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Does anyone have any information about the Avonside 0-4-0st called Dilwyn.  From what I can gather the railway was taken over by Cardiff Corporation in 1944 and the Avonside was sold and replaced by a Greenwood and Battley battery locomotive.

 

Keith

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On 10/07/2021 at 11:26, KeithHC said:

Does anyone have any information about the Avonside 0-4-0st called Dilwyn.  From what I can gather the railway was taken over by Cardiff Corporation in 1944 and the Avonside was sold and replaced by a Greenwood and Battley battery locomotive.

 

 

 

I've only just found your post.

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I've been interested in the Glamorganshire Canal Railway for many years, since a holiday job with Cardiff Corporation around 1969/1970, during which I 'found' a 1965 Railway Magazine whilst clearing out junk at Llanrumney High School of all places; then I was tasked to sit in the former "Burton's" warehouse Dumballs Road (and wait for the electric man, as the meter hadn't been read in 20 odd years) , by then referred to as 'Allbodies' which was a Cardiff Corporation store, and which was a distinctive building located where the GCR and BR exchanged traffic, at a point the GCR called 'The Lane'.

Since then I've always been on the lookout for any information I can find about the line.

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"Delwyn" was an Avonside 0-4-0ST SS1 Class loco.

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It was bought by the  then Glamorganshire Canal Railway in 1934 from the Newport (Gwent) locomotive repairers, hirers and dealers A.R. Adams who had rebuilt it after purchasing it from Roads Reconstruction Ltd. who had used the Avonside at their Conygar Quarry in Somerset.

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Cardiff Corporation became owners of the canal from (January 1st. ?) 1944, and a short time later decided to replace "Delwyn" and settled on a battery loco, namely Greenwood & Batley 2002/1945.

A seperate deal also involved a battery charger, which was housed in a new engine shed almost alongside the sea lock, and close to a council depot.

The battery loco was apparently known as "GreenBat" after the abbreviation on the works plate.

"Greenbat" was painted in the same 'standard' maroon colour as the Cardiff Corporation owned buses, trams and lorries.

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"Delwyn" was housed in a shed at the city centre end of the line, on a narrow strip of land between the canal and Dumballs Road timber float. This shed was retained after "Delwyn" was sold, as it contained a pit.

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"Delwyn" was advertised for sale in October, 1945 and through the dealers James Mahoney & Co. (Newport) was bought by the I.C.I. salt Division, Winsford, Ches. whwre it was named "John L. Deuchar"

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As a youngster, a neighbour of ours was the driver, and as my dad was also a corporation employee at Trade Street depot, I once had a ride on the loco, which from memory sounded a bit like a milk float, although the clanking and bumping over the poor trackwork drowned out most of the electrical whine.

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The line closed in February, 1963.

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I have attached a (not very good) scan of a photo in my collection showing "GreenBat" and also an aerial view of the Glamorganshire canal looking north from James Street swingbridge towards the city centre, dated around 1950.

Most of the  route of the GCR and the various industries it served including amongst others Bowles, James Arnott, Lloyd's Bute Proving House, the timber float etc can all be made out.

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Are you aware that at least 5 other steam locos worked on the Glamorganshire Canal Railway during its' life ?

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This link to a different RMWeb thread may also help;

 

Brian R

 

 

 

GCR-GB2002of1945.jpg

GCR-aerial view late 40s.jpg

Edited by br2975
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Thanks Brian,

Also there was a photo on the Interesting photos from Flixcr thread of the Green Batt crossing Clarance street. I have an interest in the canal since I found the two volume history in Barry Library. 
 

Keith

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1 hour ago, KeithHC said:

Also there was a photo on the Interesting photos from Flixcr thread of the Green Batt crossing Clarance street. I have an interest in the canal since I found the two volume history in Barry Library. 

Do you mean "Glamorgan and Aberdare Canals" Vol.1 and Vol.2 by Stephen Rowson ?

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They are really good books.

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I spent quite some time going through the Glamorgan Archives, the reference section in Cardiff Central Library (Cardiff Corporation council meeting minutes etc) and other sources trying to find as much as I could about the line.

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I also acquired a couple of 19th Century maps when I worked for the local Highways dept back in the early 70s, when we were tasked with 'binning them'.

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The attached plan was drawn up circa 1889 for 'dredging the canal' amongst other things, but also shows which were Glamorganshire Canal Co. tracks and which were the Marquis of Bute's lines.

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Brian

GCR-Bute Trustees Map.jpg

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On 29/01/2022 at 09:30, br2975 said:

 

"Delwyn" was an Avonside 0-4-0ST SS1 Class loco.

.

It was bought by the  then Glamorganshire Canal Railway in 1934 from the Newport (Gwent) locomotive repairers, hirers and dealers A.R. Adams who had rebuilt it after purchasing it from Roads Reconstruction Ltd. who had used the Avonside at their Conygar Quarry in Somerset.

.

 


Hi Brian,

Strange that it was at Conygar, as that quarry was served only by a narrow gauge cable-hauled tramway that linked to a spur of the WC&PR. Presumably the loco was employed shunting this siding? Or perhaps it was permitted to take the quarry's wagons over WC&P metals to the GWR connections at Clevedon or Portishead.

 

My personal link to this loco is I was born 5 minutes from Trusham, went to school opposite Conygar Quarry and one of my best friends is from Sandford! Some 60-90 years too late to see the loco working though...
 

Info from this site:
https://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/49/Notes.htm

 

"Pocket Book B records that [standard gauge] locomotives were not used after 1926 at the Hennock Granite Quarries of the Teign Valley Granite Co Ltd at Trusham in Devon, and lists only one locomotive - a standard gauge 0‑4‑0 saddle tank named FINETTA (Avonside 1565 of 1911). According to Avonside records this was one of two class SS1 locomotives with 14in by 20in outside cylinders and 3ft 3in wheels, built to their stock order of 3rd September 1908 and supplied new in 1911 (by July 1911) to Hennock. Spares were sent to TVG until January 1914, and from March 1917 onwards to the War Office: invoices dated May and July 1919 recorded despatches to WD Codford [Wiltshire] where 1565 was running as WD No.16. On 20th October 1919 new brake blocks (? a suggestion of a recent transfer) were ordered by the Sandford & Conygar Quarries Co, and subsequent despatches were to this Company's Sandford Quarry in Somerset. By February 1924 printed notepaper of the Sandford & Conygar Quarries Co was being over-stamped 'Sandford Quarries Co: the proprietors were shown as the Teign Valley Granite Co Ltd, Trusham, Devon. In November (or December) 1926 FINETTA went to Avonside's works at Bristol for overhaul and the fitting of a new copper firebox at a cost of £328 19s 8d, being returned to Sandford on 19th January 1927 repainted unlined green. On 26th June 1929 FINETTA again visited Avonside's works for repairs, and on this occasion received a steel firebox at a cost of £188 18s 5d. After returning to Sandford on 12th September 1929 there is no further mention in Avonside records, but Society records show that it was sent from Roads Reconstruction Ltd's Conygar Quarries in Somerset (date of transfer from Sandford not shown) to A.R. Adams & Son, Newport, Mon, in 1931. It was resold to the Glamorgan Canal Company at Cardiff (where it was named DELWYN) and remained there until 1947 when it moved to ICI's works at Winsford, Cheshire: renamed JOHN L. DEUCHAR, it was scrapped about 1953.'

FINETTA.jpg

"FINETTA (Avonside 1565 of 1911) was renamed DELWYN by the Glamorgan Canal Company, although the lettering is not too clear on this photograph.    (Collection G. Alliez, courtesy B.D. Stoyel)"

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