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88-587: The Rhymney Railway ( RR ) was a railway company in South Wales , founded to transport minerals and materials to and from collieries and ironworks in the Rhymney Valley of South Wales, and to docks in Cardiff . It opened a main line in 1858, and a limited passenger service was operated in addition. The first line was dependent on the cooperation of the parallel Taff Vale Railway (TVR) for part of

176-636: A branch known as the Zig-zag Branch on the south-west side of Dowlais; the zig-zag climbed at 1 in 35 to gain height to reach another part of the Dowlais complex. Much of the main line of the Taff Bargoed line climbed to Dowlais at 1 in 40 and 1 in 49, against loaded traffic. The summit on the line is at an altitude of 1,250 feet (381 m) above sea level. The stations on the line were Bedlinog and Cwm Bargoed but halts were built later for

264-478: A connection there with the tramroad network of the Dowlais Iron Company. There were serious labour difficulties in constructing the line, however, and it did not open until 10 January 1876. A short branch from Cwm Bargoed on the Taff Bargoed line to Fochriw Colliery was opened as part of the works. At Dowlais, as well as connecting directly to the Dowlais Iron Company's network, the new railway had

352-583: A heritage with other ex- anthracite mining areas in eastern Carmarthenshire , as much as with the Glamorgan valleys. The local slang , dialect and phrases of the South Wales Valleys communities have been referred to as ' Wenglish ', and are often used with comic effect. The dialect is found in such coastal towns as Barry , as featured in the BBC comedy series, Gavin & Stacey . Welsh

440-689: A monopoly of the direct routes from Merthyr to the south and east. Now the Quakers Yard and Merthyr line was opened on 1 April 1886 from the Taff Vale Extension line at Quakers Yard running up the west side of the River Taff to Merthyr, ending at the GWR station there. Colliery and ironstone pit connections were made intermediately, and a branch line spur crossed the Taff to get access to

528-475: A series of cycle tracks and other outdoor amenities. Large areas of forestry and open moorland also contribute to the amenity of the landscape. Merthyr Tydfil ( Welsh : Merthyr Tudful ) grew around the Dowlais Ironworks which was founded to exploit the locally abundant seams of iron ore , and in time it became the largest iron-producing town in the world. New coal mines were sunk nearby to feed

616-576: A sister school for part-time students at Crumlin Hall, which later became the Crumlin Mining and Technical College. Crumlin Hall was previously Thomas Kennard's home. A mosaic mural in the town centre by Kenneth and Oliver Budd depicts the history of the town and the Ebbw Valley. The viaduct is shown running along the top of a number of the panels. Crumlin is the base for Brace's Bakery ,

704-508: A third-generation owned family bakery. In the 1980s, Marcheast Ltd. made the Land Master , a four-wheel drive vehicle, at Crumlin. Conway Stewart , the pen manufacturer, moved to Crumlin in 1968, but the plant was closed in 1975. Crumlin is home to the popular snack, Pot Noodle . As of 2006 it appeared in a series of TV adverts for the product. The main manufacturing plant, offices and distribution centre are situated there. Crumlin

792-550: Is a town, community and electoral ward in Caerphilly county borough in South Wales . It is situated in the Ebbw River valley, 5 miles (8 km) west of Pontypool , within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire . The name is said to be derived from cromlech , a type of megalithic construction. Kelly's Directory of South Wales (1895) noted that Crumlin was "a secluded village, scarcely known to any beyond

880-590: Is famous for its former railway viaduct . Work by the designer and contractor Thomas W. Kennard commenced in autumn 1853, and the viaduct opened in June 1857 for the Taff Vale Extension to the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway . At 200 feet high and 550 yards in length in two spans (355 yards and 195 yards), it remained the highest railway viaduct in Great Britain throughout its working life. Nearby were

968-569: Is more debatable. In the western extent, from Swansea westwards, local people might feel that they live in both south Wales and west Wales . Areas to the north of the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains are generally considered to be in Mid Wales. The valleys and upland mountain ridges were once a very rural area noted for its river valleys and ancient forests and lauded by romantic poets such as William Wordsworth as well as poets in

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1056-1392: Is now a compulsory language up to GCSE level for all students who start their education in Wales. Several secondary schools offering Welsh medium education operate in this area, for example Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari in Pontyclun , Ysgol Gyfun Y Cymmer in Porth in the Rhondda , Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun in Penywaun in the Cynon Valley , Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw in Pontypool , Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni in Blackwood , Ysgol Gymraeg Plasmawr in Cardiff and Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg in Church Village . A significant number of people from ethnic minority communities speak another language as their first language, particularly in Cardiff and Newport. Commonly spoken languages in some areas include Punjabi , Bengali , Arabic , Somali and Chinese , and increasingly Central European languages such as Polish . In

1144-627: Is overprinted with urban regeneration, tourism and multi-national investment. Large factory units, either empty or turned over to retail use, bear witness to the lack of success in replacing older industries. The native language of the majority of people in South Wales is English , but there are many who also speak Welsh . In western parts of Glamorgan , particularly the Neath and Swansea Valleys , there remain significant Welsh-speaking communities such as Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera , which share

1232-665: The Rhymney Railway (Amendment) Act 1855 ( 18 & 19 Vict. c. cx). The engineer for the works was Joseph Cubitt ; the Earl of Bute was the owner of the Bute Docks and his trustees built the branch to the docks, leasing it to the Rhymney Railway at 4% on capital of £67,633. Construction proceeded but the cost of the work proved to be considerably underestimated, and in 1857 an act of Parliament giving authority

1320-586: The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and the tin mines of Cornwall such as Geevor Tin Mine , as a large but experienced and willing workforce was required. Whilst some of the migrants left, many settled and established in the south Wales Valleys between Swansea and Abergavenny as English-speaking communities with a unique identity. Industrial workers were housed in cottages and terraced houses close to

1408-475: The Local Government Act 1972 which came into operation in 1974. The creation of the county of Powys merged one northern county ( Montgomeryshire ) with two southern ones (Breconshire and Radnorshire). There are thus different concepts of south Wales. Glamorgan and Monmouthshire are generally accepted by all as being in south Wales. But the status of Breconshire or Carmarthenshire, for instance,

1496-472: The Monmouthshire Canal . Tramroads were already in existence to bring the minerals to the ironworks, and now they could be built to convey the finished product to the canals. The authorising acts of Parliament for the canals included clauses empowering pit owners to build a connecting tramroad to the canals if the canal company failed to do so, provided the pit was within a certain distance of

1584-616: The National Coal Board . These industries have since largely been replaced by service sector industries. The cities along the M4 corridor are home to a number of high-profile blue-chip companies such as Admiral Insurance , Legal & General and the Welsh-based Principality Building Society . A large number of telephone call centres are located in the region and in particular in

1672-535: The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway opened its Taff Vale Extension Railway, a long route from Pontypool in the east to Crumlin in the west at first, then extended into the Aberdare valley intersecting many valleys and connecting with many railways. In 1850 the South Wales Railway opened part of its main line , between Chepstow and Swansea . This was built to the broad gauge and

1760-623: The Presbyterian Church of Wales ), whose distinctive grey stone chapels can be seen in many parts. These were mainly Welsh-language congregations. Anglicanism in South Wales became autonomous from the Church of England with the Welsh Church Act 1914 , but the immediate demise of the denomination feared at that time has not taken place in the Church in Wales . There are a number of Brethren Assemblies in Cardiff and in

1848-666: The South Wales Main Line and associated branches such as the Valley Lines . Radio stations include: The Welsh national media is based in Cardiff where the BBC and ITV have their main studios and offices. 51°41′N 3°23′W  /  51.683°N 3.383°W  / 51.683; -3.383 Crumlin, Caerphilly 51°40′47″N 3°08′12″W  /  51.6798°N 3.1368°W  / 51.6798; -3.1368 Crumlin ( Welsh : Crymlyn )

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1936-571: The Vale of Neath Railway , also now controlled by the GWR. As part of the deal when the Taff Bargoed line was agreed with the GWR, the Rhymney Railway had secured running powers through Aberdare to Hirwaun . The new line would therefore give it access, from Ystrad Mynach, to the hugely expanding mineral resources of the Aberdare region, as well as to the Taff Bargoed line at a junction near Llancaiach . The line opened on 27 September 1871. Apart from

2024-700: The Welsh Government , in their international gateway website, Wales.com, state that it should always be capitalised. It is always capitalised on motorway signs. Between the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 and the Laws in Wales Act 1535 , crown land in Wales formed the Principality of Wales . This was divided into a Principality of south Wales and a Principality of north Wales. The southern principality

2112-482: The abutments remain visible on the valley sides. Crumlin was the northern terminus of the Crumlin Arm of the Monmouthshire Canal . The canal was built from Crumlin southwards towards Newport, opening in 1794, but not completed at Fourteen Locks until 1799. Tramroads from the ironworks at Ebbw Vale and Nantyglo were built to the canal at Crumlin basin, where the iron was transhipped into canal boats. When

2200-586: The counties of Brecknockshire , Radnorshire and Glamorgan while the Carmarthen circuit served Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire . Monmouthshire was attached to the Oxford circuit for judicial purposes. These seven southern counties were thus differentiated from the six counties of north Wales. The Court of the Great Sessions came to an end in 1830, but the counties survived until

2288-527: The furnaces and in time produced coal for export. By the 1831 census, the population of Merthyr was 60,000—more at that time than Cardiff, Swansea and Newport combined—and its industries included coal mines , iron works , cable factory , engine sheds and sidings and many others. The town was also the birthplace of Joseph Parry , composer of the song Myfanwy . The Heads of the Valleys towns, including Rhymney , Tredegar and Ebbw Vale , rose out of

2376-478: The 1870s, coal was transported by rail transport networks to Newport Docks , at the time the largest coal exporting docks in the world, and by the 1880s coal was being exported from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan . The Marquess of Bute , who owned much of the land north of Cardiff , built a steam railway system on his land that stretched from Cardiff into many of the South Wales Valleys where the coal

2464-517: The 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a vigorous literary and musical culture centred round eisteddfodau . Despite a few timid attempts to emulate this literature in English, it can be argued that few writers seem to connect with either the landscape or the literary tradition. The one exception, to some extent, can be considered to be Dylan Thomas. The South Wales landscape is marked by numerous chapels, places of worship (past and present) of

2552-587: The B&;MR acquired the Old Rumney Railway, with the obvious intention of reaching the docks at Newport and competing directly with the Rhymney Railway. In self-defence the Rhymney Railway, seeing this coming, had obtained Parliamentary powers for a Bargoed Rhymney branch line, covering pretty much the same terrain as the B&MR intentions. The wasteful competition was abated when the two companies agreed reluctantly to cooperate. The Rhymney Railway built

2640-587: The Bedlinog, Nantwen, Nantyffin and Penydarren collieries. On 1 April 1871 the Rhymney Railway was at last able to open its own direct Caerphilly to Cardiff line. It had a falling gradient all the way to Cardiff, where it made a junction with its own line to the Bute Docks. It was double track. Crockherbtown junction had been the point of divergence of the Taff Vale Railway and the Rhymney lines to

2728-569: The Bracchi, Italians in the café and catering trades often from Bardi in the Apennines. Post-war diversity has brought mosques , especially in Cardiff and Newport, Sikh gurdwaras , including one on the mountain near Abercynon and a growing number of Evangelical and Pentecostal congregations. These often add a strongly international element into local life, such as the "Pont" twinning project between Pontypridd and Mbale , Uganda , and

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2816-699: The LNWR got running powers to Pontypridd, and the PC&;NR got running powers into Cardiff over the Rhymney Railway. The Rhymney's powers to Pontypridd were rendered unusable by the obstructive attitude of the TVR. A further joint venture with the Great Western Railway led to Merthyr Tydfil. Although the GWR already had a presence at Merthyr through the Vale of Neath line, up to that point the Taff Vale Railway had

2904-574: The NA&;HR at Hengoed. In addition there was a 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile (2.0 km) branch from Crockherbtown Junction, immediately north of the present Cardiff Queen Street station , to the Bute Dock. Running powers were granted over the Taff Vale Railway between Walnut Tree Bridge and Crockherbtown Junction. The authorised share capital was more than doubled, an additional £130,000 being authorised by this second act of Parliament of 2 July 1855,

2992-540: The Rhymney Railway and a physical connection was obviously desirable, so the Rhymney Railway (Northern Lines) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. cclxxv) of 25 July 1864 authorised a line northward from Rhymney to Nantybwch on the MT&;AR. The Rhymney Railway and the LNWR agreed to construct the connecting line jointly, and running powers were granted to the Rhymney along the MT&AR as far as Ebbw Vale , although in practice these were not used. The LNWR did well out of

3080-503: The Rhymney Railway and the Brecon and Merthyr Railway . The Rhymney part of that was a relatively short transit from Penrhos Junction through Caerphilly to an end-on junction with the B&M 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.8 km) east of Caerphilly. The Rhymney had to improve its Caerphilly–Penrhos Junction line, which had not been kept up to a standard suited to passenger work since its own trains over this line had ceased in 1871. The RR and

3168-481: The Rhymney Railway was considering how it might reach Dowlais and Merthyr directly. The trade in the iron industry was changing, and no longer was locally extracted iron ore dominant in the iron foundries of Dowlais: imported ore was being used to an increasing extent, and being hauled up the gradient from the coastal ports. The obvious route appeared to be the Taff Bargoed valley, as yet without railway access. At

3256-562: The Rhymney ironworks, down the west bank of the River Rhymney , to a junction with the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway near Hengoed . This main line was to be 9 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (15.3 km) long, and there was also to be a 2 + 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (4.4 km) branch from Pont Aberbargoed up the Bargoed Rhymney valley to Ysgwyddgwyn . Share capital was to be £100,000. The maritime destination which

3344-453: The Rhymney's case as far as Pantywaun Junction, 4 miles (6 km) above Deri (where the Dowlais Ironworks railway system made a junction with the B&MR line), although in practice they were only used as far as Fochriw Colliery. The Deri branch of the Rhymney Railway was doubled in 1909. The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was building its line across the heads of the valleys , giving an exit for Merthyr and Dowlais iron to

3432-939: The Rome and Ancona Railway in Italy, 5 multi-span bridges for railways in India, a 17-span bridge in Pernambuco , Brazil, and bridges in New Ross , Ireland, the Murray River , Australia and Wolkoff for the Great Russian Railway. The Navigation Colliery was in Crumlin. The sinking of mine shafts began in 1907, and it opened fully in 1911. The colliery produced 145,000 tonnes of coal annually at its peak, and it closed in 1967. Many colliery buildings remain preserved to

3520-414: The Swansea area and Free Presbyterian Churches in Rhiwderin , near Newport and at Merthyr Tydfil . The Roman Catholic community, despite systematic persecution, survived in the 17th to 19th centuries, especially in Brecon and among minor gentry such as the Vaughans of Welsh Bicknor , on the Monmouthshire–Herefordshire border. Among members of foreign origin of later urban Catholic congregations were

3608-399: The Taff Vale Railway that it would convey the Rhymney traffic over its line from Llancaiach. Separate dock facilities at Cardiff would be provided, at what became Bute East Dock . A bill for the Rhymney Railway went to Parliament in the 1854 session and received royal assent on 24 July 1854 as the Rhymney Railway Act 1854 ( 17 & 18 Vict. c. cxciii). It was to build a railway from

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3696-430: The Valleys area. Merthyr Tydfil is home to the principal UK call centre for German mobile telephone company, T-Mobile . Many jobs are also provided in small-scale and family businesses. One site of note on the M4 corridor is Port Talbot Steelworks – the largest steel producer in the UK and one of the biggest in Europe. The television and film sectors are fast becoming a major industry in South Wales. In 2021,

3784-432: The Welsh language, although the interests of the latter lay more in society and culture than in the evocation of natural scenery. This natural environment changed to a considerable extent during the early Industrial Revolution when the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire valley areas were exploited for coal and iron . By the 1830s, hundreds of tons of coal were being transported by barge to ports in Cardiff and Newport . In

3872-437: The Welsh screen sector saw a turnover of £575 million. Prominent film studios have been established in Cardiff (Wolf Studios Wales, Seren Stiwdios, Enfys Studios) as well as Bridgend (Dragon Studios) and Swansea (Bay Studios). Great Western Railway operate services from Swansea , Cardiff Central and Newport to London Paddington with Class 800s . Most services in South Wales are operated by Transport for Wales Rail on

3960-476: The area, and had been expanding continuously for some time. The owners naturally wished to maximise the mineral traffic through their docks, and were held back by the difficult connection from the Taff Vale. On 25 July 1884 the Pontypridd Caerphilly and Newport Railway was opened, encouraged by the Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway . It formed a junction with the Taff Vale Railway near Pontypridd , and connected to Newport by running powers over

4048-421: The budget for the work, and interest and other prior charges exceeded the net income, particularly as mineral traffic did not develop as rapidly as had been hoped. Friction developed with the Taff Vale Railway from an early date, and the Rhymney's dependency on the TVR for working its traffic over the TVR main line left the Rhymney vulnerable. The Bute Trustees approached the Rhymney company with an offer: to lease

4136-437: The canal. Compensation was to be paid to landowners over whose property the tramroad might pass, but no further legislative authority needed to be sought. In 1800 the iron-founding industry was established at Rhymney, and this encouraged the inclusion in the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1802 ( 42 Geo. 3 . c. cxv) of a tramroad connecting Nantybwch to the Union Iron Works in Rhymney. There were soon several ironworks in

4224-524: The creation of "Fairtrade" relationships with primary producers worldwide. The former heavy industries of coal and iron production have disappeared since the economic struggles of the 1970s, with the closures of that decade continuing sharply into the 1980s, and by July 1985 just 31 coal pits remained in the region. Further closures left the region with just one deep mine by the early 1990s, and this finally closed in January 2008, by which time it had transferred to private ownership after being sold off by

4312-401: The difficulties of operating over the TVR into Cardiff, the Rhymney Railway submitted a bill in the 1861 session to build an independent line between Walnut Tree and Cardiff, but this failed in committee, although a further extension of authorised capital was permitted. The Bute Trustees evidently wished the Rhymney Railway to succeed, for they now agreed "in consideration of the capitalisation of

4400-418: The docks that it sought. It returned to Parliament the following year. It almost doubled its extent by obtaining an act of Parliament giving sanction to build on from Hengoed to Walnut Tree Bridge, joining the Taff Vale Railway near Taffs Well , a line of 9 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (15.3 km), with a 1-mile (1.6 km) branch to Caerphilly and a 30-chain (0.60 km) branch connecting north to west on to

4488-413: The docks. Now the new line joined in there, but without the facility of running direct from Caerphilly to the TVR docks. The Cardiff station at Adam Street was closed to passengers, and a new Cardiff station, Cardiff Crockherbtown , north of the present-day Cardiff Queen Street was established. The TVR Cardiff station was on the south side of the thoroughfare. In 1871 another, short branch was opened: it

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4576-419: The exchange of running powers, receiving the right to run to Cardiff and Penarth over the RR system, although this required the acquiescence of the Taff Vale Railway , which was not easily obtained. The 3-mile (5 km) line was opened formally on 5 September 1871, although the public opening was not until 2 October 1871. The line climbed at 1 in 35 to Rhymney Bridge station, and from there to Nantybwch

4664-399: The few persons resident there". It considered Crumlin one of the most picturesque spots in the county, surrounded by natural features of "unsurpassed loveliness". The village sits in the South Wales Coalfield and in the neighbouring quarries are often found fine fossils of calamites and lepidodendron ; and, in the shale outcrops, fossil ferns and other cryptogamic plants. Crumlin

4752-470: The giant coal tip unstable, resulting in the Aberfan disaster . The recent dumping of small particles of coal and ash known as 'tailings' seems to have been partly responsible. A 30-foot-high (9 m) black wave tore downhill across the Glamorganshire Canal and swept away houses on its path towards the village school. 114 children and 28 adults were killed. The Rhondda Valleys (Rhondda Fach and Rhondda Fawr) housed around 3,000 people in 1860, but by 1910

4840-408: The immediate area, and a small network of tramroads developed to serve them. In 1815 the Bryn Oer Tramway was opened, connecting the ironworks northward to Trefil and on over the hills to Talybont , where a connection was made with the Abergavenny Canal . In 1825 the Rumney Railway was incorporated. It is usually referred to as the "Old Rumney Railway", and had no organisational connection with

4928-411: The important Merthyr Vale colliery. South Wales A point of some discussion is whether the first element of the name should be capitalised: 'south Wales' or 'South Wales'. As the name is a geographical expression rather than a specific area with well-defined borders, style guides such as those of the BBC and The Guardian use the form 'south Wales'. In a more authoritative style guide,

5016-418: The industrial Midlands and North of England over the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway and associated companies further north. The London and North Western Railway had certain rights over the NA&HR line, and seeing now an opportunity to get access to South Wales, it acquired a lease of the MT&AR in 1862. By 1864 the LNWR had pushed as far west as Nantybwch . The LNWR was friendly towards

5104-399: The industrial revolution, producing coal, metal ores and later steel . Aberfan : The Merthyr Vale colliery began to produce coal in 1875. Spoil from the mine workings was piled on the hills close to the village which grew nearby. Tipping went on until the 1960s. Although nationalised, the National Coal Board failed to appreciate the danger they had created. In October 1966, heavy rain made

5192-410: The ingredients were close at hand: iron ore , coal , timber and limestone . One particular resource needed to be provided, and that was transport to market. For some time this was done on the backs of animals; the road system was extremely poor in the area, and the provision of a turnpike helped, but pack animal transport was nonetheless expensive. Canals were built: the Glamorganshire Canal and

5280-507: The joint line was part of the MT&AR. The LNWR immediately made use of the route to get access to Cardiff for general goods traffic; until this time it had passed via Newport , being transshipped there to broad gauge wagons as the former South Wales Railway route was still broad gauge. The LNWR now carried a lot of traffic to Cardiff and soon was receiving complaints that it had inadequate warehousing facilities there; it responded by building its own goods station at Tyndall Street. In 1867

5368-456: The later Rhymney Railway. It opened about 1826, running from Rhymney to Pye Corner , on the margin of modern Newport , where it joined the Sirhowy tramroad . The conveyance of the output of the ironworks at Merthyr and Dowlais remained a serious issue, and eventually, in 1840, the Taff Vale Railway was built as the solution to the problem. In that year and the following year the line was completed between Merthyr and Cardiff Docks. Then in 1847

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5456-407: The line was to reach was described in the act as "the ports [plural] of the Bristol Channel " and the armorial bearing of the company included the coast of arms both of Cardiff and Newport, although no reason has been recorded for the Newport connection. The connection to the NA&HR at Llancaiach was refused on account of objection by that company, so the Rhymney Railway was without the route to

5544-399: The mines and foundries in which they worked. The large influx over the years caused overcrowding which led to outbreaks of Cholera , and on the social and cultural side, the near-loss of the Welsh language in the area. The 1930s inter-war Great Depression in the United Kingdom saw the loss of almost half of the coal pits in the South Wales Coalfield , and their number declined further in

5632-438: The new Cardiff to Caerphilly line, the Rhymney Railway was all single track, and the massive expansion of mineral traffic was becoming difficult to handle, leading to complaints about passenger train delays. The company was forced to double the line between Caerphilly and Ystrad Mynach in 1872, and other expensive improvements, as well as enhancements to the locomotive fleet, had to follow. Newport Docks had long been dominant in

5720-494: The new docks at Penarth , from the date of opening of the direct line. A separate act of Parliament on the same day gave permission for a short stub to make a connection east of Caerphilly with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway 's Caerphilly branch. In fact the construction of the line proved very difficult at a time when money was becoming very scarce; as well as labour problems the Caerphilly Tunnel gave exceptional difficulty. At 1 mile 173 yards (1.768 km) in length it

5808-406: The north of the town. The colliery site contains thirteen Grade II and II* listed buildings and is managed by the charity Glofa Navigation Cyf for the benefit of the community. The Mine Rescue Station was opened in Station Road, Crumlin in 1910 and closed in 1986. It was the first in the South Wales Coalfield. In 1914, the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines at Treforest established

5896-419: The operating difficulties over the TVR section only became worse; and in 1863 the Rhymney Railway submitted a bill to make the direct line to Cardiff from Caerphilly. On 25 July 1864, the Rhymney Railway (Cardiff and Caerphilly) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. cclxiv) was passed, with further capital of £210,000. The running powers between Walnut Tree and Cardiff would be extinguished, except for traffic to

5984-418: The population had soared to 160,000. The Rhondda had become the heart of a massive South Wales coal industry. Mining accidents below ground were common, and in 1896 fifty-seven men and boys were killed in a gas explosion at the Tylorstown Colliery . An enquiry found that the pit involved had not been properly inspected over the previous 15 months. Ebbw Vale, the valley of the Ebbw River which stretches from

6072-415: The rent due to them" that dividends and other interest payments should have precedence over their own financial claims. The Bute Trustees were already giving the Rhymney company considerably better terms for using the dock than they had granted to the Taff Vale Railway; this was a sore point with the TVR company. From 1862 the profitability of the company eased a little and a modest dividend was paid. However

6160-437: The same time the Great Western Railway had a corresponding idea, and on 29 March 1867 the Rhymney and the GWR agreed to build the line jointly. This was ratified by an act of Parliament of 12 August 1867. There was to be a generous exchange of running powers. It was to run from a junction near Llancaiach on the Taff Vale Extension line, to Dowlais (Cae Harris), a distance of 9 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (14.9 km), making

6248-424: The southern part of the route from Bargoed to Deri Junction, there to form an end-on junction with the B&MR line. (The location was later the site of Darran and Deri station.) The Rhymney's part of the line opened in March 1864. The B&MR was approaching from the north, and was ready for traffic in 1865, but legal complications prevented actual opening until March 1868. Mutual running powers were agreed, in

6336-529: The theological innovations of some trained ministers, and created new congregations such as that at Hengoed near Ystrad Mynach . In the same century, churches were sometimes involved in the Methodist movement, especially at Groeswen and Watford near Caerphilly , which both received frequent visits from John Wesley The largest denomination, however, became the Calvinist Methodists (later

6424-417: The town of Ebbw Vale to Newport, includes the mining towns and villages of Newbridge , Risca , Crumlin , Abercarn and Cwmcarn . The Carboniferous Black Vein coal seams in the area lay some 900 feet (275 metres) below the surface and the mining activity associated with it was responsible for many tragic subsurface explosions, roof collapses and mining accidents . Now the Valleys' heavy industrial past

6512-540: The transit, and this relationship was uneasy; the Rhymney Railway built an independent line to Cardiff in 1871. Better relations were created with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), and later the Great Western Railway (GWR), and two important joint lines with the GWR were built: the Taff Bargoed line (1876) and the Quakers Yard and Merthyr Joint line (1882). Although the Rhymney Railway network

6600-551: The two Crumlin railway stations , at high (viaduct) and valley levels. The low level station closed in 1962, and the viaduct and high level station closed in 1964 under the Beeching cuts . Plans for preserving the viaduct were discussed, but the poor state of repair made this impossible, and it was dismantled between 1966 and 1967. Even while demolition work was in progress, scenes for the film Arabesque , which starred Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck , were shot on it. As of 2019,

6688-448: The undertaking for 250 years retrospectively from 1 January 1860; to deal with all prior charges and in addition pay 5% on the ordinary stock from the beginning of 1865, rising gradually to that figure in the meantime. This offer was remarkably advantageous to the Rhymney's proprietors, but in 1860 and again in 1861 Parliament refused to sanction the arrangement, and the Rhymney Railway was left to resolve its problems alone. Frustrated with

6776-599: The various Christian Nonconformist congregations. The Baptist congregation at Ilston , Gower , moved to Swansea, Massachusetts , but after the restoration of the Anglican worship with the issue of the Book of Common Prayer in 1662, several "gathered" churches survived belonging to the Baptist, Independent and Presbyterian denominations. In the 18th century members of some of these congregations became dissatisfied with

6864-740: The viaduct was built, the canal was shortened as one of the pillars needed to be located in its path. The canal is no longer in evidence, as it was filled in the late 1960s for the construction of the A467 road. The Crumlin Viaduct Works Company Limited produced the ironwork for the Crumlin Viaduct. They also produced the ironwork for the first Blackfriars Railway Bridge for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway , 120 bridges in Buenos Aires , Argentina, 69 bridges for

6952-779: The years following World War II . This number is now very low, following the UK miners' strike (1984–85) , and the last 'traditional' deep-shaft mine, Tower Colliery , closed in January 2008. Despite the intense industrialisation of the coal mining valleys, many parts of the landscape of South Wales such as the upper Neath valley, the Vale of Glamorgan and the valleys of the River Usk and River Wye remain distinctly beautiful and unspoilt and have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest . In addition, many once heavily industrialised sites have reverted to wilderness, some provided with

7040-409: Was a hard drive, and an unknown spring in the middle during construction proved difficult to get under control. In 1859 the Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (B&MR) had been incorporated, to build a line from the north at Brecon , into Merthyr Tydfil , Dowlais and Rhymney . At first this appeared to complement the Rhymney Railway's activity, but the mood gradually changed and in 1863

7128-404: Was at Adam Street , and the trains ran non-stop from there to Walnut Tree ; from there the stations were Caerphilly , Ystrad , Hengoed , Pengam , Bargoed , Tir-phil and Rhymney . At Hengoed the trains made connections with the Taff Vale Extension line trains. The Caerphilly branch was opened in 1859. From the outset the company was in difficulty. The capital expenditure had far exceeded

7216-459: Was being found. Lord Bute then charged fees per ton of coal that was transported out using his railways. With coal mining and iron smelting being the main trades of south Wales, many thousands of immigrants from the Midlands , Scotland , Ireland , Cornwall and even Italy came and set up homes and put down roots in the region. Very many came from other coal mining areas such as Somerset ,

7304-461: Was fixed for the opening: 24 wagons loaded with 150 tons of Rhymney iron formed the first train, followed by a second of 40 mineral wagons containing 240 tons. The line was single-track throughout. Passenger traffic started on 31 March 1858. There were two trains each way daily, taking 90 minutes for the 24 miles (39 km) from Cardiff to Rhymney. Three weeks later the service was augmented to three passenger trains each way daily. The Cardiff station

7392-590: Was from Ystrad Mynach on the Rhymney main line to Penalltau Junction on the Taff Vale Extension line. By this time the Great Western Railway had taken over the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway (through its successor, the West Midland Railway ) so the Taff Vale Extension was GWR territory. The line had been extended to Middle Duffryn in the Aberdare Valley , and connected there with

7480-459: Was intended as a trunk railway, connecting the network of the Great Western Railway with Milford Haven , and running through Cardiff. The Taff Vale Railway had a branch line to Llancaiach , where there were productive collieries. This spate of railway building in South Wales, mirroring that in England, encouraged thoughts of a railway serving the Rhymney ironworks. An agreement was reached with

7568-704: Was made up of the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire , areas that had previously been part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth ('the southern land'). The legal responsibility for this area lay in the hands of the Justiciar of South Wales based at Carmarthen . Other parts of southern Wales were in the hands of various Marcher Lords . The Laws in Wales Acts 1542 created the Court of Great Sessions in Wales based on four legal circuits. The Brecon circuit served

7656-435: Was never large, it was remarkably profitable, and paid excellent dividends for most of its life. Dependent on mineral traffic for its own success, it declined in the 1970s, but the main line from Rhymney to Cardiff remains in heavy use as a local passenger line. The head of the River Taff valley, at Dowlais , Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney , was the scene of huge expansion of industrial iron founding from 1760 onwards. All

7744-507: Was obtained to increase the share capital to £300,000. The Bute Docks branch was the first to be completed, being ready in September 1857, although the Rhymney Railway itself was not yet in a position to make use of it; some Taff Vale Railway traffic passed over it. The approach to the junction with the TVR at Walnut Tree involved excavating a cutting to the extent of 1,000,000 cubic yards (760,000 m) of earth. Thursday 25 February 1858

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