W.R. Early 1980s Freight Photos - South Wales Severn Tunnel Junction to Pantyffynnon.

[Richard_A]

I like this thread so much, I've bought your book. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by rka

[D826]

....and Kevin, I spent some quality time on Christmas day with a pint (or 3) of Tring Brewery Ridgeway and your rather excellent book, The Western Region in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

One happy customer.  Super book.  

 

A few days too early  but a happy and healthy New Year all.

 

Matt W

Edited December 28, 2020 by D826
For coherent English

[SouthernBlue80s]

2 hours ago, D826 said:

....and Kevin, I spent some quality time on Christmas day with a pint (or 3) of Tring Brewery Ridgeway and your rather excellent book, The Western Region in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

One happy customer.  Super book.  

 

A few days too early  but a happy and healthy New Year all.

 

Matt W

 

Yes It is a good book, it has nice feel to it. I look at it sometimes to wind down before I go to sleep.

 

 

[Rivercider]

16 hours ago, rka said:

I like this thread so much, I've bought your book. 

Thanks very much.

I enjoyed my trips to South Wales, mostly just me, my camera, sandwiches, Baker Rail Atlas and OS map.

I met a lot of friendly folk, both rail staff and members of the public, and have happy memories.

 

cheers 

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, D826 said:

....and Kevin, I spent some quality time on Christmas day with a pint (or 3) of Tring Brewery Ridgeway 

 

 

I read that as a pint of Tri-ang Brewery ....

I really do need to go to my optician's appointment this afternoon. 

[Rivercider]

3 hours ago, D826 said:

....and Kevin, I spent some quality time on Christmas day with a pint (or 3) of Tring Brewery Ridgeway and your rather excellent book, The Western Region in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

One happy customer.  Super book.  

 

A few days too early  but a happy and healthy New Year all.

 

Matt W

Cheers Matt. I was surprised but flattered that Amberley asked me to write a book, and it was a learning curve for me. The books are not heavyweight reference works, but I have tried to include as much background information as I could. 

I like the idea  of a pint or two with a book. I must admit to spending quite a few summer afternoons during lockdown sat in our back garden re-reading a number of my railway books with a pint of cider beside me,

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

52 minutes ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

 

Yes It is a good book, it has nice feel to it. I look at it sometimes to wind down before I go to sleep.

 

 

Thanks Steve.

Looking at old photos brings back happy memories for me, which has been a welcome distraction in recent months,

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

Moving west we come to Margam Yard which had been built in the early 1960s.

The lengthy yard complex lay on the down side of the main line, there were junctions to connect to the main line at Margam Middle Junction and Water Street Junction to the east.

 37256 passes Water Street Junction with the weekday Fishguard Harbour to Severn Tunnel Junction Speedlink service. Behind the loco the former ferry van is acting as a barrier to the VEAs which are probably loaded with MOD stores from Trecwn. 12/11/85

 

Margam Yard as viewed from the East End hump. 28/7/80.

On this day I had accompanied my dad who was a WR civil engineers wagon supervisor, he was hunting for lost or delayed engineers wagons. We had caught the staff workabus from Port Talbot station out to Margam. 

 

cheers

 

 

[Richard_A]

1 hour ago, Rivercider said:

Thanks very much.

I enjoyed my trips to South Wales, mostly just me, my camera, sandwiches, Baker Rail Atlas and OS map.

I met a lot of friendly folk, both rail staff and members of the public, and have happy memories.

 

cheers 

Just been flicking through this morning and it confirms that I have no idea which bit of south Wales I find the most interesting because all of it is. 

[Rivercider]

Although Margam depot only had an allocation of class 08 locos (there were 9 of them on the books in 1980) a variety of locos visited for fuel and exam. 

While on the visit to Margam with my dad that day there were a number of locos stabled there, big and small.

 

56040 stabled at Margam depot 28/7/80.

 

That day the cripple sidings also contained D850 a Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0dm Margaret Bristowe which was undergoing maintenance. Margaret Bristowe was the wife of Commander R H Bristowe a board member of Milford Haven Docks Co. where the loco normally worked, 28/7/80.

 

cheers

 

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Rivercider
spelling

[37114]

Thanks for sharing the photos Kevin, great to see some some South Wales class 37s

[Rivercider]

13 hours ago, 37114 said:

Thanks for sharing the photos Kevin, great to see some some South Wales class 37s

Thanks Rob.

There will be a few more 37s to see as we continue to head west.

I guess if anyone does not appreciate 37s this is not the thread for them!

 

cheers

[Richard_A]

How many pictures do you have of the Swansea area? 

 

Best regards Richard 

[Rivercider]

3 hours ago, rka said:

How many pictures do you have of the Swansea area? 

 

Best regards Richard 

The only locations in the Swansea area I visited were Swansea station, where I took about 30 photos over several visits. I also made several visits Swansea Burrows/Swansea Docks and took about 30 photos there. I will add a selection of the Swansea Burrows and Swansea Docks photos  to this thread.

 

cheers 

[Rivercider]

Moving to Port Talbot, here is more coal traffic on view.

 

37291 and 37231 head west with an empty MGR set from Aberthaw. In the background in the goods yard can be seen 16t minerals (TOPS code MCV and MCO) with domestic coal, while 37273 heads east running light diesel. Port Talbot panel signal box is on the right. 7/7/81

 

 

47147 heads west at Port Talbot with a train formed entirely of empty HTVs (21t hoppers). 7/7/81

 

Looking the other way from the footbridge we see 37255 and 37236 passing through Port Talbot with a loaded MGR set for Aberthaw. The station was renamed Port Talbot Parkway in December 1984. 7/7/81.

 

cheers 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Rivercider
additional information

[Rivercider]

Coal, steel, and petroleum products were the principle commodities handled in South Wales,

we have had coal at Port Talbot, here is some variety, (but still only a 47 and 37).

47286 heads eastbound through Port Talbot. My notes have this as an unidentified Speedlink working, though looking at the wagons BAA/BBA and VCA it is probably a working from either of the BSC tinplate works Trostre or Velindre. 7/7/81.

 

 

37289 brings tanks from the BP refinery at Llandarcy up through Port Talbot. Llandarcy was the earliest of the oil refineries to be built in South Wales  7/7/81. 

 

cheers

[Richard_A]

1 hour ago, Rivercider said:

The only locations in the Swansea area I visited were Swansea station, where I took about 30 photos over several visits. I also made several visits Swansea Burrows/Swansea Docks and took about 30 photos there. I will add a selection of the Swansea Burrows and Swansea Docks photos  to this thread.

 

cheers 

Thank you very much. 

[Rivercider]

Finally at Port Talbot three more trains coming up from the west, including an old friend of mine Cycleclips.

 

47087 Cyclops passes Port Talbot with a Freightliner 5 set. I'm not sure but could this have possibly originated from either BSC Trostre or Velindre tinplate works rather than Danygraig Freightliner terminal? 7/7/81

 

 

A pair of the Landore allocated class 37s that were modified for triple heading on the iron ore services are in multiple on an MGR service for Aberthaw. 37304 and 37303 head through Port Talbot. 7/7/81.

 

37305, another of the modified 37s approaches Port Talbot. The fully fitted train is formed of  MCVs and HTVs so I assume it is loaded with house coal for various destinations. 7/7/81

 

cheers

 

 

 

 

 

[Rivercider]

I did not visit all the locations in South Wales, my only visit to Briton Ferry was with my dad when he was on duty hunting engineers wagons. We went to Thomas Wards scrap yard as I recall. Apparently in the past before TOPS it was not unknown for a wagon to disappear along with the scrap it contained.

While we were at Briton Ferry a train called to detach empty plate wagons for Albion Steelworks.

37286 calls at Briton Ferry with steel empties as an unidentified class 37 heads west for Milford Haven. Instamatic snap 29/11/78.

 

My first visit to Swansea Burrows was with my dad, again when he was on duty.

I knew that a large tonnage of coal was exported through Swansea Docks, but I was quite surprised at the amount of railway infrastructure I saw still in use.

47249 had recently arrived at Swansea Burrows with a freight service and is seen shunting beside Swansea Burrows signal box. 5/11/80.

 

Looking east at Swansea Burrows, 08489 is the yard pilot, 47249 has recently arrived with a train and stands awaiting the next move.  The train of MDOs (21t mins) on the left is loaded with export coal, the loaded HTVs (21t hops) are probably destined for Swansea Eastern Coal Depot, 5/11/80,

 

cheers

 

cheers 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Rivercider
spelling

[SouthernBlue80s]

Kevin. I wish I had taken pictures of places like this I visited in South Wales. Anyway nice to see your pictures of those times.

Cheers Steve

Edited December 30, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[Northmoor]

I won't post them on your thread as, well it's yours, but I've probably got lots of shots from the same area and especially further West.  I grew up in Pembs but my Dad did a lot of work around Port Talbot in the late 80s; on days when he was going there in the school holidays I used to go with him.  He'd go off to a site meeting and leave me at the lineside somewhere(!), anywhere between the path crossing at the West end of the Knuckle Yard and Stormy Summit.  I certainly took a few photos at Burrows Sidings and of the Wagon works on a cycle ride in about 1988.  Like everyone I wish I'd taken more, I have almost nothing of the District Line for instance.

 

I will follow your thread with interest.

[9C85]

I was surprised and delighted to find extra material had been added to this thread. These are from bang on my era of growing up in the valleys. I wish I had known what was going on in the Cynon valley as I was  only  'over the hill in the Rhondda at that time

[Rivercider]

Thanks for all the comments. I have learned a lot from those with local knowledge as we have gone along. 

Sorry, I don't have any photos from the Swansea District Line to share. 

 

Having visited Swansea Burrows with my dad and being quite amazed at the place I went back a few times and was able to watch some of the local shunting going on. It must have been quite a place back in its heyday.

In September 1986 export coal traffic in MDOs was still busy, but would cease the following year.

A train of export coal arrived at Swansea Burrows behind 37506, and was shunted by the Burrows yard pilot.

 

A general view of Swansea Burrows with the signal box, and a variety of traffic including steel carriers and coal wagons. 19/9/86.

37506 in the new Railfreight livery has just arrived at Swansea Burrows with export coal from Onllwyn. 19/9/86

 

After the train loco has been detached and stood aside, and the brake van cut off, the Swansea Burrows pilot 08780 shunts the MDOs of coal. There were two other class 08s on duty in Swansea Docks that day, we will see them later. 19/9/86 

 

cheers

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Rivercider
tidying up

[Rivercider]

Although coal traffic predominated at Swansea Burrows and Docks there was other freight traffic.

 

A general view of Swansea Burrows looking east in 1983, the yard pilot this day was 08769, notice the coal traffic standing in the set of sidings on the right. 9/11/83.

 

Among the other freight locations in the area were Wagon Repairs who had a depot at Port Tennant where various private owner wagons were repaired. Gower Chemicals was another freight customer. In September 1986 Burrows pilot 08780 passes the signal box with a single TTA. This tank car was one of a batch of 17 rebuilt by Marcrofts in 1984, they were used by ISC Chemicals at Hallen Marsh for forwarding sulphuric acid. Gower Chemicals was one customer, also another customer at Stratford Market east London, and a single tank would regularly go to the ROF at Puriton. 19/9/86.

 

Looking slightly to the left we can see that the track layout had been much more extensive.

  

Swansea Burrows pilot 08769 is in front of the industrial decay of the Ashland Chemical plant. Swansea Burrows lies to the right, to the left the line went to the wagon works, and Swansea East Coal Depot. I think other locations like BSC Landore were closed or no longer rail served by this date. 9/11/83.

 

cheers

Edited December 31, 2020 by Rivercider
clarification

[Rivercider]

The other major freight customers in the Swansea Burrows area were Freightliners, the Danygraig terminal being located a little to the east, and Fords who had a plant nearby. For many years there was a nightly Swansea - Dagenham and Dagenham - Swansea pair of services to connect the Fords plants.

Swansea Burrows pilot at work in what I believe was the 'A' set of sidings. The cranes of Danygraig Freightliner terminal can be seen in the distance as well as the Fords plant. Gower Chemicals was also east of the yard. 19/9/86

 

The shunter gives an instruction to the driver of 08780. 19/9/86.

 

Many of these photos have been taken from Fabian Way, the connecting lines from Swansea Burrows passed under Fabian way into Swansea Docks, looking the other way gave a view of the storage yard in the docks, and a distant view of the coal hoists.

 

cheers 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Rivercider
Additional info