naturol Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 My first thought is Mountain Ash. But I'm not sure. I will make enquiries..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturol Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Yep. I'm going for mountain ash. And the pub by Joan's house in the background. But I thought the station was on the other side of the river, same as the NCB lines So whose trackbed is the new alignment on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 (edited) Perhaps this view towards Aberdare will explain all. . The line still in use is the former Taff Vale Railway line from Abercynon - Aberdare, and in the near distance was Mountain Ash (Oxford Street) station. . On the other side of the Afon Cynon was the GWR Vale of Neath line which ran from Neath - Pontypool Road, and upon which stood Mountain Ash (Cardiff Road) station, which closed with the VoN line passenger service in 1964, but the trackbed was taken over by the NCB.. . The NCB engine shed we visited over the years was more or less alongside Cardiff Road station, just on the riverbank on the right of this picture.. . Cresselly Crossing was most likely named after the Cresselly Arms, ( although for years it was called something else )the pub in the first picture. . On the far side of the bridge in the distance stood Deep Duffryn Colliery, which I believe in later years was referred to in local working timetables as simply AVCW (Aberdare Valley Central Washery). Edited September 17, 2015 by br2975 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegr Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 (edited) There were two lines either side of the river though Mountain Ash the Low Level TVR line still used and High Level GWR the station was of course the GWR High Level. When I was a teenager I used to cycle up there from Llanishen to see the NCB lines and it was not always downhill coming back! Whoop's, written at the same time as Brian. A slightly fuller response than mine! Edited September 17, 2015 by stevegr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Alright then brother...................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 And if the last one was too hard, what about this aparent island platform ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 18, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) I'll go for Treforest Estate for the island platform and the other one is Pontyclun (Llantrisant as once was before closure & reopening) Edited September 18, 2015 by The Stationmaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
valleymodeller Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Ah Trefforest Estate, I remember catching very early trains from Pontypridd to Cardiff to go for a day spotting somewhere, there'd be standing room only on the train and then at the Estate 80% would disgorge to got to the factories. The shelters were wooden then and painted cream. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturol Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 The first picture is troubling me? Saw a pair of 20s at treforest so comfortable with that image. To your knowledge Have I been to the first locations? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Pontyclun - before the 'back line' was lifted (or stolen ?) . Treforest Estate - after the Abercynon 16xx tanks and Radyr 'nine fivers' had stopped visiting the Trading Estate !!!!! . And next, a very easy one...... what was the name of the 'box that once stood behind me ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 19, 2015 Used to be one of my 'boxes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturol Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 I was working there last week, and looking at the engine shed that is still standing. There is track still laid into travis Perkins yard and into old forgemasters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 19, 2015 As two of us know where it is here's a picture (I took it rather a long time ago) of the signalbox Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegr Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Still not a clue. Someone's nicked the nameplate. Maybe it was sold for scrap, lost it in some nut trees or chucked down a well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 "nut trees" and "well" . How very droll ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripper Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 (edited) The crossing keepers house and the 'pop' factory are long gone, as is the junction to Nantgarw colliery. I caught a few football specials from here to Ninian Park. Walnut Tree Junction is behind the photographer. Ken. Edited September 20, 2015 by tripper Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 20, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 20, 2015 Hmm, a vanished post of mine it seems. Commenting on Brian's picture it was captured within a relatively short 'window of opportunity' between the singling of the Nantgarw branch and the demolition of the old TVR station building on the Down side. Fortunately as far as I was concerned demolition and associated changes led to me rescuing not only a WR style totem but far more importantly one of the original TVR backlit station names as survive in limited numbers at Pontypridd (still there I hope?). The facing crossover installed in connection with the Nantgarw line singling was a source of considerable effort and much bad language. The S&T gang from Treforest were given the unenviable task of arranging the Facing Point Locks at both ends to be worked off a single lever and had great difficulty getting it adjusted. The Signalmen were moaning like anything about how heavy it was and it was just them - it was a very heavy and temperamental thing to work until the Treforest gang had spent a lot more days adjusting it and until a little bit of wear occurred in the FPL ports. Happy days from over 40 years ago and I reckon one Sunday pull of empties from Nantgarw coke ovens was probably the longest train to ever run in the Valley when it came out with somewhere between 110 and 120 empty 16 tonners; great what you could manage on a Sunday back than. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) Happy days from over 40 years ago and I reckon one Sunday pull of empties from Nantgarw coke ovens was probably the longest train to ever run in the Valley when it came out with somewhere between 110 and 120 empty 16 tonners; great what you could manage on a Sunday back than. Whether it was just my memory, or I wasn't as well versed in those days, but it appeared to me that around 1969-1970 there was a drastic reduction in freight workings north of Radyr on Saturdays, and almost all workings became "SX" and with several early hours trains also being "MX" workings. . One Saturday diagram I recall was a Radyr - Nantgarw shuttle that appeared to locate wagons ready for the forthcoming week. By about 1971-1972 this Saturday diagram appears to have slipped out of the WTT I presume the Sunday working was an 'earner' for the train crews ? The only timetabled Sunday job I recall at Radyr in those days was a (very) early Sunday L/E to Cardiff General, then passenger (BCK ex-Swansea) and news (2-3 vans ex-Padd) up to Treherbert, ECS back to Canton then L/E back to Radyr and stable. . Not very comfortable if there wasn't a bolier fitted 'six-eighter' on Radyr that weekend, although most weekends saw a sole Hymek stabled in the yard; but I don't know of a Hymek ever working this diagram. . Brian R Edited September 21, 2015 by br2975 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 21, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2015 Whether it was just my memory, or I wasn't as well versed in those days, but it appeared to me that around 1969-1970 there was a drastic reduction in freight workings north of Radyr on Saturdays, and almost all workings became "SX" and with several early hours trains also being "MX" workings. . One Saturday diagram I recall was a Radyr - Nantgarw shuttle that appeared to locate wagons ready for the forthcoming week. By about 1971-1972 this Saturday diagram appears to have slipped out of the WTT I presume the Sunday working was an 'earner' for the train crews ? The only timetabled Sunday job I recall at Radyr in those days was a (very) early Sunday L/E to Cardiff General, then passenger (BCK ex-Swansea) and news (2-3 vans ex-Padd) up to Treherbert, ECS back to Canton then L/E back to Radyr and stable. . Not very comfortable if there wasn't a bolier fitted 'six-eighter' on Radyr that weekend, although most weekends saw a sole Hymek stabled in the yard; but I don't know of a Hymek ever working this diagram. . Brian R By the time I was there (1973) there was very little going on after midday on Saturday. There was one trip down from Aberdare which arrived in the yard about 12.30 -13.00 and was usually the quickest turnround you'd ever see, one weekend the light engine went back up past Walnut Tree less than 15 minutes after the train had passed going down. Nantgarw was odd as the arrival of loaded was a bit hit & miss and it wasn't unusual for about 150 loaded to be waiting at Radyr to be tripped up when things got out of hand - and that created equally big bulges of empties so every now and then there'd be a Sunday laid on to try and clear surplus loads from the yard and/or get empties out of Nantgarw. So that meant a traincrew on a rest Day or getting a Sunday while the same went for the yard staff so something for everybody (including me because if it was my On Call weekend I'd usually pop in and see how things were going - that could turn out to be quite remunerative if there was a derailment in the yard because of the way my Sunday hours worked out. For me a minimum Sunday was 3 hours but that was paid as 5 hours and if I went over 5 hours it was paid as 8 which meant 14 hours pay. 1973 was the last year in my railway career in which I was paid proper overtime or paid for Sundays as i got promoted early in 1974 back to England, and was £1,500 a year worse off in the first full year, took a few years to make that back. The 'paper train' was the 03.45 Cardiff General to Merthyr during the week (wasn't Treherbert a dmu for the 'papers) for which the engine came off a Penalltau trip on weekdays - and was invariably late and equally invariably missed its balance. And that turned into right fun & games when we were supposedly working strictly to diagram for loco working and I threatened not to provide an engine for the Merthyr news one night because said D68XX was somewhere up the Rhymney. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Mike . I'm now home, and have pulled my 1969-1970, 1970-1971, 1971-1972 and 1976 WTTS. . From one, it appears the loco hauled parcels/mails ran to Merthyr Mon-Sat and Treherbert (with a BCK) on the Sunday. . But to compound matters, I've found an 0820 ex Merthyr - Pontypridd that is not marked as a DMU working (inverted triangle) . This will need some further research; but only after I've done the ironing (and run in my new Hornby Sentinel shunter) !!!! . Brian R Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegr Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Starting with the first photo. Walnut Tree Jct interior. Crockherbtown Jct/ Queen St Bridge just after rationalisation. Llandaff Box, the LL plate gives that one a way and you can nearly read the nameplate. Llandaff Box interior, train describer to Cardiff Panel in middle of the instrument shelf. Not a clue with the last, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegr Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Maesmawr Signal box is the last one on the TVR mainline. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim V Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 How about this yard? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Severn Tunnel Junction Down Yard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim V Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I think these were taken at the same place, but it was 35 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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