Charles Liddell (c. 1813 – 10 August 1894), was an English railway engineer .
105-490: The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway company formed to connect the places in its name. When it sought parliamentary authorisation, it was denied the southern section, and obliged to use the Monmouthshire Railway between Pontypool and Newport . It opened on 6 December 1853, and was part of an important chain of lines between south-east Wales and Birkenhead ; mineral traffic in both directions
210-400: A detention of some hours, and on coming through Tredegar Park, the chimney was carried away by a branch of a tree hanging over the tram-road; and in consequence of these accidents it did not arrive at Newport till the evening. There were problems with steaming and with boiler feed water in the early days. Nevertheless, the results of locomotive operation were encouraging. However, the weight of
315-507: A distance of twelve miles and a half, there is a rise of 447 feet by the canal; in its railway continuation to Blaen-Din there is a rise of 610 feet in a distance of five miles and a quarter. From Crindau Farm to Crumlin Bridge the canal rises 358 feet in eleven miles; the railway from Crumlin Bridge to Beaufort rises 619 feet in ten miles; the Nant-y-Glo branch has a rise of 518 feet. The gauge of
420-524: A duplicate route. Instead the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccciii) authorised it to build from a junction with the intended Newport and Pontypool Railway in the parish of Llanvrechva to Hereford. It was to take over and use the alignments of three earlier tramroads: the Llanvihangel, Grosmont and Hereford Railways. Their acquisition was strategic, in order to obtain
525-722: A junction at Coed-y-Gric Farm near Pontypool. Accordingly, the Monmouthshire now started doubling their line to accommodate the extra traffic. In addition the line had to be completed from the temporary terminus at Marshes Turnpike Gate to Mill Street; this was opened on 9 March 1853. The official opening of the NA&;HR took place on 2 January 1854: five trains per day were run. The remaining three were mixed goods and passenger with third class accommodation, and had an intermediate stop at Pontnewydd. The Eastern and Western Valley sections were not connected at Newport, due to objections from
630-695: A junction with the Taff Vale Railway near Quakers Yard , requiring a further £400,000 of capital. The financial crisis resulted in complete inaction on the ground, and the Company sought postponement of the acquisition of the three tramways. In 1851 the London and North Western Railway feared that the GWR and its broad gauge allies were attempting to monopolise South Wales, and the LNWR itself took an interest in reaching South Wales;
735-699: A machine for making wire ropes ." On receipt of Gordon's letter, Newall designed a wire rope machine. On Gordon's return to the UK in 1839, he formed a partnership with Newall and Liddell, registering R.S. Newall and Company in Dundee . On 17 August 1840, Newall took out a patent for "certain improvements in wire rope and the machinery for making such rope," and R.S. Newall and Company commenced making wire ropes for "Mining, Railway, Ships' Rigging, and other purposes". Liddell died in London on 10 August 1894. This article about an engineer, inventor or industrial designer from
840-544: A railway line running to the ports. The Taff Vale Extension line was to run from east to west; this would enable it to connect into many of the valley lines, but as it crossed the grain of the valleys, it would be challenging to construct. In 1853 work was started on the Crumlin Viaduct, stated to be the largest viaduct in the world, crossing the Ebbw Valley at a height of 200 feet, and 1650 feet in length. The first section of
945-546: A result, the company was unable to complete the Newport and Pontypool Railway within the time limit set by Parliament. The Newport and Pontypool Railway Amendment Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. cxx) was passed, allowing an extension of time for construction, authority to carry passengers, and a change of name to the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company . They were freed from the obligation to provide mineral wagons, but locomotives remained their responsibility, and horse traction
1050-527: A special "combination" wheel that could run on a standard gauge edge rail track or the narrower tramplate track. Over 521 tons of improved wrought iron tramplates were purchased, and the cost of improvements by November 1846 was £17,742. At the time of authorisation of the Pontypool line in 1845, the company was heavily committed in upgrading its existing lines. A financial depression set in at this time, and money became impossible to obtain for railway schemes. As
1155-637: Is a branch canal to Crumlin Bridge. At Court-y-Bella Farm at Risca and at Pillgwenlly it joins the Sirhowey Tramroad. From the Crumlin Bridge branch, there is a railroad to Beaufort ironworks; a branch to Sorwy furnace, another to Nant-y-Glo works and a third to the Sirhowey Railroad to Risca. Near Pontypool is a railway branch to Trosnant furnace and another to Blaen-Din works. From the Usk to Pontnewynydd in
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#17328551053501260-451: The Board of Trade was called in to adjudicate. In fact Simmons reviewed the whole of the company's proposed operation, and on 28 April 1849 they received his judgment. He was critical of the combination rail and wheel arrangement, and he recommended that "proper" railway track should be used, laid adjacent to the existing tramplate to allow for continued operation during the conversion. He wanted
1365-513: The Brecon Curve was brought into use at Hereford, enabling those trains to get access to Barrs Court station from the north. Barton passenger station had for some time only been used by the Midland trains although the station was owned by the GWR. It was now closed and Barrs Court became the only passenger station at Hereford. Pontypool Road had become an important junction, handling the divergence of
1470-659: The London and North Western Railway . The attraction of South Wales as a considerable centre of the metal-working industries was not diminished, and the directors considered it important to make a connection to the district. They obtained powers in 1847 for the Taff Vale Extension Railway, which was to run from Coedygric North Junction at Pontypool westwards to make a junction with the Taff Vale Railway at Quakers Yard . The South Wales valleys may be considered to run broadly southwards and many of them were already served by
1575-461: The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway Act 1859 ( 22 & 23 Vict. c. lix). During construction in difficult terrain did not go well, and the company ran into financial difficulties. The West Midland Railway entered discussions with a view to leasing it, but the LNWR offered generous terms and concluded a deal—a lease of 1,000 years—on 8 November 1861. On 29 September 1862, the eastern section of
1680-588: The Severn Tunnel as well as from South Wales. The route became known as the North and West Route; a significant advantage was that it avoided the exceptionally congested area of the West Midlands. There was a decline in usage of local railway stations from about 1930 as the quality of rural roads improved, and motor lorries and buses became available; inevitably this led to a loss of railway business, and on 9 June 1958,
1785-602: The Taff Vale Extension Line , running west from Pontypool and cutting across several of the valleys, making connections with other companies' lines, eventually at twelve locations. The line was opened in stages from 1857, and included the Crumlin Viaduct crossing the valley of the Ebbw River . After 1945 local passenger and goods business collapsed, and somewhat later the mineral industries declined too. By 1979 only
1890-572: The Taff Vale Railway . However the financial chaos following the Railway Mania resulted in that scheme being dropped. It was revived as a more modest scheme, and the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was incorporated on 3 August 1846. It had been proposed to build the line to Newport, but the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company had been authorised in 1845 to build its Newport and Pontypool line, and Parliament declined to authorise
1995-733: The West Midland Railway . The amalgamation was ratified by the West Midland Railway Act 1860 ( 23 & 24 Vict. c. lxxxi) of 1 July 1860. It had been fiercely opposed by the London and North Western Railway and its local line, the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, and Parliament gave the LNWR running powers over the NA&HR. In return the West Midland Railway had running powers over the S&;HR from Hereford to Shelwick Junction,
2100-566: The 22 miles of the connecting Rumney Tramroad, and 14 miles of the Sirhowy Tramroad. Some of the curves were sharper than 15 feet radius, an impossibility under locomotive operation. The work involved closure of part of the upper end of the canal; the Pontnewynydd to Pontypool section was closed in 1849, and Pontypool to Pontymoile in 1853. The company engineer, Edward Barber, designed a combination tramplate which provided an edge rail, and
2205-727: The Canal Parade, on the Western Valley section, was made in April 1854. Another new railway branch line connecting the east side of the dock with the Western, Eastern and Hereford lines was also made. Access to this east side over the canal was achieved by the installation of three lift bridges for the railway, leading on to the banks of sidings storing the full and empty wagons which serviced the dock. Charles Liddell Born in County Durham , he
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#17328551053502310-517: The Great Western design of bridge rail which the South Wales Railway was laying on its line through Newport. The rail weighed 120 lbs. to the yard, and was described as a kind of rail and tramplate combined in such a way that neither would interfere with the other, but would allow the present antiquated trams and the locomotive engines to travel with perfect safety and ease. David Jones,
2415-584: The Iron Masters of South Wales with Steam Coals back from that district to the Mersey began. This was worked throughout from Pontypool to Birkenhead by the engines and waggons of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway..." In due course it was agreed that amalgamation of the allies was an appropriate move, and the NA&HR, the OW&;WR and the still unfinished Worcester and Hereford Railway were amalgamated, forming
2520-427: The LNWR from 1 October 1854, and brought in the railway contractor Thomas Brassey and Company . The LNWR continued to loan carriages and other rolling stock. Brassey could not bring sufficient engine power to work the line efficiently, and the NA&HR decided to work the line themselves; they did so, effective from 1 January 1855. A the end of March 1855 the LNWR summarily withdrew their rolling stock, and for some time
2625-498: The MT&;AR was opened to a south-facing junction at Abergavenny, a short distance north of the NA&HR, now WMR, station. The MT&A had its own passenger station, Abergavenny Brecon Road. In 1863 the WMR constructed passenger platforms on its own main line a little north of the new junction, and some MT&AR trains reached it by reversing at the junction. As the primary purpose of the line
2730-695: The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Company to make additional wharves on the banks of the River Usk to enable cargoes to be transferred to ships for export. The canal was to be extended a mile and a quarter down the river from Llanarth Street, the original termination, to Pillgwenlly ; the cost was said to be £100,000. Work was begun in 1806. Passengers were carried on the Monmouthshire plateway lines from 1822. They were carried on specially constructed vehicles operated by independent carriers. John Kingson operated his horse-drawn omnibus from
2835-560: The NA&HR share issue. In May 1851 the engineer Charles Liddell had been appointed to supervise the construction, and by March 1852 construction work was in progress on the ground. A working agreement with the LNWR was agreed, to come into effect when the Worcester and Hereford Railway was opened: at this stage its authorising Bill was in Parliament. The mineral traffic potential was hugely dominant: two sets of carriages would be enough for
2940-458: The NA&HR was in considerable difficulty, losing business as a result. The breakaway from the LNWR led to difficult times for the NA&HR, and it formed an alliance with the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway . The two companies pooled resources to complete a third line, the Worcester and Hereford Railway, then under construction but experiencing difficulties. The OW&WR was undoubtedly
3045-528: The NA&HR would be a key link in the chain for that purpose. In partnership with the Midland Railway the LNWR suggested generous terms to the NA&HR in completing and working their line. Negotiations dragged on with opposition from some LNWR directors, but the NA&HR were offered 4% on their capital outlay, but only when the Worcester and Hereford Railway was opened. This agreement was finalised on 19 February 1852 and included LNWR directors taking 8% of
3150-462: The Newport and Pontypool line was authorised in Parliament, the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway had also received its authorisation. That company had intended to build a line throughout from Newport, but Parliament objected to the building of two railways between Newport and Pontypool along pretty much the same ground, and obliged the NA&HR to use the Monmouthshire's line to reach Newport from
3255-602: The Pontypool to Hereford main line, and some short stubs of the Taff Vale Extension Line remained in use, but the main line flourished, and continues in use as an important secondary main line. In the first half of the 1840s a scheme was conceived to link the industrial centres of the West Midlands directly with the metal industries of South Wales. The idea became the Welsh Midland Railway, and it would have run from Worcester via Hereford and Brecon to join
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-402: The Sirhowy Tramroad, connected from Tredegar . Steam locomotives were used from 1829. By 1850 pressure was mounting to modernise the line, and in 1848 an act of Parliament authorised conversion to a modern railway, construction of a new railway from Newport to Pontypool, and a change of name for the company to the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. The high volume of mineral activity in
3465-568: The Taff Vale Extension line from Pontypool Road to Crumlin Junction was opened on 20 August 1855. It was a single line of Barlow rails at first, but was doubled soon afterwards. The branch down to Llanhilleth was opened to an NA&HR goods depot there on 3 September 1855 and a connection joining the Monmouthshire Railway's Western Valley line at Llanhilleth opened on 20 October 1855. Crumlin Viaduct
3570-583: The Taff Vale Railway, on 11 January 1858. The final section, on from Quakers Yard to Middle Duffryn Junction, joining the Vale of Neath Railway, was opened on 18 April 1864 for goods trains, and on 5 October 1864 for passenger traffic; this was after the NA&HR had been taken over by the West Midland Railway, and that company had itself amalgamated with the Great Western Railway. The Taff Vale Extension
3675-563: The Tredegar Arms at Newport to Tredegar; his carriage was nicknamed the "Caravan" and ran twice weekly, Kingson paying tolls along the route. A man called Samuel Homfray soon joined Kingson with services from other towns to Newport. The transit from the ironworks to Newport was slow and expensive, as each wagon was accompanied by a horse and driver. The employment of steam locomotives elsewhere had been beneficial, and Samuel Homfray and his engineer Thomas Ellis were interested in using one at
3780-638: The Tredegar works. A locomotive was ordered from Robert Stephenson of Killingworth for trials. The locomotive, named Britannia , started work in October 1829, and the following December made its first journey to Newport. A newspaper reported: It was confidently stated for some weeks past that the Tredegar Iron Company... were to start a locomotive engine the day of the Cattle Show, on Thursday last, to bring
3885-592: The Usk River, not a great distance below the town of Newport, close to the termination of the Rumney and Sirhowey Railroads: passing on in a direction nearly full north and leaving Newport to the east, the canal extends by Pontypool to Pontnewynydd, a distance of more than seventeen miles and three-quarters. Near this place it connects with the Abergavenny and Brecknock Canal. In its course it passes Malpas opposite which at Crindau
3990-569: The West Midland Railway section of the Great Western Railway, formed part of an increasingly important trunk route between the industrial West Midlands and the north-west of England, and the Newport and Cardiff areas. Reliance on the line of the Monmouthshire Railway resulted in delays and congestion, and in 1874 the Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway was opened: this provided an independent route from Pontypool Road to Maindee Junction, immediately east of Newport High Street station. The new line lay to
4095-544: The Western Valley Line was sustained by the continued operation of British Steel's works at Ebbw Vale . A passenger service from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff was resumed on 6 February 2008. For centuries the mineral wealth of Monmouthshire had been exploited, especially in the manufacture of iron; the necessary raw materials were all at hand: coal, ironstone, limestone, and timber. This availability encouraged technical innovation, and this in turn led to considerable progress in
4200-460: The act was passed. There was a considerable fall from the top of the canal to Newport: the Pontnewynydd arm descended 447 feet, using 42 locks; there were two tunnels. The Crumlin arm descended 358 feet to Crindau, and required 31 locks. Reservoirs had to be created at the heads of the canal to ensure a reliable water supply. The main arm of the canal opened in 1796, and by this time tramroads had already been constructed in readiness connecting
4305-582: The area kept the company in good financial health for many years, but it failed to keep abreast of competing developments, and faced with unforeseen major loss of business it sold the rights to operate its network to the Great Western Railway in 1875. The GWR developed the network, until in the period after 1918 road competition increasingly abstracted passenger and non-mineral goods traffic. Passenger operation ceased in 1962. The Eastern Valley Line closed completely south of Cwmbran Junction in 1963, but
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-499: The canal was 11 miles in length. The canal was authorised by the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1792 ( 32 Geo. 3 . c. 102), and the act included permission to build connecting tramways or plateways (or alternatively "stone roads") to pits within seven miles of the canal, and to raise £120,000. The estimated cost was £106,000, and such was the enthusiasm for the scheme that the capital was all subscribed before
4515-444: The carriers themselves. Early in 1845 an accommodation was reached between the canal company and the promoters of the railway; the canal company would promote the necessary railway themselves. The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation got the Newport and Pontypool Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. clxix), authorising it to build the Newport and Pontypool Railway, to use locomotives and become sole carriers. Authorised capital
4620-465: The city from the south-east, and it used the Barrs Court station, on the east side of the city. Running between the two stations involved a reversal at a junction north of Hereford. The obvious inconvenience led to complaints, and a resolution was reached in which a connecting curve to the south was provided by the LNWR, enabling trains from Abergavenny to run direct to Barrs Court. The Hereford Loop, as it
4725-545: The committee at £200 a share... Among the conditions of purchase it was left to the Canal Company to take shares in the railway in lieu of the purchase money... The Canal Company had not yet given notice of the number of shares that it might be their intention to take... Although the purchase had been authorised, the Monmouthshire Railway Company failed to raise the cash it needed for the purchase. The purchase
4830-402: The company was obliged to proceed with the work. By 1 August 1849 it appeared that opening to locomotive operation could take place. In fact eight new locomotives were delivered shortly before the proposed inauguration, but the combination tramplates were to be used. The locomotives were so heavy at about 20 tons, that widespread breakage of the new tram-plates took place, causing serious damage to
4935-471: The continuing financial crisis at the time made it impossible to raise money for railway schemes, and for some years no attempt was made to start building the line. Nevertheless, in 1847 the company also applied, and secured, authorisation in the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway (Extension to Taff Vale Railway) Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. clxxvii) for the Taff Vale Extension line, from Llanvrechva to
5040-573: The east of the Monmouthshire Railway. The Golden Valley Railway opened the first part of its line from Pontrilas on the Abergavenny to Hereford line to Dorstone on 1 September 1881 The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway had run to an independent station, Moorfields, in Hereford, and from 1869 it fell under the control of the Midland Railway . There was a link to Barton station, used by the Midland Railway trains from Swansea via Brecon. On 2 January 1893
5145-400: The existing canal there. This time the line would have "all convenient turnouts" (passing loops) and "if required to construct double rail". In addition Outram recommended further reservoir capacity for the canal, and conversion of all the existing tramroad connections to plateways, in which the rails are L-shaped plates, the vertical flange providing the guidance to unflanged wheels; the gauge
5250-457: The existing lines, and improving the canal. The Sirhowy Tramroad Company would be formed to build the majority of the new line from Tredegar as far as a location nine miles from Newport, later named Nine Mile Point. The canal company was to build its own tramway from there to a terminus at Llanarth Street in Newport, at the canal basin. The line passed through the estate of Sir Charles Morgan , later Lord Tredegar, and he reserved tolls for himself on
5355-482: The furnaces of Trosnant, Blaendare and Blaenavon to the line of the canal. When the Crumlin arm was ready, corresponding tramroad connections led to it from Beaufort , Sorwy, Nantyglo and Aberbeeg . In fact, the numerous short tramroad connections exceeded in aggregate length the extent of the canal to which they led. Priestley described the route of the canal: This canal and its branches and railroads commence in
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#17328551053505460-554: The inaction of the Monmouthshire Company, and they decided that the solution was a new railway for both passengers and goods: the Newport and Nantyglo Railway, soon retitled the Monmouthshire Railway . The proprietors of the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation themselves proposed a railway to head off the competitive threat, and to alter all their tramroads to "make them suitable for locomotive haulage" and to become
5565-442: The independent users would be allowed three months by the company to alter their stock. Dock Street station in Newport was brought into use on 4 August 1852 as the terminus for the Western Valley traffic; the temporary station at Courtybella was now closed. The Eastern Valley too received an improved Newport terminal: on 9 March 1852 the line was opened from Marshes Turnpike Gate to Mill Street. A new branch line from Pill Bank to
5670-430: The industry. The iron production took place some distance from the coast, and transport away to a point of use was exceedingly difficult and expensive. Industrialists in the area combined to finance the construction of a canal from Pontnewynydd , a little north-west of Pontypool, to Newport, and a second arm from near Crumlin, through Rogerstone to join the first arm of the canal at Crindau, close to Newport. Each arm of
5775-467: The iron from the Works to this port [Newport], a distance of twenty-four miles. The persons assembled at the Cattle Show (which was close to the tram-road) were looking anxiously for the steam-engine, but it did not make its appearance. The engine did, however, start from the Works early in the morning, but unfortunately, at one of the crossings in the tramroad... the wheels got out of the tram-plates, which caused
5880-547: The issue turned acrimonious. A Committee of Investigation was appointed on 5 April 1851, and several directors lost their seats as a result. Work was now resumed and carried forward swiftly, and after an inspection Captain Simmons on 14 June 1852, the Newport and Pontypool Railway was opened to traffic on Wednesday 30 June 1852, from a temporary terminus at Marshes Turnpike Gate, Newport to the Crane Street station at Pontypool. It
5985-428: The latter ports was an important part of the business. After the GWR had acquired both the West Midland Railway and the Vale of Neath Railway, it regarded the route from Aberdare to Pontypool as a single entity, and some writers refer to the whole distance to Pontypool as "the Vale of Neath line". However, Middle Duffryn was the boundary between the Vale of Neath Railway network and the Taff Vale Extension line. The route
6090-464: The lease transferred to the GWR. The LNWR had running powers over the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway, and wished to obtain a convenient access to the ironworks of South Wales; this desire was reciprocated by the ironmasters, and at the same time colliery owners needed a suitable route for their output to travel north. On 1 August 1859 the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was authorised by
6195-503: The locomotive caused many of the tramplates to break, and the company set about adapting their track by installing more substantial plates; nearly 1,000 tons of tramplates were ordered from the Coalbrook Vale and Nant-y-glo Ironworks. Mr Prothero of Newport ordered a locomotive from Price and Co. of Neath Abbey, to convey coal from his collieries at Blancyffin Isha to Pillgwenlly. The engine
6300-403: The locomotives in addition. The company reverted to horse traction, and the intended passenger service was abandoned. To ease the situation, Crawshay Bailey of Nantyglo offered them 2,000 tons of urgently needed rails, valued at £10,000, in exchange for an equivalent value of shares in the company. The new rails were of a completely different design to Barber's combination rail, and similar to
6405-475: The main line to Newport and the Eastern Valley line (the former Monmouthshire Railway line) and the Taff Vale Extension Line, as well as goods sorting sidings and an engine shed. Its gradual growth had led to an inconvenient layout, and the opportunity was taken by the GWR to build a new station, junction, engine shed and sidings facilities; the passenger station consisted of a long island platform. The new layout
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#17328551053506510-454: The main line, Coedygric Junction to the Barton station at Hereford. It was standard gauge. Services reached Newport Mill Street station over the Monmouthshire Railway, which had opened in 1852; its line was single at first, but it was doubled in April 1854. The two networks joined at Coedygric Junction, near Pontypool. The NA&HR had no statutory running powers over the NA&HR; the arrangement
6615-444: The majority of stations on the NA&HR main line were closed. The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny line had already closed to through goods trains in 1954 and to passengers on 6 January 1958. This was followed by complete closure of the MT&AR on 5 April 1971. On 15 June 1964 the passenger service on the Taff Vale Extension route was ended. The line was closed entirely from Hafodyrynys to Panteg Junction on 31 March 1979. In 1967
6720-707: The mile of route through his land; this lucrative arrangement became known as "the Park Mile" or "the Golden Mile". The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Company was by now authorised to raise a total capital of £275,330. The whole of the Monmouthshire Canal section was double track, and there was a large viaduct of 32 arches at Risca; the whole Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Company line cost £32,000. The wagons were conveyed in trains of 15 or so drawn by five or six horses. The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1802 allowed
6825-420: The new Company Engineer worked quickly, applying himself fully to the whole of the Western Valley section. Tenders were invited for booking offices and waiting rooms at Crumlin, Aberbeeg, Cwmtillery, Blaina and Ebbw Vale. Additional tenders were also invited for extra wagons suitable for carrying hay, straw, pitwood and coke. Towards the end of 1850 the whole of the line had been re-laid on wooden sleepers, and at
6930-436: The passenger service, but the LNWR estimated that 1,000 wagons would be required. The Cunard shipping line alone had indicated a requirement for steam coal of 100,000 tons annually at Birkenhead and 300,000 at Liverpool . (In fact about a third of that number were in use in 1854.) In 1853 the NA&HR sought Parliamentary approval for leasing its line to the LNWR, and for extensions of its network to Swansea and Brecon; at
7035-438: The point at which the Worcester line joined. The West Midland Railway itself fell under the influence of the Great Western Railway, and soon consideration took place of amalgamation with the GWR. This took place, and was effective in 1863. The ironmaster Crawshay Bailey and his business partners were anxious to bring iron ore and other minerals from the Forest of Dean to ironworks at Nantyglo , Dowlais and Ebbw Vale , and
7140-402: The railway fenced, and level crossing gates and signalling to be provided. All the wagons in use were unsuitable for a passenger carrying railway, and they had to be replaced with those of an approved type, with wrought iron wheels, springs and buffers. A similar report had been received by the canal company in 1847, so that it was impossible to claim lack of knowledge of the recommendations, and
7245-417: The right of way, and very little use was made of the tramroads themselves by the NA&HR. A further act of Parliament, the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway (Deviations) Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. lxxxvi), was passed the following year authorising minor changes to the route, and a junction with the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway . The timing of the 1846 authorisation was unfortunate, as
7350-436: The route formerly in use had involved a stiff climb against the load up the Western Valley line. They promoted a new railway that was to run from Coleford, on the edge of the Forest of Dean, to a junction with the NA&HR line at Little Mill, two miles north of Pontypool Road, enabling easy access to the ironworks from the Taff Vale Extension line. The first part of this line, from Usk to Little Mill, opened on 2 June 1856, and
7455-468: The route from Red Hill Junction to Barton was closed. Barton was retained for the time being as a goods depot. The North and West Route retains its strategic significance, and carries (2017) through passenger services linking North and South Wales, as there is no through route extant within Wales. A short section of the Taff Vale Extension line remains at Nelson. Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
7560-404: The senior partner in this alliance, the NA&HR having relatively limited financial resources. It took powers to subscribe £37,500 to the Worcester and Hereford Railway. The route from Birkenhead to South Wales became an important trunk line for minerals: MacDermot, drawing on a report of 1856, says that "a considerable Mineral Traffic, from the interchange of Red [iron] Ore from Birkenhead for
7665-483: The sharp curves the new type of rail was laid, and the curves eased. Captain Laffan inspected the line on 15 October 1850, and at last the opening for passenger operation was approved. The work in the Western Valley had cost £136,000, and the line opened for passenger traffic on 23 December 1850. Initially there were two passenger trains a day in each direction. In fact at the half-yearly shareholders' meeting on 15 May 1850 it
7770-409: The single line tramroads: empty wagons were manhandled off the track to allow loaded wagons to pass them. A supplementary act of Parliament was secured on 30 May 1798 to allow for loading facilities at the ship berths in Newport. In April 1799 the whole project was said to be complete, and nearly 44,000 tons of material were conveyed in 1798 alone. The project was hugely successful, and there
7875-671: The specifications for both the wrought iron Crumlin Viaduct and the stone Hengoed Viaduct . After surveying the route for the Bedford and Cambridge Railway , he was Chief Engineer for the London extensions for both the Midland Railway , and Great Central Main Line . In 1838, whilst studying at the Freiburg School of Mines , Germany, L.D.B. Gordon visited the mines at Clausthal , and met Wilhelm Albert . Impressed by what he saw, he wrote to his friend Robert Stirling Newall , urging him to "Invent
7980-471: The time Parliament was against large scale amalgamations, and these measures were rejected. Construction of the planned Newport and Pontypool Railway had not made much progress, but it had resumed under a fresh authorising act of Parliament, the Newport and Pontypool Railway Amendment Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. cxx); it was built by the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company, and it was opened on 30 June 1852. The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
8085-485: The town council to street running. An application was made in 1852 within a parliamentary bill to stop up the canal from the Mill Pond to Potter Street lock near the dock, and to seek more capital. A total of £200,000 was required to complete the conversion in the Western Valley, to provide a depot for carriages, locomotives and other stock, together with all the necessary buildings, workshops and essential machinery. The bill
8190-399: The tramroads was 3 ft 4in, and it was constructed of edge rails of a plain cross-section 2 inches wide at the head and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches wide at the base, and three inches deep. The wagon wheels were double flanged, straddling the rail. Cast iron sleepers maintained the gauge, and these were supported on square wooden blocks laid on stone chippings. There were no passing places on
8295-473: The two onward routes. On 4 August 1852 Dock Street station at Newport was brought into use, and the temporary terminus at Court-y-Bella was closed. The operation of the tramroad gave an enormous boost to the efficiency of the coal and iron industries, but of course only in the areas of the Western Valley that it served. Important works and pits in the Eastern Valley were at a competitive disadvantage. The ironmasters of Eastern Monmouthshire were frustrated with
8400-424: The weight of any locomotive previously seen on the Western Valley lines. With the company absolved from the supply of mineral wagons, it now published a specification for the carriers' wagons so that they could operate together in trains, as few of the existing wagons were compatible with each other. The carriers had 4,000 wagons between them and there was a protest at the cost of converting them. Captain Simmons of
8505-536: Was a canal and railway company that operated a canal and a network of railways in the Western Valley and Eastern Valley of Newport, Monmouthshire . It started as the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation and opened canals from Newport to Pontypool and to Crumlin from 1796. Numerous tramroads connected nearby pits and ironworks with the canal. After 1802 the company built a tramway from Nine Mile Point, west of Risca , to Newport, and an associated company,
8610-521: Was announced that "as regards the western valleys the whole of the goods and mineral traffic is now conveyed by means of locomotive power". With the passenger service to Blaina opened, improvements to the Beaufort branch from Aberbeeg Junction to Ebbw Vale were started, and sixteen months later, on 19 April 1852, a passenger service from Court-y-Bella to Ebbw Vale began. There were now three passenger trains daily from Newport, dividing at Aberbeeg Junction for
8715-435: Was approved, allowing the money to be raised by the issuing of £150,000 of new share stock. The railway link between Mill St and Dock Street stations was authorised; the section of canal there was to be closed, and any carrier had the right to demand free carriage from the new canal terminus to the dock by the company in compensation for the loss of the canal section. All the existing tramroads had to be converted to edge rail and
8820-510: Was by mutual agreement. The Hereford station was later known as Hereford (Barton). By a northward extension a mile in length a junction was made at Barrs Court Junction with the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway; this single line was opened to passenger trains on 16 January 1854, completing a continuous railway from the River Dee to the Bristol Channel. The NA&HR was worked from the outset by
8925-497: Was called, ran from Red Hill Junction on the Abergavenny route to Rotherwas Junction on the line from Ross. The GWR provided mixed gauge on the section of the Ross route from Rotherwas Junction to Barrs Court. The Hereford Loop opened on 16 July 1866, and for passenger traffic on 1 August 1866, and nearly all long distance trains used it. Accordingly, Barrs Court became the main station for Hereford. The NA&HR and its partners, now forming
9030-509: Was constructed near the south junction at Abergavenny; in those days coal and stores were customarily brought in by rail and a private siding connection was made from the south curve about 1884. The Hereford station of the NA&HR was at Barton, on the west side of the city. The site was cramped, and the entry of Shrewsbury and Hereford line trains caused congestion. When the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway opened on 1 June 1855 it approached
9135-425: Was delivered on 16 July 1830 and on 25 July made a demonstration run conveying a payload of 52 + 1 ⁄ 2 tons a distance of 15 miles. Two other coalowners followed his example. The Newport to Risca (and Nine Mile Point) tramroad was extended from Risca to Crumlin in 1829, directly paralleling the canal. It became known as the Western Valley Line. Most of the traffic was still horse-drawn. The Rumney Tramroad
9240-515: Was dominant. The London and North Western Railway hoped to exploit the line to form a network in South Wales, but that aspiration was not fully realised, and in 1860 the NA&HR merged with other railways to form the West Midland Railway , which soon amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863. In order better to serve the ironworks in the South Wales Valleys, the NA&HR built
9345-519: Was exceptionally congested, and the layout and infrastructure were not adequate for some time for the traffic to be handled. Some relief was achieved when it was possible to divert eastbound mineral trains over the Sirhowy Railway to Newport via Risca. As well as having more favourable gradients, this route avoided the Crumlin Viaduct, which had a weight restriction preventing the use of the heaviest and most powerful locomotives over it. The NA&HR
9450-509: Was finished in May 1857 and was opened for traffic on 1 June 1857, together with a further three miles of single line to Tredegar Junction (now Pontllanfraith) on the Sirhowy Railway. The Sirhowy Railway had not yet been converted to a standard gauge railway, and it was not until 1865, when this was done, that the junction was used for through running. The Taff Vale Extension line was opened through to Quakers Yard Low Level Junction, connecting there with
9555-660: Was held [on 11 September 1846]... After congratulating the proprietors on obtaining the Act of Parliament, which received the Royal Assent on 13 August last, [the Managing Committee report] referred to the present state and future prospects of the Company. One of the objects which they had started was the purchase of Monmouthshire Canal Company, which beside its own course, had a connexion with some 50 or 60 miles of tramway travelling throughout its district. This canal had been purchased by
9660-508: Was immediate demand for connecting other mineral sites, in particular at Tredegar and in the Sirhowy Valley. Extension of the canal was a possibility, although difficulties had already been experienced with shortage of water, and with ice blockage of the canal in winter. The engineer Benjamin Outram was called in to advise. He proposed a new line of plateway from Tredegar to Risca Church, joining
9765-404: Was immensely important strategically, giving access to South Wales Valley lines and their mineral resources, at twelve junctions in 20 miles. This took on a particular aspect as Aberdare coal came to be regarded as the best quality coal available, and it was extracted in abundant quantities. Coal trains ran from Aberdare to London and Southampton as well as Liverpool; bunkering ocean-going ships at
9870-399: Was mineral traffic to and from the north-west of England and the West Midlands, it was obvious a northward curve was needed at Abergavenny, and this was provided on 22 June 1870. A new Abergavenny Junction station was provided there—"a purely LNWR station on a GWR line"—and the WMR 1863 station was closed. LNWR trains started working through to Merthyr on 9 June 1879. A county lunatic asylum
9975-455: Was not completed, and the powers lapsed. The ironmasters who had agitated for the Eastern Valley section of railway were displeased at the delay: work on the Pontypool to Newport line had been abandoned in the panic of 1847, while they had spent considerable sums on their pits and works in anticipation. The so-called Cardwell Clause in all Railway Acts enabled them to demand the completion of lines for which parliamentary powers had been given, and
10080-515: Was opened on 1 March 1908. From the outset the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway formed part of a chain of railways connecting the Bristol Channel and the Mersey. As the railway companies involved became oriented to the Great Western Railway, or at least prepared to do business with the GWR, the route became increasingly important, especially for goods and mineral traffic, from Bristol through
10185-537: Was opened to goods trains on 30 July 1852, and the formal opening to passengers took place on 6 December 1853, but a slip at Llanvihangel caused the Board of Trade inspecting officer, Captain Wynne, to refuse opening for passenger traffic, and public service was not started until 2 January 1854. The Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway had opened on 6 December 1853. The permanent way consisted of a double track of Barlow rails throughout
10290-406: Was reported that "The extent of the railway is 8 miles of single track; the rails are 'Double T', weight 70 lbs. to the yard, on transverse sleepers 9 ft. long × 5ins. deep and 10ins. wide." There were six stations, the additional ones being Llantarnam and the temporary terminus at Marshes Turnpike Gate, Newport. Initially there were three passenger trains run each way. On the same day that
10395-515: Was the son of Henry George Liddell , who was later Rector of Easington . His older brother was Henry Liddell . A student and educated by George Stephenson , he became involved in a number of Stephenson's projects, including the Grand Junction Railway and London and Birmingham Railway . He subsequently went into partnership with L.D.B. Gordon , becoming Chief Engineer of the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway , where he drew
10500-445: Was to be 4 ft 2in. The canal company accepted his recommendations, and this was formalised on 18 December 1800. The work was authorised by act of Parliament, the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1802 ( 42 Geo. 3 . c. cxv), of 26 June 1802, although by that time a modification had been decided upon. Instead of the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Company building the whole of the new plateway, it would concentrate on conversion of
10605-541: Was to be prohibited when passenger operation started. In 1846 a new entity, the Monmouthshire Railway Company , obtained an act of Parliament, the Monmouthshire Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccclxxi) giving them the authority to purchase the entire works of the Monmouthshire Canal system, including all the railways; The First General Meeting of the Monmouthshire Railway Company
10710-594: Was under construction, running on the eastern side of the Rhymney Valley it joined the Monmouthshire Tramway at Tydu (later named Bassaleg ), and ran along the Park Mile. It was completed in 1836, and a further five carriers started to use the line, which was becoming seriously congested. New locomotives had to be ordered for the Western Valley Line; the first was received from Grylls of Llanelly during December 1848. It weighed nearly 20 tons, more than double
10815-486: Was worked by the LNWR, but that company, led by Mark Huish , often adopted aggressive tactics. In an attempt to seize control of the entire route from Shrewsbury to Newport, the LNWR (through the Birkenhead Railway ), refused goods traffic between Birkenhead and Wolverhampton unless taken by way of Stafford , a circuitous route. This disagreement became serious and the NA&HR suspended the working arrangement with
10920-529: Was worked by the NA&HR. The line was extended to Monmouth on 12 October 1857, and from that date the CMU&;PR worked its own line. It never directly reached Coleford , relying instead on the Monmouth Railway (unconnected with the Monmouthshire Railway ) to reach Coleford. In 1861 the CMU&PR was leased to the West Midland Railway, and when that Company amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863
11025-574: Was £119,000. The act required it to make the new railway to standard gauge and to convert the whole of the Western Valley system to that gauge as well, except the Rassa, Blaendare and Cwmffrwd Tramroads, and to provide all the rolling stock for mineral traffic. To retain income during the conversion, the canal company had to find some way of allowing existing services to run while the work was being done. The company owned some 30 miles of tramroad, but there were just as many miles under private ownership, as well as
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