B.P.MILLS

The signal box at Walnut Tree West was normally switched out and its running signals pulled off so that trains could pass at line speed unhindered. Whenever a freight working to the Dolomite works was necessary, a signalman had to travel from Penrhos Junction with a down train and on entering the ’box he would ‘switch in’ and place the semaphore signals to ‘Danger’ before operating the Dolomite shunt. A shunter and good guard accompanied the train. Unfortunately, for the return trip, there was not a crossover for the steam locomotive to cross and run around the train at that location and the guardsvan, uncoupled on arrival at WNTW had to be moved so that during the shunting operation it would be at the rear of the train when returning to Penrhos and the locomotive, being on the wrong end of the train after repositioning the guardsvan and wagons on the down line as far as the north tunnel portal ready for the return trip, had to run ‘light-engine’ all the way down to Tynycaeau Junction (actually 3 chains north of the true Tynycaeau Junction and also named ‘Penrhos Junction’), where the engine could cross from the down to the up line and run back to Walnut Tree West. That run-around operation involved a round trip of 7miles-22chains! On arrival back at Walnut Tree West, the locomotive then had to reverse from up to down line to couple up to the train which at that point was standing on the down line alongside the signal box with the brakevan at the north tunnel portal and when ready, the consist would be drawn onto the up line on the viaduct and when the guardsvan was clear of the crossover, the signalman was notified and then had to perform the task of asking “Line clear” to Tynycaeau and Penrhos Junction signal boxes and when getting it on his block instruments, he could pull the running signals to “Clear” and then switch out the ’box and rejoin the train for its return journey to Penrhos Junction. With the drastic rationalisation of the railway network in South Wales, that operation was thinned down and following a serious fire at Tynycaeau Junction signal box on Saturday, 30th March 1963, the trailing crossover points at the latter location were later set sprung to automatically reset for crossing from down to up line without the need for the fireman to leave the footplate and operate the points but eventually the double track between Walnut Tree West’s north tunnel portal and Tynycaeau Jct was closed and lifted. Walnut Tree West signal box was reduced to groundframe status on 22nd July 1963 and the uphill double track to Penrhos was classed as up & down sidings from that date but the groundframe was abolished on 20th June 1965 and just the up “siding” was used until final closure on 19th January 1968, the single (up) line having accommodated an enthusiasts’ steam-hauled 4-coach special on 31st July 1965. Attached photos of 1962 show 5663 performing the shunt at WNTW. The following day, 6659 performed the operation and I had the honour of driving the loco down to Tynycaeau Jct and reversing for return to WNTW and then reversing the loco onto the train on the down line, pulling the consist over the crossover onto the up line and finally driving the train to Penrhos yard where the loco required water top up. The photos are copyright of Phil Toogood/Brian Mills.

What a fantastic photographic record and what a fantastic website this is. I have to give credit to railway modellers who have produced some fantastic accomplishments in producing scale models of complex switch & crossing layouts. However, I have to point out that as an 80-year old Barry resident, with in-depth knowledge of permanent way and signalling, the photograph was not taken at Barry. The topographical layout of the Barry Docks and wagon storage system does not agree with the photo layout. In fact, the half-compound points depicted do not follow the usual P.Way facility of being able to run straight through the main run with a single alternative path to left or right. Those in the photo only allow a transit from left to through or right-to- through but with no straight through travel possible along the siding axis so in fact they are 'specials'. The photo shows two siding overhead lamps suspended from a long catenary wire which the Barry railway certainly did not have. Studying the backdrop in the photo, there are gable ends of terraced houses roughly on the same level as the sidings and again, nowhere in Barry agrees with this representation. Also the many point levers do not agree with Barry Railway patterns. The other thing is that the wagon colliery owner abbreviations are generally from collieries in the Western Valley of Monmouth. A rake of Tir Pentys wagons lie on the extreme left and that colliery was on the Cwmffrwdoer Branch linked with the Eastern Valley line and I don't think that their coal ever reached Barry. I spent much investigation in trying to establish where the photograph might have been taken and bingo! — It appears to be the former layout at Monmouthshire Bank sidings fan, Newport. The layout actually had two right-to-left through tracks with special double slip, left-to-through and right-to-through but no straight through run and also one opposite hand right-to-left compound with no straight through possibility but the configuration did not comply with the standard definition of a full inside compound or double inside slip configuration and was something that I have never seen. I have a part map showing every siding of Monmouthshire Bank and Eastern Valleys sidings fans at Newport and a full representation of the area north of East Mendalgief Junction is represented on that document. (See attachment). (Sent by B.P.Mills, Hon.Life Member, South Wales Permanent Way Institution).