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

[hmrspaul]

Pantyffynon had this strange structure by the signing on point https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/sector/e52cb6f82

It may have been for sand - as has been mentioned there were steep grades to be climbed on the local line. 

 

Paul

[SouthernBlue80s]

As others have said. Pantyffynnon would make a great model. 

I wish I had the room to.

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by SouthernBlue80s
Spelling

[SED Freightman]

2 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

Pantyffynon had this strange structure by the signing on point https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/sector/e52cb6f82

It may have been for sand - as has been mentioned there were steep grades to be climbed on the local line. 

 

Paul

Definately a silo for the storage of dry sand delivered by road tanker, note the excess of sand on the adjacent track where loco sandboxes have been replenished with varying degrees of success.

[Rivercider]

The last two views from Pantyffynnon are back at the station and show the close proximity of the exchange sidings for Wernos washery which lay to the west of the Central Wales Line.

 

This view taken from the platform at Pantyffynnon with the Central Wales Line heading away south to Llandeilo Junction. In the background the yard pilot 08799 is making a shunt. Once it has moved clear 08662 which has now reached Pantyffynnon with the loaded MDOs  from Betws will draw out across the main line into the headshunt before reversing and propelling north the short distance to Wernos exchange sidings. 4/11/83

 

Looking north now from Pantyffynnon on another day we can see the exchange sidings for Wernos which lie to the west of the Central Wales Line. The crew are just boarding 08660 which will go to collect traffic from Wernos. 24/6/82,

 

cheers

Edited January 5, 2021 by Rivercider
clarification

[Rivercider]

Well I did not think that when I started this thread in March 2016 that it would take this long to get from Severn Tunnel Junction to Pantyffynnon! A lot has changed since I started out on the journey, life has thrown up some surprises, many pleasant, but with some challenges for all of us in 2020.

Thank you for all the comments, contributions, and corrections. Despite constant reference to my notes, maps, Baker rail atlases, and book collection I still managed to forget things, or get things wrong along the way including some locations. I am grateful to those members who have supplied local knowledge and anecdotes that help give a more rounded view of the freight scene of the 1980s in South Wales. I have also learned a lot, so thank you. 

 

I have used a number of photos from two of my previous books;

'Railways of the Western Region in the 1970s and 1980s', and 'South Wales Railways in the 1980s'.

 

I have also included some photos from a book that will hopefully be published in - EDIT - May 2021:

'Freight Trains of the Western Region in the 1980s'. This will be in a similar format to the other books, but in addition my friend and BR colleague Roland Carp kindly looked through his photo collection and allowed me to use 30 of his photos. None of his photos have been published before, they mostly date from 1985 to 1989 so help to give a fuller coverage of the whole decade.

 

To finish here is a photo from Severn Tunnel Junction taken in September 1986, most of us on BR could never imagine a day when a place like this would close, but it did indeed shut the following year in October 1987.

 

As the sun sets over  Severn Tunnel Junction a class 47 stands beside the bridge with another member of the class by the loco depot, and a pair of class 37s stand in the down yard. The haze behind the bridge pillar is from a class 33 on a Cardiff - Portsmouth Harbour service braking for the station call, which would then take me on my way home. 25/9/86.

 

cheers

Edited February 12, 2021 by Rivercider
Additional info

[SouthernBlue80s]

A very enjoyable thread Kevin.

I trip down memory lane for many of us.

As you said, things that seemed permanent disappeared rather rapidly.

Cheers

Steve

[corneliuslundie]

Yes, many thanks for putting these photos up. All after I left South Wales but a very familiar area. It had changed a lot from when I lived in Cardiff but it has changed even more since.

Jonathan

[rob D2]

Super job ! Thanks !

[Rivercider]

About two years after I started this thread I was fortunately offered the opportunity to produce a book about

'Freight Trains of the Western Region in the 1980s', one of the reasons this thread has been so slow. About 60 of the 180 photos in the book were taken in South Wales. My friend Roland Carp kindly looked through his photos and found some for use in the book. One of his photos was subsequently chosen for the front cover.

Edit - the book is now to be released in May 2021.

Heading through Cardiff Central is 45029 with 6A85 12.40 Llanwern to Margam conveying coil loaded 'eye to sky' on a mixture of BAA and BBA wagons. The loco was allocated to Toton at the time, as were all remaining members of class 45/0 at this date. RLC 19/5/86.

 

cheers

Edited February 12, 2021 by Rivercider
Additional info

[rob D2]

I shall look out for that . Your first volumes rub shoulders with some pretty esteemed diesel neighbours 

 

 

[Rivercider]

26 minutes ago, rob D2 said:

I shall look out for that . Your first volumes rub shoulders with some pretty esteemed diesel neighbours 

 

 

Thanks.

I have got quite a few of those on my own bookshelves. The Michael Rhodes book was one of my earliest purchases.

 

cheers

 

[griffgriff]

2 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I shall look out for that . Your first volumes rub shoulders with some pretty esteemed diesel neighbours 

 

 

I’ve got a few too but I have to say ‘Power of the 31s’ as a title always made me giggle.

 

Griff

[Kier Hardy]

On 05/01/2021 at 11:31, Rivercider said:

Well I did not think that when I started this thread in March 2016 that it would take this long to get from Severn Tunnel Junction to Pantyffynnon! A lot has changed since I started out on the journey, life has thrown up some surprises, many pleasant, but with some challenges for all of us in 2020.

Thank you for all the comments, contributions, and corrections. Despite constant reference to my notes, maps, Baker rail atlases, and book collection I still managed to forget things, or get things wrong along the way including some locations. I am grateful to those members who have supplied local knowledge and anecdotes that help give a more rounded view of the freight scene of the 1980s in South Wales. I have also learned a lot, so thank you. 

 

I have used a number of photos from two of my previous books;

'Railways of the Western Region in the 1970s and 1980s', and 'South Wales Railways in the 1980s'.

 

I have also included some photos from a book that will hopefully be published in March 2021:

'Freight Trains of the Western Region in the 1980s'. This will be in a similar format to the other books, but in addition my friend and BR colleague Roland Carp kindly looked through his photo collection and allowed me to use 30 of his photos. None of his photos have been published before, they mostly date from 1985 to 1989 so help to give a fuller coverage of the whole decade.

 

To finish here is a photo from Severn Tunnel Junction taken in September 1986, most of us on BR could never imagine a day when a place like this would close, but it did indeed shut the following year in October 1987.

 

As the sun sets over  Severn Tunnel Junction a class 47 stands beside the bridge with another member of the class by the loco depot, and a pair of class 37s stand in the down yard. The haze behind the bridge pillar is from a class 33 on a Cardiff - Portsmouth Harbour service braking for the station call, which would then take me on my way home. 25/9/86.

 

cheers

I've been fascinated by your thread - most enjoyable. I spent a lot of time in South Wales as a service engineer, so managed to make time for a lot of diversions and stop offs at various locations in the 80s & 90s. 

 

I hope you don't mind me posting pics in your thread, but here's some snaps taken at Swansea Burrows and the docks, as viewed from the bridge on Fabian Way. Taken summer 1995.

 

 

Cheers, Kier.

[Rivercider]

1 hour ago, Kier Hardy said:

I've been fascinated by your thread - most enjoyable. I spent a lot of time in South Wales as a service engineer, so managed to make time for a lot of diversions and stop offs at various locations in the 80s & 90s. 

 

I hope you don't mind me posting pics in your thread, but here's some snaps taken at Swansea Burrows and the docks, as viewed from the bridge on Fabian Way. Taken summer 1995.

 

 

Cheers, Kier.

Thanks.

 

I enjoyed my travels around South Wales, and scanning photos for the thread brought back happy memories.

Most of the locations I have not revisited since then so it is interesting to see your photos of Swansea Burrows and the docks - I do like then and now comparisons.

 

cheers  

[9C85]

On 01/01/2021 at 08:09, Rivercider said:

Happy new year to everyone on RMweb. Let us hope 2021 is a better year.

 

Back in 1980 when I made the visit to Swansea with my dad he only had business in the BR sidings at Swansea Burrows, but this is the view off the Fabian Way bridge looking into the Swansea Docks, I was amazed such a place still existed.

From the bridge I subsequently spent quite a few hours on later visits watching the shunting moves as the various pilots moved loaded and empty MDOs between the holding sidings and the coal hoists.

One of the two docks pilots 08259 passes Kings Dock Jcn Signal Box. To the left lines lead off to the East End Sidings, in the distance are the dockside cranes, and beyond them the coal hoists. To the right lines lead to the Violet Sidings. 9/11/83.

 

 

 

 

Kings Dock Jcn Signal Box. 9/11/83.

 

cheers

 

I have only ever seen a few photos of the Swansea docks railway . I too was amazed that it had this much infrastructure at a time when I could (should) have witnessed it in person.

The track layout and signalling is screaming out to be modelled . I love the multiple  crossovers and I  believe there was a dual-direction signal somewhere in the system? Having said that, would need a crazily big, crazily shaped baseboard 

[9C85]

Further to my post above, I have just found the following website: 

http://www.swanseadocks.co.uk/docksnewsite/railwaysignal.html

[brushman47544]

21 hours ago, 9C85 said:

Further to my post above, I have just found the following website: 

http://www.swanseadocks.co.uk/docksnewsite/railwaysignal.html

Includes quite a few of Rivercider's excellent photos by the look of it.