Vale of Neath Railway

Infobox rail|railroad_name=Vale of Neath Railway
gauge=7 ft 0¼ in
length=44 miles
start_year=1851
end_year=1865
hq_city=Aberdare
locale=Wales
successor_line=Great Western Railway

The Vale of Neath Railway was a broad gauge railway line from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorgan, Wales, and also operated the Swansea and Neath Railway which gave it access to the docks at Swansea. It was opened on 24 September 1851 and amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 February 1865.

Chronology

*1846 Vale of Neath Railway authorised by Act of Parliament
*1851 Opened from Neath to Aberdare
*1853 Main line completed to Merthyr Tydfil
*1854 Dare Valley branch
*1857 Aberdare Valley Railway opened
*1862 Acquired the railways of the Swansea Harbour Trustees
*1863 Swansea and Neath Railway opened
*1865 Amalgamated with Great Western Railway

History

The railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 3 August 1846. The first section to be opened was the main line from Neath to Gelli Tarw Junction, and the branch from there to Aberdare, on 24 September 1851. The line from Gelli Tarw to Merthyr Tydfil was opened on 2 November 1853.

In 1854 to 1857 further branches were opened from Gelli Tarw into the Dare and Amman valleys. These were only used for goods traffic, but included the Dare Viaduct, one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's famous timber viaducts.

The Vale of Neath Railway leased the new Aberdare Valley Railway, which opened in 1857 from Aberdare to Middle Duffryn colliery.

wansea and Neath Railway

Since 1852, the Vale of Neath Railway had shipped coal from a wharf at Briton Ferry, but this entailed moving trains over the South Wales Railway. The alternative was for the South Wales Railway to haul coal trains up the steep incline to Swansea. In 1861 an Act of Parliament was passed for a new Swansea and Neath Railway which, by the time it opened on 15 June 1863, was owned by the Vale of Neath company.

The Vale of Neath had also been working its own coal trains over the South Wales Railway since 1861, and had taken over responsibility for working the railways of the Swansea Harbour Trustees too.

Gauge conversion

Almost the whole of the Vale of Neath system had a third rail added to its tracks in 1863. This mixed gauge allowed the Great Western Railway to run standard gauge trains from Hereford through to Swansea over a connection at Middle Duffryn.

The broad gauge rail was removed after the South Wales Railway was converted to standard gauge on 11 May 1872, although by this time the Vale of Neath Railway had been amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, this happening on 1 February 1865.

tations

*Aberdare branch
**Aberdare (1851)
**Merthyr Road (Temporary station 1851-1853)
*Merthyr to Neath
**Merthyr Tydfil (1853)
**Abernant (1854)
**Llwydcoed (1853)
**Hirwaun (1851)
**Glynneath (1851)
**Resolven (1851)
**Aberdulais (1851)
**Neath (1851, South Wales Railway station)
*Swansea and Neath Railway
**Neath (Low Level) (1863)
**Neath Abbey (1863)
**Briton Ferry Road (1863)
**Swansea East Dock (1880)
**Swansea Wind Street (1863)

Locomotives

:"Main article: Locomotives of the Great Western Railway"The Vale of Neath Railway owned 19 broad gauge and 6 standard gauge locomotives:
* No.s 1-6 4-4-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1851
* No.s 7-9 4-4-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1854, rebuilt as 0-6-0STs in 1858
* No.s 10-12 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1854
* No.s 13-15 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1856
* No.s 16-19 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1861
* No.s 20-23 0-6-0ST standard gauge locomotives
* No.s 24-25 0-8-0ST broad gauge locomotives delivered in 1864

ee also

Cornwall Railway viaducts

References

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