Unidentifed carriages Hengoed viaduct

[philip-griffiths]

In R Kidner’s update to Barrie’s Oakwood Press Locomotion Paper on the Brecon and Merthyr, there is a picture of a pannier hauling a two carriage train over Hengoed viaduct, made up of two non corridor brakes. This is the first picture of non-corridor stock that I’ve seen on the Taff Vale Extension.

 

If you have a copy of the book it is about p133 i think. I’d appreciate a heads up as to the GWR diagrams.

 

Many thanks.

 

Regards.

[chrisf]

Pilip

 

I don't have the book to hand but my first thoughts are that the two non-corridor coaches are the Dowlais CH to Nelson set, which in 1956-57 comprised two brake seconds.  The other possibility which comes to mind is that they are a B set based at Aberdare High Level which used to work as far east as Pontypool Road.  If this is the case my money is on it being a pair of E147 brake composites.  A cross-check with the 1958-59 CWP shows a B set booked to work Aberdare HL - Pontypool Road - Neath - Hengoed - Aberdare.

 

Sorry for the late reply - this topic came up in conversation in the pub this evening!

 

Chris 

[andrewnummelin]

Looking at the spacing of the vehicles, I suggest the coaches are close coupled, supporting Chris’s suggestion.

 

Makes me wonder again what were the coaches of the last train I travelled on from Blaenavon. As a young teenager I noted the loco (6656) but not the coach numbers. All three coaches were brake composites (1 first class compartment) - so a close coupled B set plus an extra, or 3 identical with normal buffers both ends? I should have been more observant!

[philip-griffiths]

Andrew and Chris,

 

thanks for the replies.  My mum travelled over the viaduct to School at Lewis Girls, from Pontllanfraith to Hengoed.  She says it was a non-corridor train.  There is a Pontypool-Hengoed (terminated) Term time only train in the WTT for 1944, I was wondering if this was it.  

 

anyway, someone was asking if there were any pictures of non-corridor stock on the line, now we have the evidence.

 

Enjoy Scaleforum Chris. I was due to be at an event to celebrate 200 years of the Institution of Civil Engineers in London tonight and was going to go up to Aylesbury tomorrow, but alas work commitments have kept me here.

 

regards