1970's Railtour to ?

[Chris116]

Sometime during the 1970's I went on a railtour from London which as one of its highlights went up a welsh valley branch where the run round was done at a collery or washing plant (no station). The ground was covered in snow and I understood at the time that we were the first ever through Restaurant car from Paddington onto the branch. The train had a large number of snow balls thrown at it as we passed a school on the way up the valley and having filled the brake coach with snow at the top we returned the favour on the way down.

 

I just wish I could remember which line it was that I travelled on?

 

Chris

[Bomag]

In the early 1970's it could have been one of many sites. Being in winter would narrow it down but there would still be a large number of possible tours.

 

Try http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/

[Gallows Close]

Hi Chris,

 

I've looked in to a few Welsh colliery branches - Do you have a photo of the colliery or run round? I might recognise it.

 

Cheers,

Chris.

[Rugd1022]

Hi Chris,

 

Can you remember which loco (or locos) worked the tour? If it was a Western it should be very easy to nail it.

Nidge

[Chris116]

I thank you both for your comments. I have looked at the sixbells web site and think it could be the Welsh Wonder on 25 November 1978 or the relief on 2 December 1978. Trouble is the second train would not have been the first ever Restaurant Car up a line and the first looks as though the ground did not have snow on it from the photo! That then leaves the Welsh Wizard on 27 January 1979 but I am not sure about where the turn around at a mining area would have been, still at least there is snow in the picture!

 

I am going to check the web site again in case the tour was in the 80's but sadly I have no idea what hauled us on that tour or a number of others I went on around the same time. Just wish I had some records!

 

Chris

[Gallows Close]

Hello Chris,

 

I've compiled a list (incomplete) of collieries and washeries still open in your time frame in the South Wales valleys. May be this will jog your memory.

 

Taff Merthyr Colliery

Deep Navigation Colliery

Penallta Colliery

Mardy Colliery

Tower Colliery

Abernant Washery

Merthyr Vale Colliery

Garw / Ocean Colliery

Oakdale Colliery

Cwmbargoed Disposal Point

Maesteg Central Washery

Onllwyn Washery

Marine / Six Bells Colliery

 

If it was the Welsh Wizzard, then Onllwyn is your man, but may be the list helps.....

 

Cheers,

Chris.

[andy stroud]

What about Blaenavon or Rose Heyworth? The 'Welsh Collieries Rambler' in April 1980 featured both these branches. Claimed to be the last passenger train to Rose Heyworth. I have seen pictures of this train and there were patches of snow on the ground, although maybe not enough for a snowball fight. Powered by 37 179 and 37 182, the train had a restaurant car.

[Gwiwer]

Abercwmboi comes to mind as well, prior to passenger reopening. Not a place you'd forget in a hurry during its days as Hell on Earth. Not sure what went up there but most of the valleys saw some sort of Chartex activity back in the 70's.

[Chris116]

Once again can I thank you all for your input. I am now going through all the information I have and trying to get as accurate an answer as possible.

 

I remember that the snowball fight took place on a curve as we went up and down the line. The kids were on and behind a wall on the outside of the curve and I seem to think that there was a small road overbridge at the bottom end of the section. Now that probably describes a few hundred places in south Wales but I think there was a school that backed onto the railway at the site of the wall which may narrow it down.

 

I do know that I got married in March 1980 and moved from London to Basildon meaning that the trip was before that date and I don't think I went by myself on the trip which would make 1978/79 most likely, but I could be wrong there!

 

Certainly the sixbells site is very useful, I just wish that all the trips had the start place named in the list as this would save having to click on each train only to find that most did not start at Paddington!

 

Once again many thanks and if I come to any sort of conclusion I will share it with you.

 

Chris

[The Stationmaster]

Abercwmboi comes to mind as well, prior to passenger reopening. Not a place you'd forget in a hurry during its days as Hell on Earth. Not sure what went up there but most of the valleys saw some sort of Chartex activity back in the 70's.

 

 

 

If it was Abercwmboi you'd never forget the smell - whatever the weather (and umpteen attempts by the NCB to, they claimed, 'deal with it').

If it was at all wet Rose Heyworth would have been underwater, usually sea of 'orrible black slurry everywhere.

Incidentally the school, and other features, fits well for Mardy.

 

[eastwestdivide]

How certain are you that it started at Paddington? Someone on this forum reminded me I was on a tour that I didn't even remember being on, so the memory can be a bit lacking after all this time. What if you started out from Paddington but changed onto the tour somewhere else, like Reading if it came off the Southern?

[Chris116]

How certain are you that it started at Paddington? Someone on this forum reminded me I was on a tour that I didn't even remember being on, so the memory can be a bit lacking after all this time. What if you started out from Paddington but changed onto the tour somewhere else, like Reading if it came off the Southern?

I know that I got on the tour at Paddington which was where it started. I also was told we were the first ever Restaurant car service onto the branch. I have been checking Google Earth and the layout of Onllwyn Washery is exactly as I remember the site that we terminated at and loaded the snow into the brake coach which was to be at the back of the train on the downhill run. Once I found that I was certain that the train I had been on was the Welsh Wizard on 27th January 1979 but now the problem is that I expect many of the washery sites looked very similar and I can't find a section of the line which matches my recollections of the site where the kids hit the train with snow balls on the way up and we returned the favour on the return.

 

Maerdy no longer exists although the old line is still traceable via Google Earth for most of its length, again can't spot a site that says it is the right one, so the search continues! I am going to check each of the lines sugested by Gallows Close, Andy Stroud and others above.

 

Once again my thanks for all your help in this quest and as I mentioned in my first post this is not the only tour that I want to find details of but they will have to wait until this mystery is solved.

 

Chris

[Chris116]

What about Blaenavon or Rose Heyworth? The 'Welsh Collieries Rambler' in April 1980 featured both these branches. Claimed to be the last passenger train to Rose Heyworth. I have seen pictures of this train and there were patches of snow on the ground, although maybe not enough for a snowball fight. Powered by 37 179 and 37 182, the train had a restaurant car.

I know it was not that train as according to six bells it started at Oxford and my train started at Paddington. Many thanks for the information as I am sure it will be something that appears out of place that finally sorts this out.

 

Chris