Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
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The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was a railway company operating between 1860 and 1958 between the towns of Merthyr Tydfil, Tredegar and Abergavenny in what was then the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales.
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[edit] Incorporation
The railway company was incorporated under an Act of Parliament ratified in August 1859 and it was originally envisioned that the railway would be built and commence operations within five years. Finance was provided through the sales of shares, providing initial working capital of £150,000, with 7,500 shares of £20.00 per share.
[edit] Driving Force
A significant driving force behind the new railway company was Crawshay Bailey the major local ironmaster, mineowner and industrialist who was elected as the company's first Chairman. His high public profile, reputation, influence, contacts and personal attributes were vital in the early years of the venture as many prospective investors, competitors and interested parties alike expressed doubts as to whether any railway could cope with the gradient inclines necessitated by the terrain in the Clydach Gorge between Gilwern and Brynmawr. Crawshay Bailey's force of character was needed to ensure that investors doubts were assuaged and the challenges of the route clarified and overcome.
[edit] Opening Ceremony
Therefore in the summer of 1860 the company performed the official opening ceremony in Abergavenny at what was to become the Brecon Road station with Crawshay Bailey's wife digging the first turf, in a distinctly unseasonable heavy June downpour, surrounded by a crowd of local dignitaries, investors and shareholders and interested spectators and construction was officially underway.
[edit] Early Work & Forecasts
One year later the Chief Engineer, Mr. John Gardner was put forward to provide expectant investors with the first annual report in the summer of 1861. He gave a typically optimistic and upbeat report detailing how the road and railway bridges along the track route were under construction and nearing completion in the lower Abergavenny section, how cuttings were being excavated and embankments established between Abergavenny and Brynmawr. Rail had been laid where possible and an engine mounted on the tracks to further facilitate the speedy transport of construction materials to the section being laid, with work at this point focusing on the embankment between the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, the River Usk and the trackbed at Gilwern.
[edit] Financial Constraints
However the Engineer's report kept the focus off the balance sheet, for the company's account went into overdraft in late 1861 and the London and North Western Railway Company came in to take over the whole project.
[edit] First Stretch Operational in 1862
Under their management and resources the line was duly completed and operational between Abergavenny and Brynmawr by September 1862. This achievement had necessitated a brand new iron bridge over the River Usk, with a further seven bridges and two tunnels each of a quarter of a mile long. This section alone was amongst the steepest stretches of railway in Great Britain, climbing over 1,000 feet from the valley floor to Brynmawr station. The gradient was surveyed and recorded as 1 : 34 over the steepest section of track, a three mile stretch. The early sceptics and doubters had voiced their concerns and seen some of the most difficult terrain conquered by inspiring Victorian engineering, skilled labour and vision and leadership.
[edit] Fully Operational in 1869
However it was to be another seven long years before the railway was completed to Merthyr Tydfil station.
[edit] Dualling the Line
It was only at this late stage that the railway was able to approach running at optimum operational effectiveness and traffic, both freight and passenger, was sufficient to enable the company to envisage dualling the line to maximise traffic both ways.
The Chief Engineer, John Gardner was called upon to oversee the widening of all the railway viaducts [1], the boring of two brand new rail tunnels [2], the laying of all the additional track and to carry out all necessary strengthening and support works [3].
Once this work was completed the railway operated at a level unforeseen at its inception and continued to do so successfully throughout the railway hey-day into the early twentieth century.
[edit] Loss of Viability in the 1950's
It wasn't until the 1950s that the railway was to prove unviable. It was an expensive railway to run, costing much more per steep mile than many local, level tracks.
In 1957 British Rail, the post war nationalised conglomerate, with an eye on these costs and the possible costs associated with continued maintenance and repairs of the aging trackbed and engineering works after a century of use, announced that it would be closing the line. The saving would be £60,000 per annum.
[edit] The Last Runs
The last public service ran on Saturday June 4th 1958, the very last train running was the 08.30 a.m. Abergavenny Junction to Merthyr station, hauled by an old GWR pannier tank steam train, with the down train being the 08.30 a.m. Merthyr to Abergavenny, also drawn by an aging pannier.
On Sunday 5th June 1958 a special was laid on that summer evening, after dark, steaming uphill from Abergavenny to Merthyr to commemorate the closing of the line, the train driver was Mr. G.E. Lewis, his fireman Mr. D. Hinton and the train's guard was Mr. Hubert James, of Abergavenny.
Crowds had gathered at viewpoints at the trackside along the entire route, with large crowds at Brynmawr station. The train then completed the journey to Merthyr and turned around for the return leg complete with whistle-up's at every station on the very last run, householders along the route turning their kitchen and bedroom lights on and off to signal the trains passing and the passing of an era for this particular stretch of line.
[edit] Today
Today the old trackbed is a cycleway and waymarked walk through the valley of the River Usk north west of Abergavenny, passing through the villages of Llanfoist, Govilon, Gilwern, gradually rising up the Clydach Gorge in Clydach, Monmouthshire to the open mountaintops around Brynmawr [4].
