South Wales Colliery branch pictures. 1990s and now.

[andy stroud]

Today, out of curiosity, I had a drive around to re-visit some South Wales colliery branch locations where I had previously photographed trains in the 1990s. Here are a few 'Then and Now' type pictures.

 

OCEAN & DEEP NAVIGATION.

 

 

The location of this first picture is given in the Quail atlas as Ocean Junction. The tracks to the right of the picture go into Deep Navigation Colliery, whilst the single track to the left, running behind the camera goes to Taff Merthyr Colliery. Both pits closed in the early 1990s. I thought this was an interesting location and visited several times. Sometimes, two trains would cross here. My picture here shows 37 697 on 21 August 1991.

 

The picture below  shows the same location today. The trackbed has been raised a bit  and is now a footpath.

 

 

 

PENALLTA

 

 

This next picture shows 37 889 waiting for its train to be loaded at Penallta Colliery in October 1992. I actually had a very short cab ride in the loco ( just a few wagon lengths!) as the driver invited me into the cab and the train was moved forward during loading. It was a cold day and I remember it to be very warm inside the cab of the 37. If you look above the first (loaded) wagon, part of the winding gear of the colliery can be seen and this is the connection with the present-day picture, seen below.

 

 

 

LEAVING PENALLTA

 

 

This next picture shows the same train leaving the colliery site at Penallta and about to join the short branch which ran down to the junction at Ystrad Mynach  which is about a mile or so along the tracks which curve round to the left. Behind the camera was a dead-end. Since the closure and lifting of the line, a certain amount of landscaping has taken place so it is hard to be exactly sure of the same vantage point today, but I think the picture below if fairly close. Today a path runs along the old trackbed. The houses are standing on the old colliery site.

 

 

 

BLAENGARW

 

 

This next picture shows 37 897 waiting for its train to be loaded at Blaengarw, just outside of Pontycymmer. I failed to record the exact date of this trip but it was sometime during the summer 1996. Trains were not running everyday then. On a previous visit, a signalman at Tondu had given me the phone number of the box so I could phone to enquire when a train was due up the branch! 

The formation of the  trees on the hillside in the background offer a connection with todays view, below.

 

 

 

 

 

It was easy to chase the loaded train back down the branch and obtain  quite a few pictures as a road follows close by. There is actually still some track under the vegitation in the picture below, although the weather isn't so nice as in the 'before' picture.

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by andy stroud

[96701]

Fantastic, thanks. Interesting to note in the last 2 photos how it isn't just the railway where trees have grown.

[drjcontroller]

I visited the Blaengarw branch twice in 1996, 6th of July and 6th of September. Fascinating to see how it has changed in just over 20 years, thanks for posting these.

 

Douglas

[JohnH]

Thanks for posting these fascinating photos Andy. If you've any more, I'm sure there are many who would like to see them

[Rivercider]

Great stuff Andy, thanks for posting these.

I always find it fascinating to compare old and new pictures, and to visit the site or track of old railway lines.

It is surprising sometimes how quickly all trace is removed or built over, while elsewhere much can still be found beneath the undergrowth many years later.

 

EDIT again - I think in the first photo 37697 is standing on the site of the former Trelewis Halt (closed 1964), I took a few pictures there in 1983

 

cheers

Edited January 15, 2019 by Rivercider

[andy stroud]

edit - I think in the first photo 37697 is standing on the site of the former Treharris station, I took a few pictures there in 1983

 

cheers

 

Hi Kevin. Yes I think you are probably correct. Treharris is the town there where Deep Navigation colliery was. It's good that you have 1980s pictures taken there. I only 'discovered' that location in about 1990 after seeing it feature in a Railscene video tape. I liked the track layout there, basically a passing loop with hand operated pointwork and various sidings. I think rakes of MGR hoppers were sometimes parked in some sidings off the Taff Merthyr line, behind where I stood to take the picture.

[eastwestdivide]

I'll just echo the comments about "then and now" pics - excellent stuff.

[Leon]

This a fantastic post, Very useful. My layout South Wales Freight is being built around a South Wales Coal site.

[Rivercider]

Hi Kevin. Yes I think you are probably correct. Treharris is the town there where Deep Navigation colliery was. It's good that you have 1980s pictures taken there. I only 'discovered' that location in about 1990 after seeing it feature in a Railscene video tape. I liked the track layout there, basically a passing loop with hand operated pointwork and various sidings. I think rakes of MGR hoppers were sometimes parked in some sidings off the Taff Merthyr line, behind where I stood to take the picture.

If I remember correctly the three collieries Deep Navigation, Taff Merthyr, and Trelewis Drift were referred to as the Ocean complex.

I think this photo is looking the other way, and taken from roughly the rear of the train being worked by 37697, it looks the remains of platform edging is visible in this view. EDIT - I think the station was Trelewis Halt (closed 1964).

37255 and 37300 with a loaded MGR train for Aberthaw from Deep Navigation colliery stand at the site of Trelewis Halt station, 24/5/83

 

cheers

Edited January 15, 2019 by Rivercider

[hmrspaul]

Hi Kevin. Yes I think you are probably correct. Treharris is the town there where Deep Navigation colliery was. It's good that you have 1980s pictures taken there. I only 'discovered' that location in about 1990 after seeing it feature in a Railscene video tape. I liked the track layout there, basically a passing loop with hand operated pointwork and various sidings. I think rakes of MGR hoppers were sometimes parked in some sidings off the Taff Merthyr line, behind where I stood to take the picture.

Interesting in the mid 1980s they were using HKVs for coal https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/treharriscolliery

 

Paul

[andy stroud]

Hi Paul. Maybe  the HKVs were used for shale traffic to a tip called Nelson Bog which was about two miles from the mine. Here is that location in August 1991 with MDV 21 tonne mineral wagons in use.

 

[Rivercider]

Hi Paul. Maybe  the HKVs were used for shale traffic to a tip called Nelson Bog which was about two miles from the mine. Here is that location in August 1991 with MDV 21 tonne mineral wagons in use.

 

830.jpg

 

Great photo Andy, I never got to Nelson Bog.

 

Here is a picture taken I think as the same location as 37697 in the first photo, but looking the other way.

37251 with HKVs of colliery shale waits to depart for Nelson Bog, 24/5/83

 

cheers

[andy stroud]

Great photo Andy, I never got to Nelson Bog.

 

Here is a picture taken I think as the same location as 37697 in the first photo, but looking the other way.

scan0011.jpg

37251 with HKVs of colliery shale waits to depart for Nelson Bog, 24/5/83

 

cheers

 

What a fantastic picture, Kevin. Full of interest. Many thanks indeed for posting that.

[corneliuslundie]

Thanks for posting. i visited Taff Merthyr some years earlier and took some photos. If I can find them and they are worth it I will add one or two to the thread.

The branch connecting Penallta Colliery to the Rhymney main line was known as the Cyllla branch. And don't confuse Penallta Colliiery with Penalltau Colliery which was a short distance to the west just north of the Pontypool Road to Neath line near Nelson & Llancaiach station ,but closed much earlier.

Jonathan

[SouthernBlue80s]

Thanks for posting those very interesting pics

Steve

[PB1]

Hi unable to view the photos of South Wales Colliery branch pictures. 1990s and now.

[AY Mod]

11 minutes ago, PB1 said:

Hi unable to view the photos of South Wales Colliery branch pictures. 1990s and now.

 

Many images were lost in a server drive failure two years ago.

[PB1]

Hi I cannot view the photographs 

[Darius43]

We seem to be caught in a temporal causality loop.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

PS - nobody can see the pictures as they were all lost in an IT failure a few years ago.

[GMKAT7]

Good afternoon folks,

 

Perhaps PB1 is like Schrodinger's cat, both there and not there at the same time 🤔

 

Cheers, Nigel.

[PB1]

Thank you for update