition to the two platforms on the former Midland route to Bristol (now called the 'Cross Country Line'), the station has a third platform on the Oxford and Worcester line which crosses over at this point. The Oxford and Worcester is marketed as the 'Cotswold Line' and is single line between Norton Junction (a little to the west of the new station) for the ten miles to Evesham.

Our next stop was Cheltenham Spa. Because of the Byzantine complexity of the pricing structure for train tickets, 'Split Ticketing' is now commonplace. For instance, it is often cheaper to buy a Birmingham-Cheltenham Spa ticket and a separate Cheltenham Spa-Newport ticket, rather than a combined Birmingham-Newport ticket. Many of the online booking services now incorporate this feature in their pricing automatically, requiring me to print and manage two tickets for the journey from Birmingham to Newport on one train. Leaving Cheltenham Spa, we bowled along happily until Barnwood Junction, where we diverged right onto the northern leg of the triangular junction leading to Gloucester. Once again, there was quite an interchange of passengers before we continued on our way, showing a decent turn of speed in between stops at Lydney, Chepstow and Caldicot.

Just after Caldicot, our route converged with the Great Western Main Line, rising up from the Welsh portal of the 4 mile 628 yard long Severn Junnel. It was clear from the 'Freightliner' Class 66 on a ballast train and the collection of yellow-liveried track machines that the tunnel route was under an Engineering Possession and not available to normal trains that day.


Ballast train and Track machines on the Great Western Main Line just east of Severn Tunnel Junction station viewed from Caldicot line

Continuing west from Severn Tunnel Junction, there are four running lines, paired by direction. The Bishton Flyover re-arranges the order of the lines into paired by use. This was presumably to facilitate freight traffic entering and leaving the massive Llanwern Steelworks site. Steelmaking ceased some years ago and much of the site is being re-developed by St. Modwen. Spain's CAF are assembling Class 197 'Civity' diesel multiple units for Transport for Wales at a thirty million pound new factory here. My train negotiated Maindee East Junction and Maindee West Junction where the Welsh Marches line to Hereford and Shrewsbury makes a triangular junction with the the South Wales Main Line, crossed over the River Usk and quietly came to a stand in platform 1 at Newport. On that day, the service was terminating at Newport, rather than continuing to Cardiff, so passengers for Cardiff were forced to complete their journey by a Rail Replacement bus.


Newport Station Platform 1, after arrival of Class 170 from Nottingham

I was booked into the Mercure Hotel for the night and had arranged that Steve M. would meet me later at the hotel for an evening meal. I toyed with the idea of a taxi for the short distance to the hotel but the weather was fine and I only had a small pull-along case so I decided to continue on foot. My route took me through what I imagine is now called the 'Hospitality Quarter' - pedestrianised streets of colourful bars and restaurants. Judging by the amount of litter I waded through on that Sunday afternoon, the previous night had been a commercial success. The hotel entrance was an unassuming affair in pedestrianised Upper Dock Street opposite Friars Walk Shopping Centre and Leisure Complex. Steps and a ramp led through glass doors to a spartan reception with a reception desk at the far end and lift doors on the left led to the rest of the hotel. Checking-in was quick and friendly and the lift took me to my room on the eighth floor. The room was well-appointed with a decent bed and an excellent en-suite shower, wash basin and W.C. The large window gave a splendid view across the River Usk and the east of the city. Upstream, to the left, the river was crossed by the arched road bridge called Newport Bridge, adjacent to the remains of Newport Castle, with the railway bridge beyond.


Newport, Wales: View from 8th floor, Mercure Hotel showing railway and road bridges over the Usk

Downstream, I could see the stark, modernist Newport City Footbridge, opened in 2006. This cable-stayed bridge is supported by two tubular steel 'A'-frames 80 metres and 69 metres in length giving the bridge a span of 145 metres. In the foreground, I had a detailed view of the flat roof of Friars Walk, covered with all sorts of heating and ventilating equipment and ducts. I took a leisurely shower and relaxed. My inclination is always to get out and explore an unfamiliar location but, tired from the travelling, I decided to settle for a 'virtual tour' by studying the book 'Newport History Tour' given to me by Steve. In the evening, I enjoyed a good meal in the hotel's restaurant with Steve and his partner before they returned home and I retired as I knew the following day would prove taxing. Steve arranged to return next morning in time for us to both have breakfast at the hotel before setting off for GCRE.

After a good night's sleep, I arose early and decided there was time for a brief exploration before Steve arrived for breakfast. My interest had been piqued by a reference in the 'Newport History Tour' book to Early Power Transformers in Park Square and I judged there was time to walk there and see for myself. It was a fine morning and the city centre was just starting to awake. I was delighted to see contractors scrubbing and washing pavements ready for the new day. I found a disused, preserved transformer near the top of Park Square. I'm used to cast iron cabinets installed on pavements mounting substantial fuses to protect street mains but the cylindrical, decorated pillar I found was a much grander affair. At some point, it had been nicely repainted in blue, with detailing picked out in pale blue and although there was obvious damage, it still looked quite handsome. I believe this relic dates from around 1894 when a power station in Llanarth Street, Newport distributed alternating current at 2,000 volts via rubber insulated cables to a series of these pillars where transformers extracted power at 200 volts a.c. for domestic use.


Newport, Wales: Park Square Transformer

There were tall, hinged doors at low level and smaller doors at high level. One of the larger doors had been opened and rusting on the hinges now prevented it from being closed, resulting in a collection of litter and leaves inside. The original transformer was still in situ, as shown below, but further study is needed to better understand the design.




Excited by what I'd found, I hurried back to the hotel for a sustaining English buffet breakfast with Steve before checking out. Steve and I then set off for the visit to GCRE.

Book references

[1] 'Newport History Tour' by Jan Preece (Amberley Publishing 2019) ISBN: 978 1 4456 9292 0.

Related posts on this website

Lionsmeet 2012 (A live-steam model event at Newport in 2012)
A Trip to South Wales (Part 2) (A visit to Newport in 2014)
Caldicot by Train (Travel on the same route in 2019)
Global Centre for Rail Excellence Open Day (Visit to GCRE)

My pictures

West Midland Railways.
Newport, Wales.
Newport area rail.

[Link to GCRE Visit post added: 9-Dec-2023]