Taff Vale Railway
Introduction
This railway ran from the town and harbours at Cardiff to coalmines in the Taff Vale and Ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil.
Dates
| / / | Nixons Private Railway Served collieries around Mountain Ash. The line was served by the Taff Vale Extension from Nixons East Junction and Nixons West Junction. The line was also served by the Taff Vale Railway from Pontycynon Junction for Lower Duffryn Colliery. The two railway companies served Navigation Colliery Siding where unusual signalling was required. |
| / / | Powell Duffryn Private Railway Line ran from Middle Duffryn Colliery on the Vale of Neath Railway over the Taff Vale Railway to join a line from Aberaman and on up the Aman Valley. |
| / /1836 | Taff Vale Railway Incorporated. |
| 21/06/1836 | Taff Vale Railway Act passed. Promoters included John Josiah Guest (Dowlais Iron Works), Walter Coffin (Dinas colliery). Connections made at Merthyr Tydfil to the Penydarren Iron Works, Dowlais Iron Works and Plymouth Iron Works. Line to be single track. |
| 30/06/1837 | Taff Vale Railway Act passed for branch to Cyfartha Iron Works and branch to Plymouth Iron Works, Penydarren Iron Works and Dowlais Iron Works. Only the branch to connect to Crawshays Private Railway was opened. The branch also served the Ynysfach Iron Works. |
| 16/08/1837 | Taff Vale Railway First stone laid at Pontypridd by Lady Charlotte Guest, wife of John Josiah Guest, chairman. |
| /10/1840 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff station opened. The station was by the later Cardiff Queen Street's up platform. Freight track continued south to Cardiff Docks. |
| 08/10/1840 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff [TVR] to Navigation House opened. There was a level crossing with the Pentyrch Railway at Pentyrch. |
| / /1841 | Taff Vale Railway Dinas Branch opened to Aerw connect to the Aerw Tramway which served Dinas collieries. |
| / /1841 | Taff Vale Railway Opened. |
| 21/04/1841 | Taff Vale Railway Navigation House to Merthyr Tydfil opened. Merthyr Tydfil Plymouth Street station was not convenient for the town. |
| / /1845 | Taff Vale Railway Incline Top, just north of an inclined plane near Quakers Yard, opened. |
| / /1846 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff to Taff's Well doubled. Trains ran on the right track. |
| 06/08/1846 | Taff Vale Railway Navigation House renamed Abercynon. |
| / /1847 | Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway Act for Taff Vale Extension passed. Line from Coedygric North Junction to the Taff Vale Railway at Quakers' Yard. |
| / /1847 | Taff Vale Railway Taff's Well to Navigation House doubled. Ynyscoi Tunnel opened out as part of the doubling of the line. |
| / /1847 | Taff Vale Railway John Guest of Dowlais Iron Works resigns as the railway's chairman due to a perceived clash of interests. |
| 01/01/1847 | Aberdare Railway Line leased by the Taff Vale Railway to halt the expansion eastwards of the Vale of Neath Railway. |
| / /1848 | Taff Vale Railway Branch opened to Bute West Dock from East Branch Junction (by Cardiff Queen Street). |
| / /1849 | Taff Vale Railway Navigation House renamed Aberdare Junction. |
| 28/07/1849 | Dowlais Iron Company Builds own line, Dowlais Railway, from Dowlais to Merthyr as the existing old tramroad was poor and the Taff Vale Railway had not built its branch to the Dowlais Iron Works yet. |
| 21/08/1851 | Dowlais Railway Opened from Dowlais Iron Works main gate and furnaces to the Taff Vale Railway. An inclined plane was worked by steam engine and the Dowlais end worked by locomotives. |
| 02/07/1855 | Rhymney Railway Act for line from Hengoed to Walnut Tree Junction at Taff's Well on the Taff Vale Railway. Running powers granted from Walnut Tree Junction to Crockherbtown Junction, just north of Cardiff Queen Street. A Rhymney Railway line is authorised from here to Bute East Dock. |
| / /1857 | Taff Vale Railway Act passed to widen viaduct over Taff by Quakers Yard and open out tunnel. |
| 27/07/1857 | Penarth Harbour and Dock Railway Ely Tidal Harbour and Railway renamed Penarth Harbour and Dock Railway. Dock and tidal Harbour to be built and line from Penarth Junction (at Radyr) on the Taff Vale Railway to the dock. Crawshay Bailey was chairman. |
| /01/1858 | Taff Vale Railway Incline Top station closed on opening of Quakers Yard station. |
| 31/12/1860 | Railway Clearing House By this date, Carlisle and Port Carlisle Railway and Dock, Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway, Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock, Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway, Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway, Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway, Great Western Railway, Hertford and Welwyn Junction Railway, Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway, Luton, Dunstable and Welwyn Junction Railway, North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway, Rhymney Railway, South Wales Railway, Stamford and Essendine Railway, Taff Vale Railway, Vale of Clywd Railway and Warrington and Stockport Railway join. |
| / /1861 | Taff Vale Railway Navigation House to Merthyr Tydfil doubled. |
| 07/06/1861 | Llantrissant and Taff Vale Junction Railway Act passed for this Taff Vale Railway backed line. The line was promoted to stop expansion eastwards of the Great Western Railway backed schemes from Llantrisant. The line ran from Llantrisant Branch Junction, Treforest, to meet the Mwyndy Branch (Ely Valley Railway) at Maesaraul. |
| / /1863 | Taff Vale Railway Tunnel by Quakers Yard opened out. |
| / /1863 | Llantrissant and Taff Vale Junction Railway Opened. Worked and leased by the Taff Vale Railway. |
| 21/07/1863 | Dare Valley Railway Act for line promoted by the Taff Vale Railway to run from Dare Valley Junction, by Aberdare station, to pass under the Vale of Neath Railway Dare Branch and on to Nantmelyn Colliery and Bwlffa Dare Colliery. A branch to Hirwaun was also planned, but not built. Contractor: George Fisher of the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1865 | Taff Vale Railway Penarth Dock opened. |
| /01/1865 | Ely Valley Railway Third rail laid from Maesaraul to Llantrisant is used by the Taff Vale Railway. |
| 30/01/1865 | Cowbridge Railway Line opened with Taff Vale Railway locomotives. |
| / /1866 | Dare Valley Railway Opened. Line worked by the Taff Vale Railway. |
| /03/1866 | Taff Vale Railway Newbridge Junction renamed Pontypridd. |
| / /1867 | Taff Vale Railway Inclined plane, by Quakers Yard, replaced by new line. |
| / /1871 | Rhymney Railway Connection made between the Rhymney Railway (at south facing Penalltau Branch Junction) to a west facing junction on the Taff Vale Extension. This gave access to the line as far west as Middle Duffryn Junction and also the Taff Bargoed Joint Line and Quakers Yard and Merthyr Joint Railway both of which were jointly owned by the Great Western Railway and the Rhymney Railway to compete with the Taff Vale Railway. |
| /10/1872 | Taff Vale Railway Triangle of lines opened north of Pontypridd by the opening of a link from Pontypridd North Junction to Rhondda Cutting Junction. |
| / /1873 | Rhondda Valley and Hirwain Junction Railway Only partly opened from Blaenrhondda Branch Junction, Treherbert, to Blaenrhondda Colliery. The line was worked by the Taff Vale Railway. |
| 01/01/1876 | Cowbridge Railway Taff Vale Railway Cowbridge Railway leased to Taff Vale Railway. |
| /06/1876 | Rhondda Valley Branches (Taff Vale Railway) Porth to Maerdy opened to passengers. |
| 01/08/1877 | Taff Vale Railway Passenger trains transferred from Merthyr Plymouth Street to Merthyr High Street. Connection from Brandy Bridge Junction to Mardy Junction (Vale of Neath Railway) opened. The connection was joint Great Western Railway and Taff Vale Railway. |
| 20/02/1878 | Penarth Extension (Taff Vale Railway) Line opened from Penarth harbour to Penarth. |
| 08/08/1878 | Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway Act passed. Promoted by J.C. Parkinson of the Alexandra Docks and Railway and Sir George Elliot of Powell Duffryn Collieries. Double track line to run from south of the Taff Vale Railway's Pontypridd station (Pontypool, Caerphilly and Newport Junction Railway) to Caerphilly (Penrhos Upper Junction) on the Rhymney Railway. Running powers over the Brecon and Merthyr Railway's Caerphilly Branch to Machen and on to Bassaleg Junction with the Alexandra Docks and Railway. Engineer Sir James W. Szlumper. |
| 10/08/1878 | Ely and Clydach Valleys Railway Extends the Ely Valley Railway from Penygraig to Cambrian Colliery by the Taff Vale Railway's Pwllrhebog Branch. |
| 19/10/1878 | Taff Vale Railway Coal train, which was being turned using the triangle of lines north of Pontypridd, backs onto passenger train at Rhondda Cutting Junction killing thirteen passengers. |
| / /1880 | Taff Vale Railway Quadrupled from Cardiff to Pontypridd. From Crockherbtown Yard to Llandaff the goods lines were on the east side of passenger lines, from Llandaff and Radyr Yards the goods lines ran on the west side until Pontypridd. The freight lines crossed the passenger lines on the level at Llandaff. |
| / /1884 | Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway Taff Vale Railway works line from Pontypridd to near Alexandra Docks. |
| 14/08/1884 | Barry Dock and Railways Established by an Act. Led by David Davies of Ocean Collieries. The line was to run from Barry to Cadoxton Junction then north to Drope Junction for a branch to Peterston with the South Wales Railway (then a further junction, Tynycaeau Junction, with the same line from St Fagan's) and then north to the Treforest estate at Tonteg Junction for a connection with the Taff Vale Railway before finishing near Trehafod, joining the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1885 | Roath Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Act passed. |
| 06/08/1885 | Cardiff Penarth and Barry Junction Railway (Taff Vale Railway) Act passed. |
| / /1886 | Ynysybwl Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Opened for coal from Lady Windsor Colliery to north facing junction at Stormstown with the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1887 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff station re-built as Cardiff Queen Street and connection opened to the South Wales Railway. |
| / /1887 | Taff Vale Railway Line built from Pont Shon Norton Junction to serve the Albion Colliery at Cilfynydd. |
| 01/12/1887 | Cardiff Penarth and Barry Junction Railway (Taff Vale Railway) Line opened from Penarth to Lavernock. |
| / /1888 | Barry Dock and Railways Act passed forcing the Taff Vale Railway to only use the Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway for local traffic rather than as a through freight route to the Barry Docks. |
| / /1888 | Taff Vale Railway Attempts to buy the Bute Docks, on the threat of the opening of the Barry Dock and Railways. |
| 23/04/1888 | Roath Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Opened. |
| / /1889 | Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway (Taff Vale Railway) The line is vested in the Taff Vale Railway by an Act. |
| / /1889 | Pwllyrhebog Branch, Rhondda Valley Branches (Taff Vale Railway) Extended to Pwllrhebog Colliery by buying its railway. |
| / /1889 | Rhondda Valley and Hirwain Junction Railway Merged into the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1889 | Dare Valley Railway Merged into the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1889 | Treferig Valley Railway Merged into the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1889 | Llantrissant and Taff Vale Junction Railway Merged into the Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1889 | Cowbridge Railway Merged into Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1895 | Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway Merged into Taff Vale Railway. |
| / /1896 | South Wales Railway, Taff Vale Railway Bute Street Junction between the lines closed on opening of new fly-over east of Cardiff General. |
| / /1896 | Taff Vale Railway Aberdare Junction renamed Abercynon. |
| 16/03/1896 | Barry Dock and Railways Passenger service from Barry to the Taff Vale Railway's Porth station begins. |
| 16/03/1896 | Barry Dock and Railways The Taff Vale Railway gives the company access from Trehafod to Porth. |
| 01/12/1896 | Taff Vale Railway Aberdare Junction renamed Abercynon |
| 12/08/1898 | Treforest Line (Cardiff Railway) Railway projected from Roath to Heath (on the Rhymney Railway), Walnut Tree Gap and on to Treforest (and the Taff Vale Railway). |
| / /1900 | Rhondda Valley Branches (Taff Vale Railway) Introduce steam railcars to compete with buses. |
| / /1900 | Llancaiach Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Albion Colliery branch from Pont Shon Norton Junction on the Taff Vale Railway extended north to meet the Nelson and Llancaiach line at Ynysdwr Junction. |
| / /1900 | Ynysybwl Branch (Taff Vale Railway) South facing junction, Clydach Court Junction with the Taff Vale Railway to Windsor Passing Siding Box, by the colliery, opened. |
| 01/06/1900 | Llancaiach Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Taff Vale Railway starts a passenger service from Pontypridd to Nelson station. |
| 31/07/1902 | Aberdare Railway Merged into the Taff Vale Railway. |
| 01/09/1904 | Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway New service from Pontypridd (Tram Road) Halt on the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway, east of the Taff Vale Railway station, to Caerphilly started. Uses two steam railmotors built by the Glasgow Railway Engineering Works (Glasgow Railway and Engineering Company) of Govan. Seven halts opened on route. |
| 01/05/1905 | ~Taff Vale Railway Aberthin Platform opened |
| /02/1906 | Taff Vale Railway Duffryn Crossing Platform renamed Abercwmboi Platform |
| 30/04/1906 | Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway Taff Vale Railway stops operating trains from Pontypridd to Alexandra Docks when Alexandra Docks company takes over with engines bought from the Mersey Railway. |
| / /1907 | Taff Vale Railway Pontypridd station re-built with an island platform and five bay platforms. |
| /05/1909 | Taff Vale Railway, Rhymney Railway, Cardiff Railway Merger proposed and amalgamation bills produced. (Merger fails.) |
| /05/1909 | Taff Vale Railway, Treforest Lines (Cardiff Railway) Temporary connection put in between the two lines at Treforest. |
| 12/10/1909 | Taff Vale Railway, Treforest Lines (Cardiff Railway) Temporary connection removed. |
| / /1917 | Taff Vale Railway, Rhymney Railway, Cardiff Railway E.A. Prosser, formerly of the Rhymney Railway, becomes Joint General Manager. |
| 10/07/1922 | Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway Tram Road Motor Halt, Pontypridd, closed when the Great Western Railway arranges for Newport trains to use the Taff Vale Railway's Pontypridd station. |
| 02/10/1922 | ~Taff Vale Railway Abercwmboi Platform renamed Abercwmboi Halt |
| / /1924 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff Docks renamed Bute Road. |
| / /1928 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff Queen Street is expanded to have five platforms. |
| 10/07/1930 | Barry Dock and Railways Cardiff to St Fagans to Pontypridd, and Cadoxton to Porth diverted to parallel Taff Vale Railway routes. Treforest High Level and Pontypridd (Graig) are closed. |
| 12/09/1932 | Llancaiach Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Closed to passengers. |
| / /1938 | Llancaiach Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Cilfynydd to Nelson and Llancaiach closed and lifted. |
| 23/03/1950 | Taff Vale Railway Branch to Ynysfach closed when slag traffic ceases. |
| / /1952 | Treforest Line (Cardiff Railway) Coryton northwards to Nantgarw Colliery closed on opening of a spur to Nantgarw by-products Plant from the Taff Vale Railway. |
| 02/04/1956 | ~Taff Vale Railway Abercwmboi Halt closed |
| /01/1958 | Taff Vale Railway DMU services introduced. |
| / /1962 | Pentyrch Railway Level crossing at Pentyrch with the Taff Vale Railway removed. |
| 15/06/1964 | Rhondda Valley Branches (Taff Vale Railway) Porth to Maerdy closed to passengers and line singled. |
| 27/11/1967 | Taff Vale Railway Merthyr Plymouth Street closed to goods. |
| 06/05/1968 | Roath Branch (Taff Vale Railway) Closed. |
| 05/08/1968 | Taff Vale Railway Pontypridd North Junction to Rhondda Cutting Junction closed. |
| / /1970 | Taff Vale Railway Cardiff Queen Street cut back to an island platform with a bay. |
| / /1970 | Taff Vale Railway Pontypridd station's down (southbound) face on the island platform is taken out of use. |
| /09/1970 | Taff Vale Railway Albion Colliery branch from Pont Shon Norton Junction closed. |
| / /1971 | Taff Vale Railway Line singled between Abercynon and Merthyr. A passing loop was retained at Black Lion. |
| / /1973 | Rhondda Valley Branches (Taff Vale Railway) Singled from Cwmparc to Treherbert. |
| / /1981 | Rhondda Valley Branches (Taff Vale Railway) Porth to Cwmparc singled. |
| 03/10/1988 | Taff Vale Railway Abercynon renamed Abercynon South |
Locations along the line
These locations are along the line.
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Alastair McLellan 06/07/2020
Alastair McLellan 06/07/2020
David Pesterfield 19/04/2011
Bill Roberton 18/10/2015
4 of 11 images. more
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Bill Roberton 21/10/2015
John Thorn 31/10/2013
Alastair McLellan 12/07/2016
John Thorn 07/04/2016
4 of 14 images. more
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Roger Geach 07/05/1986
Mark Bartlett 18/09/2009
Mark Bartlett 18/09/2009
4 of 6 images. more
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Alastair McLellan 06/07/2020
Alastair McLellan 06/07/2020
Alastair McLellan 06/07/2020
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Alastair McLellan 06/07/2020
4 of 10 images. more
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Ken Strachan 27/08/2019
Ken Strachan 27/08/2019
2 of 2 images.
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Ken Strachan 31/05/2010
David Pesterfield 17/02/2011
2 of 2 images.
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David Pesterfield 09/12/2010
David Pesterfield 09/12/2010
David Pesterfield 09/12/2010
4 of 4 images.
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Ken Strachan 30/06/2018
Ken Strachan 30/06/2018
2 of 2 images.
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