Railway Scenes

Contributed by Mrs.Winifred Jean Chart of Alltwen, January 2004

Comments/Descriptions by David Smith

Brynamman West (Great Western) - taken in 1958

Railway scene

Garnant looking towards Brynamman West

On the passenger line (note the 2 crossings - one is "Garnant Public Crossing" - the other is "Neuadd Crossing")
and the line to the right is the now freight only route to GCG - photographed on same day as above perhaps
- passenger trains were withdrawn in August 1958 (1926 to GCG)

Railway scene

This is a very interesting picture - I suggest 1920s - and definitely at Brynamman East (Midland)

It's not an LMS engine but probably the local colliery shunter from the Amman colliery straying on the big railway tracks to transfer wagons (David Smith)

The 'colliery shunter' is actually a Midland Railway (the precursor of the LMS) 0-6-0T.
The number looks like 1115 and the photo was taken before 1907 because the locomotive was renumbered in that year.
This type of loco is called a 1102 class and is often known as a South Wales tank as when the Midland took over the
Swansea Vale Railway, it built this class of locomotive and immediately sent most of them to Swansea. (John Miles, Cardiff School of Engineering; Nov 2004)

Railway scene

The departure of a passenger train (same train as the top photograph) - about to leave Brynamman West for Pantyffynon and Llanelli.

Railway scene

Anyone with an interest in local railways then these books are recommended;

Steam in South Wales V2 North and West of Swansea by Michael Hale; published Oxford Publishing, Oxford 1981 ISBN 86093 1528
The Origins of the LMS in South Wales by G Briwnant Jones and Denis Dunstone; published Gomer Press 1999
ISBN 185902 671 0. This has some excellent data on the Brynamman - Swansea line with timetables and fares etc - the route carried a very heavy passenger and freight traffic well into the 1920s.
The Midland Railway: Swansea Vale and Branches by John Miles and Tudor Watkins. Welsh Railways Research Circle (c/o Ray Caston, 22 Pentre Poeth Road, Bassaleg, Newport, NP10 8LL), 3rd December 2004. It contains quite a few photographs of Brynaman plus the rest of the line from Swansea upwards.