network rail howlta newsletter · the pontarddulais ‘hump ... heights in this age of road...

HoWLTA NewsletterHoWLTA Newsletter

Cymdeithas TeithwyrRheilffordd CanolCymru

Heart of Wales LineTravellers’

Association

In This Issue...In This Issue...In This Issue...In This Issue...In This Issue... Evacuation to Llandybie inWartime ... ... ... ... ... 10Memories of Old DMUs 12Then & Now ... ... ... ... 13News from the HoWL Forum 19Chairman’s Chat ... ... 23

Follow-Up Letter to MrsEdwina Hart ... ... ... ... 3Along the Line ... ... ... 4News Items ... ... ... ... 8New Timetable ... ... ... 9

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Spring 2015Spring 2015Spring 2015Spring 2015Spring 2015Number 132

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The Pontarddulais ‘Hump’[Photo © Stephen Miles]

28 Printed by PostDatum, Llandovery

Network RailTest TrainTwo photos from Tuesday27thJanuary of the Network RailTest Train that ran fromLlandrindod to Llanelli and back.It departed from Llandrindod onWednesday 28th as the 0805 toLongsight Carriage MaintenanceDepot but appears to havedeveloped a fault at Knightonwhere it stood for nearly a hourand a half finally departing 75mins late. Perhaps one of your‘northern correspondent’` has thestory?

DRS 37608 heads the 0745 Llandindod Wells to Llandrindod Wells (viaLlanelli) Network Rail Test Train between Pontarddulais and Hendy. DRS37605 was at the rear to provide power for the return journey from Llanelli.

DRS 37605 (with DRS 37608 on the rear) growls its way into Llandeilo heading the return working of Network Rail’s0745 Llandrindod Wells- Llanelli-Llandrindod Wells Test Train.

[Photos © Stephen Miles]

HoWLTA NewsletterHoWLTA Newsletter2

From the Editor’s Desktop

HoWLTACONTACTDETAILS

The address for general correspondenceand all HoWLTA membership matters is

HoWLTA, c/o The Crossing House,Dolau, Llandrindod Wells LD1 5TG

Letters relating to the HoWLTANewsletter and all items for possibleinclusion on the Post Bag pages or

elsewhere should either be posted to

The Editor, Twin Oaks, CastleClose, Llangadog SA19 9AHor emailed to [email protected]

Contact details for other officers andcommittee members are given on p. 22

FRONT COVER PICTURE

On 6th March 2015 the 0900Shrewsbury – Cardiff Central formed by150253 slows to a stop at the newraised section of platform atPontarddulais. As the ‘hump’ is not longenough to accommodate the two doorsof a 153, let alone the four doors of a150, new ‘stop boards’ have beenerected for both up and down trains toinform the driver where to stop so thatthe relevant doors are adjacent to theraised section. The up (north-bound)‘stop boards’ can be seen to the left ofthe unit. (see also pages 17-18)Photographed by Stephen Miles

As I implied in thelast issue this is animportant time forthe HoWL. Notonly is a newtimetable aboutto be initiated,

with welcome extra services (p.9), but other,as yet modest, improvements are beingcarried out along the line, and perhaps moresignificant ones may be on offer for the future(p.19). With continuing determination wecould be heading for a brighter future for ourline.At the same time, we are passing through aperiod of anniversaries of significant eventsin the line’s past.It’s now 50 years since the closure of thesouthern end of what was then the CentralWales line between Pontardulais Junction andSwansea Victoria (see pp.13-15). Indeed there

have been repeated attempts to close the restof the line (notably in 1963 and 1987), butthese have been successfully resisted.In fact this year marks the 150th anniversaryof the official opening of the line betweenKnighton and Llandrindod Wells. The officialopening, on Tuesday 10th October 1865, wascelebrated by the running of a special traincontaining the company’s directors and otherdignitaries from Shrewsbury to Llandrindodfollowed by a banquet held in Llandrindod.This anniversary is to be marked by twoevents being planned to take place onSaturday 29th August (during the LlandrindodWel ls Victorian Fest ival Week) and onSaturday 10th October (the actual anniversarydate). Full details of these events will appearin the August Newsletter.So, perhaps we can be forgiven for indulgingin a little nostalgia by remembering how theline was in the past (see pp.10-15).

[Continued at foot of p.3]

27

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committee to do so. Any deviation from this ruling will be acted on immediately, asit is important that all matters which carry the HoWLTA tag should have the

approval of the committee.

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HoWLTA NewsletterHoWLTA Newsletter 3

Letter to Mrs Edwina HartLetter to Mrs Edwina HartLetter to Mrs Edwina HartLetter to Mrs Edwina HartLetter to Mrs Edwina Hart MBE CStJ AM MBE CStJ AM MBE CStJ AM MBE CStJ AM MBE CStJ AM

Minister for Economy Science & Transport

Dear Minister

I am writing to thank you very much for meeting a delegation from the Heartof Wales Line Forum on February 2nd (of which I was a member) to discussthe reports submitted to you by the Forum on the future of the line.

On behalf of the Heart of Wales Line Travellers Association (HoWLTA) I havebeen asked to say that we were very encouraged by the positive responsewhich you gave to the reports. Your comments suggested that you fullysupport HoWLTA’s vision of a train service which will radically improve publictransport in the areas which it serves and thus boost economic activity andsocial cohesion. In particular, we welcome your support for trains running dailyat least every two hours in each direction and for the need for high qualitydiesel rolling stock to make the trains more attractive both to local users andto tourists. We also look forward to further discussions between the Forumand Network Rail concerning ways of cutting journey times.

On February 27th several of our Committee members attended the conferencewhich the Forum organised in Llandrindod to consider ways in which therailway can work with local businesses and other organisations. It was pleasingto see a wide range of interest groups represented at the meeting, from whoma number of potentially useful suggestions were forthcoming. We feel that theconference was a useful step towards the goal of improving accessibility by railto education, employment opportunities and tourist destinations and we lookforward to working as part of the Forum in this process. I understand that theForum will be sending you a briefing note soon about the conference and itsplans to follow up the ideas which emerged during the day. Mike Watson,

Vice Chairman, HoWLTA

The following is a copy of the letter sent to Mrs Edwina Hart, the Minister, by HoWLTA.as a follow-up to that published in the Winter issue of the HoWLTA Newsletter and tothe subsequent meeting.

[continued]After all there was a time, not so very longago really, when our line ran many moreservices than today, carrying far morepassengers as well as many tons of freight.Our line might never again achieve such giddyheights in this age of road transport and

information technology. But we can continueto encourage and support the vital role theline can and must play in the social andeconomic life of the communit ies itserves....Why else do we now call it the Heartof Wales Line? Peter Berry

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Line RepresentaLine RepresentaLine RepresentaLine RepresentaLine Representatititititivvvvves andes andes andes andes andStaStaStaStaStation Adopterstion Adopterstion Adopterstion Adopterstion AdoptersShrewsbury John CreswellChurch Stretton Church Stretton Rail User GroupCraven Arms Richard WatkinsBroome Alan BelcherHopton Heath Paula TuckerBucknell Beryl Starr; Bucknell WI; Ray DaviesKnighton Shauna Davies & Platform PalsKnucklas Steve Crump; Jim PenserLlangynllo Anne Deakins; George Scarfe (unofficial adopters)Llanbister Road John & Lynda MorrisDolau Steve Vipond; Dolau Action GroupPenybont Sue & Tony CookeLlandrindod Llandrindod Wells (Cefnllys) CP SchoolBuilth Road Sara PoulsonCilmeri Ann & Stephen FrodshamGarth Joasephine Lewis; Janet WilliamsLlangammarch Ron Birchell; Llangammarch Community CouncilLlanwrtyd Wells John Price; Ainsley Jones; Station Action GroupSugar Loaf Peter & Margaret JoyceCynghordy Gill WrightLlandovery Llandovery Town Council; Friends of Llandovery StationLlanwrda Richard Rees; Hywel JonesLlangadog Eileen Mainwaring; Dennis HarrisonLlandeilo Ros BellamyFfairfach David RimmerLlandybie Gwyn IrvingAmmanford Ammanford LionsPantyffynnon Mike Smith, Amman Valley RailwayPontarddulais Pontardulais PartnershipLlangennech Llangennech Community Council; David EdwardsBynea Friends of Bynea Station, Deryk CundyLlanelli Friends of Llanelli StationGowerton ––––*Swansea Felicity Cobley

At the time of going to press there are vacancies at those stations marked * above.HoWLTA would particularly like to hear from potential volunteers for these.

[Editor : Reports and news items from our Station Adopters will be found under “Along the Line” in thisand future issues (see pp.5-7)]


Along the Line....Folk up The Track

Gill Wright, Mayor of Llandoveryand her consort Sally Griffithswelcomed the Mayor andMayoress of Llanelli, Roger andRuth Price who brought Folk upthe Track to The Level Crossingin Llandovery on Saturday 7thMarch.

[Photo © Gill Wright]

Llangadog StationOur little halt is still in the winter doldrumswith little to do of any importance exceptpick up the litter - and little enough of that- and do a little pruning of the bushes thatseemed to think that winter never existedand persisted in growing through the lastfour months. We filled one of the flowerboxes to capacity with assorted heathers inOctober and these have put on severalinches since then.

The tulip and daffodil bulbs were all plantedout in January and we look forward to theirflowering any time now. Many thanks toGeraint Morgan of Arriva.

A recent inspection of our row of decorativetrees planted on the waste ground adjacentto the platform have showed a very healthygrowth rate through last summer - the SilverBirch and Cherry in particular putting on acouple of feet and nearly all are now buddingwell which may well indicate another goodgrowing season this coming summer.

I expect that the real work will start in April,

if the weather holds good, as we have toposition and fill the new flower box whichis ready and waiting and then contemplateputting a fresh coat of paint on our littlefence and gate which are starting to look alittle dilapidated and unloved. There is alsothe red carpet to shampoo and clean inreadiness for the flood of new passengerswe are expecting when Arriva start up theirfive trains a day service.............!

Eileen Mainwaring, Chief Adopter

Dennis Harrison, Assistant Adopter

If your club or organisation wouldlike to enjoy a talk/slide show

about theHeart of Wales Line, then call

Tony Birdwoodon 01550 777344 or 07852 115390

or [email protected] of the Heart of Wales Line Travellers’ Association

25

NeNeNeNeNews from the Associaws from the Associaws from the Associaws from the Associaws from the Associationtiontiontiontion

Useful TUseful TUseful TUseful TUseful Telephone Numbers / Welephone Numbers / Welephone Numbers / Welephone Numbers / Welephone Numbers / Web Siteseb Siteseb Siteseb Siteseb SitesLlandrindod Station Ticket Office (Kelsham Hanna) ... ... 01597-822053National Rail Enquiries ... ... ... ... ... ... 08457-484950Arriva Trains Wales (Customer Services) ... ... ... 08456-061660HoWLTA web site ... ... ... ... ... ... www.howlta.org.ukHoWL Forum web site ... ... ... ... ... www.heart-of-wales.co.ukBritish Transport Police (24 hours National Freephone No.) ... 0800-405040Network Rail National Helpline... ... ... ... ... 08457-114141

Next Committee MeetingThursday, 16th July 2015 at the Commo-dore Hotel, Llandrindod Wells. Starts 12noon. See next Newsletter for dates of futuremeetings.

Annual General MeetingSaturday, 19th September 2015. [Editor :sorry about the wrong date last time!]

Newsletter Stuffing SessionThe next stuffing session (for Newsletter#133) will be on Thursday, 13th August 2015.This will start at 11.30am to suit the arrivaltime from Swansea (but will be a bit early forthe train from Shrewsbury!) at The LevelCrossing, just opposite Llandovery Station.

Your help would be appreciated if you canspare a couple of hours. We’ve had a goodturnout recently, and it’s become a greatchance for a chat!

If you can help please email the editor [email protected] .

Membership MattersA big “thank you” to all those members whohave renewed their subscriptions promptly,and in many cases taken out 200 clubmembership too. All profits from the 200club go towards HoWLTA’s aims of publicisingand promoting our line.

There is still time to renew your subs andjoin our 200 club but be quick to ensure youdon’t miss out on getting future newsletters.

200 Club : HoWLTA’s Monthly DrawWe have 302 numbers, the latest winnersare :

February 2015 (the BIG one!)£100 M Price, Llandod£50 B Roberts, Swansea£25 J Greaves, Bucknell£25 K F Bishop, Abingdon

£25 F D Young, Sutton Coldfield

March 2015£20 H Jones, Kington£15 N Morgan, Llandovery£10 P Rees, Shrewsbury£10 Rev. A Tweed, Llandod

£10 E Davies, Llandod.

April 2015£20 W Hiddlestone, Swansea£15 R Webb, Llandod£10 S Blyton, Ludlow£10 G Lawley, Shrewsbury

£10 N Andrews, Swansea

Nigel Bird, Membership Secretary.

Note from the TreasurerPlease ensure that all monies for raffle ticketsales, donations, etc are sent to the Treasurer,and any membership matters, for example,change of address or resignation, which donot involve money, should be directed to theMembership Secretary.


120 Miles of Station GardensAs I have travelled up and down the line Ihave been able to see and appreciate thewonders of nature under control at so manyplaces along the line. I have seen glimpsesof the small armies with their orange vestsat work as I pass in the train. We have hada very dry April which has meant it has beenpossible to get some of the ‘beating back’work done, but it is also a reminder thataccess to water at stations can be a problem.

I am reminded too how much we depend onthe enthusiasm of people, but how do weget to the next stage in the process. In factprocess is the word – how do we ensurethat all the good work does not go to waste.How do we raise money to make it allsustainable? How do we ensure succession?

At the recent Forum meeting, I set out anaction plan which will form the basis of anewsletter for the adopters. As with anythingto do with gardens it will always be a draftbecause everything constantly changes –inf luences of the weather; changes inpersonnel – we never know what is roundthe corner but we can do our best to beprepared.

A couple of things that can be done – feedreports of what is being achieved, withpicture s where possible, both to theNewsletter editor (psberry@tiscali. co.uk) andto Rachel Francis (rachelzzzyx @gmail.com)who is a whizz with Facebook and Twitter.You would be amazed how many followersthe Line now has. Pictures tell a thousandwords. Any problems send them to me andI can then forward the information.

See you from the train! Gill Wright

ADVERTISE HEREADVERTISE HEREADVERTISE HEREADVERTISE HEREADVERTISE HEREA 1/16th page advert like this costs just£15 for one issue (or £40 for a year).See page 27 for full advertising rates.

Stations on the Northern Halfof the HoWLThese notes are based largely uponobservations made during visits to the 17stations between Craven Arms and SugarLoaf on 18th, 21st and 23rd April.

1. Craven Arms – Although the stationnow has just two platforms and anengineer’s siding, it still has a busy air withfrequent passenger and freight trains passingthrough it. The platforms looked tidy withlittle lit ter evident. Although limited innumber, the planters were colourful andcared for. The semaphore signalling at thisstation still reigns supreme but there is ascheme to replace all signalling betweenShrewsbury and Pontypool & New Inn withmodular signalling controlled from the newRegional Operations Centre in Cardiff bythe end of 2017. The inevitable march ofprogress perhaps but there must be someregret at the passing of the mechanical signalboxes and semaphore signals, much lovedlinks with the age of steam.

2. Broome – This station was neat andthe platform boasted a ‘Harrington Hump’.The Harrington Hump is a specially raisedpart of the platform to enable passengers,particularly those with mobility problems,to board or alight from trains more easily.They are being installed at stations whereplatforms are lower than the recommendedstandard. The appearance of BroomeStation would be further improved by theaddition of two or three planters placedalong the platform.

3. Hopton Heath – Although the stationis in a picturesque setting, the platformsurface is in need of refurbishment and aresurfacing scheme is currently beingconsidered by Arriva Trains Wales (ATW).

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NOTICE OF

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGNotice is hereby given that the 34th AGM of HOWLTA will be held onSaturday September 19th 2015 at the Victoria Hall, Llanwrtyd Wells,starting at 11.30

The Constitution states that the entire Committee, excluding the Presidentand Vice-Presidents, shall retire and seek re-election at each AGM. Anymember wishing to stand for election to the Committee must give at least14 days notice in advance of the AGM in writing to the Secretary.However, this aspect of the arrangements has been delegated to theMinutes Secretary (see below), who will be pleased to receive nominationseither by letter or e.mail. It may be helpful to any member thinking ofseeking election to the Committee to know that at present Committeemeetings are held quarterly, alternating between Thursdays andSaturdays. The location is chosen to suit train times, and so is normallysomewhere on the Llandrindod to Llanwrtyd section of the line. Meetingtimes are usually from about 11.30/12.00 to about 15.00/15.30.

Any member wishing to propose a motion for discussion at the AGM mustalso give at least 14 days notice in writing. Such motions should be sentto the Minutes Secretary (see below). Matters which have not beennotified in this way may only be discussed at the Chairman’s discretionunder “Any Other Business”, if time allows.

Mike WatsonMinutes Secretary

99 Ridgeway, KillaySwansea SA2 7AP

[email protected]

Please remember our new address for correspondence :HoWLTA, c/o The Crossing House,Dolau, Llandrindod Wells LD1 5TG


flowers. Due to the low height of theplatform, a Harrington Hump has also beeninstalled here. At the time of the visit, theHump was physically complete but had notyet been ‘signed off’ by NR. for public use.

9. Dolau – There was an extensive displayof of colourful spring flowers in the wellestablished flower beds and containers atthis station, which is in a picturesquelocation. At the north end of the station,the wooden paling fence at the adjacent levelcrossing is being replaced by white palisadetype metal fencing which should last formany years with minimal maintenance.Sadly, high winds at the beginning of Aprilbrought down a laburnum tree planted byHOWLTA volunteers in the mid 1980s. Theawning on the shelter was also damagedbut repairs to the awning are in progress.

10. Penybont – The clearance of excessvegetation on both the functioning platformand the disused platform has beencontinuing during the winter months. Thisstation looks at its best in the spring whenthere is a colourful display of primroses anddaffodils to be seen. Early in April a benchseat was instal led on the funct ioningplatform in memory of the late Bill Smithwho was a volunteer both here and at Dolau.

11. Llandrindod Wells – This stationwas adopted by Llandrindod Wells (Cefnllys)CP School in January this year. The childrenhave already carried out initial surveys ofthe station which is generally in a tidycondition. The area of the southboundplatform between the signal box museumand the south ramp is rather overgrownhowever and permission is being soughtfrom NR to clear excess vegetation.

12. Builth Road – There was a gooddisplay of spring flowering plants in a

The shelter also needs repainting and thereis possible scope for station volunteers toimprove the station’s overall appearancewith a planting scheme following recentdiscussions with Network Rail (NR).

4. Bucknell - The functioning platformand disused platform were both neat andtidy. The shelter was well maintained. Awildlife garden is being created on thedisused platform, where two stat ionnameboards in the style of the BritishRailways ‘double sausage’ logo were dueto be erected before the end of April.

5. Knighton – The station was generallyin good order. Agreement is being soughtwith NR to enable the repainting of thesignal token cabinets on both platforms totake place.

6. Knucklas – Only a third of the platformis currently in use. The remainder iscordoned off while a Harrington Hump isbeing installed. The works are due to becompleted in late May and, shortly afterthe completion, a bench seat is to be placedon the platform in memory of Ted Conway,the Station Adopter at this station for morethan 20 years. The columns of the waitingshelter were repainted by volunteers lastautumn.

7 Llangynllo / Llangunllo – Bi-lingualsigns for this station were erected on theplatform during the second half of 2014.The platform is low and a Harrington Humpis being installed here; it is likely to becompleted during May. During the past fewmonths, volunteers have been removingexcess vegetation from the rear of theplatform area and have repainted thecolumns of the shelter.

8. Llanbister Road – This is a very neatlykept station with a good display of spring

23

[Photo © Peter Berry]

Chairman’s Chat....Firstly let me take this opportunity toapologise to my col leagues on thecommittee. Due to an injury to my foot,then illness. I have not been able toattend any meetings since January. So Ihave ver y l it t le to repor t for th isnewsletter, so I will hand over to thecommit tee members who at tendmeetings for reports.

One of the meetings I was unable toattend was the one on tourism for theregion. At this meeting we launched aleaflet which I was asked to design on 5destinations that you could visit by trainor bus from Llandrindod Wells. I havenot seen the final version which wasproduced and printed by the Forum, butI am hoping that we can reproduce acopy in the newsletter in the future.

I have received a very interesting letterfrom Professor G.L. Huxley who haswritten to the Department of Transportasking what is likely to happen when thecurrent TransPennine Express, theNorthern franchise and the current leaseof the Class 170 run out. By the timethis newsletter is printed, there may besome answers, but the Department OfTransport are not giving away anythingat th is t ime. However it w i l l beinteresting to see what they come upwith and that may give us some ideasfor our future plans.

Just a reminder for the members wholive in the North of the Heart of Walesthat we have a direct service to London,

from Shrewsbury. Recently I had theopportunity to use the service. AlthoughI did not travel the whole journey. I mustsay that the on board service wasexcellent, although I did find it unusualto have cold croissant for lunch.

May I take this opportunity to welcometwo new station adopters, John andLynda, at Llanbister Road whose busywork can be seen from the train.

Also, Llandrindod Wells Cefnllys CPschool. The school children have hadtheir railway safety talk and are now busyvisiting the station carrying out audits.

We will be producing a leaflet very soonwith informat ion about the newtimetable which starts on 17th May.This will accompany the more detailedArriva Trains timetable which is nowavailable. A lot has been written aboutthe long awaited additional services andthe hard work to achieve these. But ifwe don’t use them, then all the hardwork will have been for nothing. Wemust all do whatever we can to promoteand use the Hear t of Wales

Line. Kevin Knell


[Photo © Brian Dotson]

number of containers placed along theplatform. The station, which already has aHarrington Hump, looked neat and wellkept. A bench seat was placed there in earlyApril. Although more than half a centuryhas passed since it ceased to be a busyjunction station, Builth Road still retainsmany reminders of its heyday.

13. Cilmeri – This station is in an attractivesetting overlooking the Irfon Valley with theMynydd Epynt range beyond. The stationlooked in good order with a well maintainedshelter and a display of spring flowers inlarge and impressive wooden containersalong the platform. The whole length ofthe approach road from the A483 trunkroad to the station itself is much improved.

14. Garth – There were spring flowers incontainers on the platform and the grasson the approach to the platform was neatlymown. A line of various small shrubs havebeen planted recently along the rear of thenorthern half of the platform.

15. Llangammarch – Another t idystation with a neatly kept shelter and adisplay of spring flowers in containers alongthe platform. It seems a pity however thatthe vegetation on the bank opposite theplatform is tending to obscure the view ofthe village and the river below.

16. Llanwrtyd Wells – One of the line’sprincipal stations, Llanwrtyd was wellmaintained generally. The station buildingon the northbound platform is being re-occupied by a community enterprise andsome internal redecoration of the buildingwas already apparent. The very attractiveraised flower beds of stone construction sitedon both platforms were well filled withplants.

17. Sugar Loaf – It may seem a remotewayside halt but Sugar Loaf has virtuallyall the facilit ies enjoyed by the largerunmanned stations (eg a shelter, seating,light ing and a Customer InformationScreen). It was good to see the small displayof spring flowers in containers on the shortplatform there.

The Heart of Wales Line has long beennoted for its beauty in springtime and thisyear the flowers and blossom at many ofthe stations and on the verges along theLine have been particularly eye-catching.

In conclusion, I would like to thank GeraintMorgan and Martyn Tudor of ATW for alltheir good work in arranging the purchaseand installat ion of the bench seats atPenybont and Builth Road (and, soon tobe, at Knucklas).

George Scarfe

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A quarter pageadvert like this costs

just £45 for oneissue (or £120

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22

Heart ofHeart ofHeart ofHeart ofHeart of W W W W Wales Line Trales Line Trales Line Trales Line Trales Line Travavavavavellers’ellers’ellers’ellers’ellers’AssociaAssociaAssociaAssociaAssociation tion tion tion tion –––– HoWL HoWL HoWL HoWL HoWLTTTTTAAAAAOfficialsPresident Professor Stuart Cole CBEVice-Presidents Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth Lord Berkeley of Knighton

Peter Black AM Alun Cairns AMMartin Caton MP Alun Davies AMByron Davies AM Geraint Davies MPKeith Davies AM Suzy Davies AMPhilip Dunne MP Jonathan Edwards MPNia Griffith MP Mike Hedges AMJulie James AM Sian James MPBethan Jenkins AM Daniel Kawczynski MPEluned Morgan MEP William Powell AMRhodri Glyn Thomas AM Simon Thomas AMJoyce Watson AM Kirsty Williams AMRoger Williams MP

Committee MembersChairman : Kevin Knell, Llandrindod Wells ([email protected])Vice Chairman : Mike Watson, Swansea ([email protected])Secretary : vacancyMembership Secretary : Nigel Bird ([email protected])Treasurer : Ray Trend ([email protected])Minutes Sec : Mike Watson, Swansea ([email protected])Newsletter Editor : Peter Berry, Llangadog (01550-777980; [email protected])Publicity Co-ordinator : David Edwards, Llangennech ([email protected])Committee Ray Davies, Bucknell (01547-530443)Members : Brian Dotson, Llandrindod (01597-824408; [email protected])

Len Elliot, Beulah ([email protected])Chris Horrocks, Church Stretton ([email protected])Gwyn Irvine, Llandybie ([email protected])Rex Lloyd, Swansea (01792-580324)Roger Price, Llanelli (01554-750045; [email protected])George Scarfe, Llandrindod Wells (01597-822524; [email protected])Gill Wright, Cynghordy (01550-750261; [email protected])

NEW ADDRESS for Correspondence :HoWLTA, c/o The Crossing House, Dolau, Llandrindod Wells LD1 5TG

HoWLTA is affiliated to Railfuture and Better Transport


News from Arriva Trains WalesConsultation on our May timetablesimprovements has been underway forsome time.The new May 2015 timetable will comeinto force on Sunday, 17th May 2015[Editor : roughly when members will bereceiving this newsletter], and has beendeveloped in partnership with WelshGovernment and Network Rai l. Itincludes some important changes whichwill result in service improvements formany of our passengers.The key changes include:

— Enhanced week day and weekendservices on the Cambrian line (theseinclude four additional Aberystwyth toShrewsbury return journeys Monday to

Saturday and two additional returnjourneys on Sundays)

— Additional week day services on theHeart of Wales line which result insignificant changes to the cur renttimetable

— The one minute earlier departure ofthe 05:32 Shrewsbury to Crewe servicelink in w ith the 6:27 Crewe toManchester service

— The 17:04 Cardiff to Tenby servicewill now call additionally at Llanharan.A summary of the new service on theHoWL can be found on the oppositepage, and a copy of the full timetable isenclosed with this issue.

Welsh Government Newsfares scheme to provide access to publictransport in areas where bus services arelimited.It operate s year round on theBorderlands and Conwy Valley Lines andduring the autumn and winter months onthe Heart of Wales and Cambrian CoastLines.Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, said:“I am pleased to announce the extensionof this scheme, which provides vitalaccess to transport for the elderly anddisabled in our rural communities, untilthe end of March 2017. Thisdemonstrates the Welsh Government’scommitment to providing access tosustainable transport across Wales.”

Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, hasannounced the concessionary rai lscheme in rural Mid and North Waleswill be extended for a further two years.The scheme which operates on theConwy Valley Line between BlaenauFfestiniog and Llandudno, the Welshsection of the Wrexham – Bidston Line,the Cambrian Coast and Heart of Waleslines, is available to all free bus passholders in Wales.There are more than 720,000concessionary pass holders in Wales,including armed forces personnel andveterans.The scheme, which has been funded bythe Welsh Government since 2007,complements the concessionary bus

21

platforms (making access to trains easier)have already been installed at Builth Road,Pontarddulais and Llangennech, with othersplanned or in course of installation atLlandovery, Llanbister Road, Llangunllo andKnucklas. New benches have been providedby ATW at Builth and Pen y bont.

CCTV is to go in at Pontarddulais. Newshelters are to be provided at Llandrindod(Northbound platform) and Llangennech.Each of these is a modest change in its ownright, but taken together they help to improvethe journey experience.

Funding was also provided for fur ther‘devegging’ work to improve the views atCynghordy, but the work was not able tocommence before the 2015 nesting seasonand so will be deferred until October.

Social media, website, eventsand activitiesOur website www.hear t-of-wales.co.ukcontinues to do good work for us with nearly60,000 visitors and 327,000 page views lastyear. Google is by far the largest source ofreferrals. The majority of visitors are fromthe UK, with the US and Australia in 2ndand 3rd place.

Rachel Frances continues to come up withways to increase Twitter and Facebooksupporters and at Easter she set up an empty‘Favourite places and Easter events’ diary,inviting suggestions to help fill it. The ideaworked well and attracted contributionsranging from farmers markets, through Easteregg decorating events to calving time atDinefwr Park.

GardensLiaison with the Arriva station adopters iscontinuing, and Gill Wright has worked tosupport the development of a new group atLlanelli station. They now have a Network

Rail community licence and are undertakingan ambitious revamp of the walled area atthe front of the station. More news ongardens appears elsewhere in this Newsletter.

Free travelWelsh Government has announced that the‘free travel with a bus pass’ scheme on ourline and others will return from October 1st2015 – March 31st 2016 (and will alsooperate in 2016-17)

Finally, readers will want to know that ForumChairman Cllr Mansel Williams was recentlytaken seriously ill and is currently receivingtreatment for a brain tumour. Cllr Williams isactive on many rail and arts projects in midWales and Shrewsbury and we are al lanxiously awaiting news of his recovery. Inthe meantime Forum vice chairman Cllr PaulLloyd is deputising.

David Edwards


Charter TrCharter TrCharter TrCharter TrCharter Train Neain Neain Neain Neain NewswswswswsUpdaUpdaUpdaUpdaUpdates for 2015tes for 2015tes for 2015tes for 2015tes for 2015Sadly the steam hauled charter train, ‘The Heart ofWales’, which was due to run along the Heart of WalesLine on Saturday, 25th April was cancelled by the touroperator, The Railway Touring Company of King'sLynn.They were using the train operating company, TheWest Coast Railway Company, to provide thelocomotives, rolling stock and train crew for theexcursion but Network Rail recently banned The WestCoast Railway Company from using the national railnetwork.The ban followed an incident on Saturday 7th Marchat Wootton Bassett Junction, about six miles south-west of Swindon Station, when a steam hauled chartertrain returning from Bristol Temple Meads to Southendoverran a red signal on the junction approach andcame to a stand about 700 yards further on at a pointon the junction itself, barely a minute after a Swanseato London Paddington High Speed Train (HST) hadpassed over the junction.On a more cheer ful note, The Railway TouringCompany has indicated that it still hopes to run ‘TheHeart of Wales’ charter train at some point later thisyear.There is otherwise very little change from the charters

announced in the Winter issue of the Newsletter, ieSaturday 16th May - The HoW Explorer (DRSClass 57/3 diesel) returning northwards via the Heartof Wales Line (arr. Llandrindod Wells 16.48, dep.16.49). Organised by Pathfinder Tours.Sunday 7th June - HoW Scenic Rambler (twoClass 47/57 diesels) returning northwards via the Heartof Wales Line (times not available). Organised byCompass by West Coast Railways.Saturday 20th June - HoW Rambler (possiblyDB Schenker Class 66 diesel) returning southwards viathe Heart of Wales Line (times not available). Organisedby Pathfinder Tours.Wednesday 24th June - HoW Scenic Rambler(possibly two Class 47/57 diesels) running southwardsvia the Heart of Wales Line (t imes not available).Organised by Compass by West Coast Railways.Wednesday 2nd September - HoW ScenicRambler (possibly two Class 47/57 diesels) runningsouthwards via the Heart of Wales Line (times notavailable). Organised by Compass by West CoastRailways.Friday 16th October - HoW Scenic Rambler(possibly two Class 47/57 diesels from Watford Junctionrunning southwards via the Heart of Wales Line (timesnot available). Organised by Compass by West CoastRailways.

[Compiled from information provided by George Scarfe ]

NEW TIMETABLESummary of Services *

17th May 2015 to 12th December 2015Mon-Fri Sat. Sun.

Swansea D — — 0603 0933 1435 1821 0431 0915 1312 1821 1108 1528Llanelli D — 0520 0625 0954 1453 1842 0450 0934 1332 1840 1129 1548Llandovery A — 0621 0726 10.52 1552 1940 0549 1034 1433 1938 1229 1652Llandovery D — — 0728 1055 1554 1943 0551 1037 1435 1941 1232 1654Llandrindod W A — — 0838 1151 1654 2102 0644 1136 1531 2037 1328 1750Llandrindod W D 0618 — 0845 1201 1659 2119 0655 1140 1542 2042 1343 1801Shrewsbury A 0757 — 1014 1332 1828 2254 0822 1309 1711 2208 1512 1932Shrewsbury D — 0445 0542 1009 1405 1825 0516 0900 1358 1801 1204 1618Llandrindod W A — 0610 0734 1139 1536 1956 0643 1030 1533 1934 1335 1749Llandrindod W D — — 0735 1200 1541 1956 0653 1033 1540 1934 1341 1758Llandovery A — — 0832 1254 1646 2053 0744 1130 1634 2031 1435 1852Llandovery D 0642 — 0834 1256 1648 2056 0746 1132 1636 2034 1437 1855Llandelli D 0745 — 0939 1404 1752 2200 0855 1242 1740 2138 1541 1959Swansea A 0808 — 1003 1425 1818 2221 0922 1301 1807 2206 1603 2020* Only times for main stations are shown. Please consult full timetable to confirm times and for other stations.

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carried out so that HoWLEN can approachpotential networking partners, and it hasalready been agreed that Llanwr tydCommunity Transport will collaborate withus. They have recently taken over the leaseof Llanwrtyd station and we plan to workclosely with them.

We are also seeking to build links withinterested parties in England and understandthat our approach is similar to that beingadopted by Shropshire County Council, amember of the Forum. We plan to meet themsoon.

More trains, and infrastructuredevelopmentsThe modest service improvements from May2015 have now been announced and willstart on May 17th. Welsh Government wasonly able to afford them by making more costeffective use of the existing fleet of trains.The new timetable will operate Mondays-

Fridays: the existing Saturday and Sundaytimetables will remain.

Key features Mondays-Fridays include

— An extra train at each end of the line

— The ability to get to Swansea by 08.08from stat ions south of Llandovery (forcommuting and early shopping)

— Some trains through to and from CreweBetter connections

— More convenient tourist day trip timings

The Forum is aware that there are somedisadvantages to the new times - there is alimit to the potential flows of traffic that canbe satisfied with a small number of trains –hence the content of the 2018 report alreadyreferred to. We hope however that overall,passengers will benefit from, and use, thenew services.

Welsh Government has also funded otherimprovements along the l ine. Raised

Attendees at the February 27th Meeting [Photo © Rachel Frances]


Memories of the Central Wales LineEvacuation to Llandybie in WartimeWhen, as an eight-year-old evacuee fromSouth-East London, I travelled up theCentral Wales Line (now more familiarlyknown as the Hear t of Wale s) toLandybie on Sunday, 23 June 1940, Ihad probably not, until then, even heardof Wales!

Shor tly before the outbreak of theSecond World War, my parents and Ilearnt that I had passed the juniorentrance exam for the Roan School forBoys, situated at the edge of Blackheathand adjacent to Greenwich Park, justthree miles from home. But as the schoolhad already been evacuated to Ticehurst,near Tunbridge Wells, and there werealready plans to relocate, we would beinformed in due course what to do. So,in the meantime I at tended a smallprivate school just a half-mile walk fromhome. Then, on 8 March 1940, wereceived a postcard from the Roan Schoolinstructing my parents to take me to Rye,on the Sussex coast, the fol lowingMonday, 11 March. As our neareststation, Grove Park, was on the main linefrom London to Tonbridge/Ashford/Hastings, that would be a straightforwardjourney, and my mother took me. Wewere met at Rye station by one of themasters and taken to my digs.

The school was only at Rye until Sunday23 June when we made our journey toWales. When one considers that the LowCountries had already fal len to theGermans, there had been bombing just

a few miles away in mid Kent on 10 May,and the planned German invasion of SEEngland, 'Operation Sealion', was alreadyknown about, why on earth did we go toRye in the first place?

The only part of the long train journeythat I really remember, apart from ourgas masks in their cardboard boxes overour shoulders, is when we wereeventually told we were now in Wales.But what I do remember from then onthat day was people cheering us fromthe ends of their gardens and waving allmanner of objects, like frying pans andsaucepans And we boys were leaning outof the train windows shouting andsinging.

En route to Llandybie, the train droppedoff the seniors at Ammanford. When wereached Llandybie we were taken invarious directions. The master headingmy group would stop at houses and oneor more boys would be taken in. Whenwe reached Pontbrenlwyd, just beyondthe now-realigned road bridge, the homeof Mr and Mrs James and their sonGareth, Mrs James had requested ‘oneboy’, so the master picked me. The nextday I wrote home to inform my parentswhere I was. On Saturday, 29 June, mymother came down on the 11.55 fromPaddington, and her diary records thatMr James and I met her at Llandybiestation at 6.05 pm. We boys had alreadystarted school in Llandybie MemorialHall, one class in each of the four corners.

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1

4

NEWS FRNEWS FRNEWS FRNEWS FRNEWS FROM THE HEAROM THE HEAROM THE HEAROM THE HEAROM THE HEART OFT OFT OFT OFT OFWWWWWALES LINE FORALES LINE FORALES LINE FORALES LINE FORALES LINE FORUMUMUMUMUMContinuing Welsh Government support

organisations along the route. The first stepsin setting this up have now been taken andon April 17th the Forum agreed in principlethat it would support the creation of the‘Heart of Wales Line Enterprise Network’(HoWLEN). A small Forum based projectteam has been set up to develop the concept

Last time I wrote was at the start of February,when in the Stop Press item I reported thatWelsh Government Minister Mrs Edwina Harthad accepted the ‘Unlocking Mid Wales’reports that we had submitted to her.

The reports set out the significantly enhancedlevel of service on our line to be specified inthe ‘Invitation To Tender’ (ITT) documentthat will be provided to bidders for the newrail franchise. That the Minister has agreedto our proposals is a significant and verypositive achievement and the Forum looksforward to discussions with bidders when theITT is launched at the end of 2015.

One of the key arguments in our Ministerialsubmission was that an enhanced service willenable the railway to play a significant partin the regeneration of the area it serves –hence the report title ‘Unlocking Mid Wales’.This approach – involving the developmentof social enterprises – was set out in the lastNewsletter.

Mrs Hart was impressed by our argument andoffered us a 12-month revenue grant forpreliminary work to be done, so that whenthe new franchise is launched we will have arail-related development structure already inplace. We moved swiftly and called a meetingof interested parties in Llandrindod onFebruary 27th, to explore developmentopportunities and exchange ideas.

The keynote speaker was Prof Paul Salveson,who spoke of similar successful initiatives inthe UK and elsewhere. He envisaged theestablishment of a coordinated network ofbusinesses and other social enterprise-based

for submission to the Forum AGM inSeptember.

The Wales Cooperative Centre is providingadvice on what corporate form HoWLENshould take. Glenn Bowen, Director ofEnterprise for the WCC, recently spoke to agroup of HoWLEN representatives and thedirectors of the existing Heart of Wales LineDevelopment Company. An audit is being

Prof Paul Salveson [Photo © Rachel Frances]


My mother returned home on 12 July.My parents made several visits toLlandybie and on one occasion we allwent down the local coal mine in whichMr James worked. The pit poniesfascinated me and we still have in thefamily a discarded horseshoe and a lumpof anthracite.

Of course, during my period at Llandybiethe Battle of Britain was taking place andI know my parents were concerned aboutthe safety of our house when they wereaway. Even so, there were plenty of airraid warnings and we often watched theoverhead dogfights between British andGerman aircraft when there were attackson Swansea and Neath. When mymother came down on one occasion, onMonday, 24 March 1941, Mrs James,my mother, Gareth and I went to thePalace cinema in Ammanford to seeCharlie Chaplin in ‘The Great Dictator’.

Following the end of the Battle of Britain,moves were afoot for some, at least, ofthe pupils and masters to return toLondon, and my parents chose for meto return. So, on 23 July 1911, both myparents came by train to Llandybie andtwo days later we returned home. Mymother's diary records that we arrivedhome at 5.30 pm. and I went out on mybike!

The school was not yet returning toLondon, but those of us that did spentthe next two years (during which therewas stil l bombing) at an ‘EmergencySecondary School’ in Lewisham, justunder three miles from home. Andinterestingly, at that school, Colfe’s, theheadmaster was a Mr Rees and two boys

in my class were Welsh twins called.Hughes.

Up until then the army had occupied. theRoan School, but they moved out afterfilling in the trenches they had dug in thefront lawn. We moved back in for thestar t of the autumn term on 14September 1943. Very lit tle bombdamage repairs had been done; the hallceiling was still down and there werebrick blast walls outside the ground floorwindows.

Looking back, I wouldn't have missed theevacuation for anything, despite theobvious tragedy and futility of war. Itcertainly was an educat ion that thepresent generations hopefully will notexperience.

I do remember the long goods trains withtheir loose couplings and friendlyfootplate crews and guards as theyrumbled up and down the line.Sometimes it was coal trains, sometimesarmaments, tanks etc., and sometimestroops. And we lads would placeha'pennies on the lines to see themflattened. We also watched the localHome Guard and LDV (Local DefenceVolunteers, which later merged with theHG) having mock battles. And Nicholasthe Milk with his bicycle and sidecar andchurns of bulk milk, proper milk, not thisskimmed and semi-skimmed apology formilk, which he would ladle into hiscustomers’ pots. And the loose coal lefton the roadside at the miners’ housesfor was it, 7/6 a ton?

Keith H Hyatt, Rhandir-mwyn

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Letters for possible inclusion on the Post Bagpages can either be posted to me at TwinOaks, Castle Close, Llangadog SA19 9AHor emailed to [email protected]

Your letter, if selected for publication,may be subject to editing.

Please include your fulladdress, although thiswill not usually bepublished.

Peter Berry

to be corrected) so that onedoor would be on the raisedsection and the other dooron the ‘normal’ sectionpresenting a potential ‘elfand safety’ issue and hardlyovercoming the reason forthe ‘hump’ in the firstplace. I think the 150/2sare fitted with selectivedoor opening and as anytwo doors are closer tog-ether than the two on a

[Editor : Readers can see the final (so far) result,at Pontarddulais at any rate, on the front cover ofthis issue.]

Unfair Fares?[Editor : The following response has beenreceived via Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM to HywelJones’ letter]Thank you for your letter of 7 January onbehalf of your constituent regarding railfares on services operating on the Heart ofWales line.

153, would be less of a problem.I also thought that it odd that the raisedsection on Llangennech station (to Swan-sea platform) was at the north end awayfrom the passenger access and shelter butprobably too many services in the platformto contend with in the correct location?By the way when the Llangennech ‘humps’are commisioned are HoWLTA going topreserve the remaining set of wooden stepscurrently kept in the ‘to Swansea’ shelter?

Stephen Miles (by email)

Re the preservation of said steps I mustconfess to not having thought of doingthis. Probably best to leave them for thelocal anglers who use them as firewood ona chilly night.... : )

David Edwards (by email)

I introduced the concessionary rail schemeon a number of lines in Wales to provideaccess to rail services where bus servicesare limited. While the scheme can be usedas part of longer distance journeys, this isnot its primary purpose.The rail fares quoted by your constituentappear to be Advance Purchase tickets,which are commercial products priced by

individual train operators and are notalways available. You may wish tocontact Arriva Trains Wales(www.arrivatrainswales.co.uklcontactus/) about how they price and allocatethese tickets.

Edwina Hart MBE CStJ AC/AM

[Photo © Stephen Miles]


Old Diesel Multiple UnitsI've been a member of HoWLTA for manyyears but it’s also, unfortunately, been avery long time since I rode the CentralWales Line. I used to make the trip tothe friendly city of Swansea about threetimes per year but then two thingshappened which made me change myways. Firstly I got a new hobby - the Wife!This took up much of my time (it stilldoes) although we've both used the lineand have retained our love of Wales,mostly visited now by car (North Walesis on our doorstep, of course).

The other reason is the disastrous changeof rolling stock on our line. I’d alwaysloved the old DMU trains— the DieselMultiple Units with wide windows, low-back bus seats from which you couldenjoy the scenery on both sides of thetrack and a Guard’s Van section for largeluggage. On these trains one could alsosee out of the front and watch the driverchanging gear as the conveyance tackledthe many hills in Central Wales. Now,virtually nothing can be seen because ofthe high seats.

It was always a thril l as we leftShrewsbury in clouds of black fumes asthe train picked up speed after sitting fora while in the station waiting to go. Inthose days only one carriage would befitted with engines, the other a trailer andthis did slow the train down a bit but, whocared?

It was great at Knucklas as the trainslowly crossed the viaduct before turningleft and chugging on and on in low gearfor mile after mile, clouds of filthy black

smoke pouring out of the exhausts toroll into the fields as we passed - heaven!

Even railwaymen admit that these oldDMUs were the best trains of all and,luckily, some have been preserved onsuch heritage railways as Llangollen.

Mention of Knucklas reminds me of afunny incident. On a lovely sunny day, I'dleft the train there, looking in vain for ataxi rank (don't they have them inWales?). Nevertheless, I walked downthe hill, intending to stroll as far asKnighton where I’d re-board the train.

Knucklas is a pretty place, and I spottedan antique shop with its door wide open,with all sorts of treasures glisteninginside. I ambled in and began to explore.“Who are you?” a man suddenly asked.“Oh, I'm just looking at the antiques incase there's anything that I might want”I said. “But this is my house” the mangasped. “I'm awfully sorry, but the frontdoor was open” I replied ver yapologetically.

I think that he saw the funny side butfancy leaving your front door open - wehave a 70 pound steel security gate overours and it takes six keys to open thehouse so, Mr Knucklas, perhaps it’s bestif you remain amongst the innocence ofthe countryside but keep your front doorclosed!

© Andrew Richardson, Liverpool

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Over 4000 listed on my websitewww.nigelbirdbooks.co.uktelephone 01974 821281

17

Christmas and will be missed by profession-als in the industry, including his customers,for his tireless efforts to keep the railwayrunning over many years, in the face ofadversity. Robin appeared on TV to rep-resent his company, having got involvedwith what was clearly a big impact on thetravelling public.The publicly available reports and thecoverage in Modern Railways provides amore balanced analysis. Finsbury Park isthe recognised turn back location in thetried and tested contingency plans whenKings Cross is closed. The station handleshigh volumes of football fans on manyweekends. Unfortunately, local staff decid-ed to ignore the published plan and turnedback the services in the platform on whichthey had arrived, leading to passengercongestion and the collapse of the plan.The “wrong” equipment sent to theengineering site was actually brand newequipment, obtained in the belief that itwould be reliable – but it had not been fullytested. Andy Scott

One Hump or TwoInspired by David Edward’sphoto on page 7 of theWinter 2015 Newsletter ofthe new raised platformworks at Pontarddulais yourintrepid photographer paid avisit on 17th Februaryhoping to find the ‘hump’ inuse, only to discover it still inthe throes of construction amonth after David’s photo.Undeterred I also visitedLlangennech to find that

Apparently the intrepid engineers, temptedto do some work rather than sitting in theirrather posh cabin at Llangennech, foundthat there was ‘a design issue’ 2-3 weeksago and decamped.Since then, the expensively hired kit hasstood empty and unused.Yesterday I asked Adrian Carrington ofATW who is overseeing the whole shebang,for an update....

David Edwards (by email)

Funny you should say that........... When Iwas at Pontarddulais I thought it ratherstrange (but perhaps not, knowing NR) thatthe raised section was only a one coachlength when 150/2s are regularly diagram-med over the line (eg 0900 Shrewsbury -Cardiff). Hardly future proofing; more likethe usual down to a cost and not up to astandard.If you look again at my photo, I think itmay reveal the ‘design issue’. It would ap-pear the raised section is not long enoughto accommodate both the passenger doors

work had just started for the hump on the‘down’ (to Llanelli) platform (see page 18).

Stephen Miles (by email)

on a 153 so that only one door could beused. However I believe the 153s are notfitted with selective door opening (I stand



The Southern End of Our Linedays ending in Western Region administrationas 87K. Upon closure of the shed in 1959 itsallocation was distributed to a number of shedsin the Swansea area – Landore and East Dock,whilst its stud of Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0s weretransferred to Llanelly where they continuedto be employed on freight duties over theline until the demise of steam on the route.However as Swansea East Dock shed did nothave a turntable for turning tenderlocomotives, that at Paxton Street survived,along with watering facilities, until the closureof the Swansea Victoria to Pontardulaissection of route in June 1964.

2a. Now (2014) - The site, pictured on 19December 2014, is now occupied by SwanseaCivic Centre (formerly West GlamorganCounty Hall), where ‘Wedding Cars’ nowoccupy the former tracks.

Swansea Beach Sidings3a. Then (1963) - In addition to the ‘mainline’ Central Wales Line trains, the section ofdouble track between Swansea No.2 andSwansea No.1 Signal Boxes carried transferfreight trains between the main dockscomplex east of the River Tawe and thesmaller complex of lines serving the SouthDock area on the west side, adjacent toVictoria Station. Swansea No.1 Signal Boxcan be seen behind the train of open wagonsfrom which ex Powesland & Mason 0-4-0ST1151 has just uncoupled, having brought thetrain via the high level lines from Danygraigas an ‘8 Target’ transfer freight.

Beach Sidings to the right of the locomotiveform the entrance to the South Dock lowlevel lines which included the fish quay andGregor Bros’ timber yard, which had alwaysbeen a source of considerable rail traffic.

3b. Now (2014) - The former double trackmain line and Beach Sidings now form thewest car park of Swansea Civic Centre as thisphoto taken on 19 December 2014 shows.

Then & NowA Photo Montage compiled byStephen Miles(See photos on pp.14-15)

Swansea Victoria Station1a. Then (1964) - With closure less than aweek away, Black 5 45145 makes a spiriteddeparture from Swansea Victoria heading the6.25pm up York Mails on 8th June 1964.The 1 in 45 gradient out of the station wasnoteworthy as being the steepest gradienton the whole of the Central Wales Line.

Swansea Victoria station was opened on 14thDecember 1867 by the Llanelly Railway &Dock Company. Subsequently the wholesect ion of line between Pontardulais andSwansea was purchased by the London &Nor th Western Rai lway in 1873 for£310,000, the station being rebuilt in 1882.

1b. Now (2014) - The site is now occupiedby Swansea Leisure Centre (LC2) withvir tual ly nothing remaining to show arailway ever existed. The photo was takenon 31st October.

Swansea (Paxton Street) EngineShed2a. Then (1938) - A photograph of PaxtonStreet in its LMS heyday in June 1938showing the variety of LNWR and LMSmotive power that it retained to its closurein August 1959. Prominent in the centre isan LMS Class 5MT 4-6-0 paralleled by twoex LNWR freight locomotives – a D Class 0-8-0 on left and a ‘Cauliflower’ 0-6-0 on right.

Paxton Street, sometimes known as Victoria,was the main shed at the south end of theCentral Wales Line and opened in 1882concurrent with the rebuilding of SwanseaVictoria Station. It was coded 4B in LMS

16

Post Bag

Overcrowding on the HoWL !The attached photo taken with 18standees on a packed 153 single unittravelling between Llandovery and

October until 31st March, breakdowns areinevitable, the units that are over 30 yearsold are probably working 20 hours daily.These units are working hard whenovercrowded to travel up inclines onHoWL, especially over the Sugar LoafSummit and around the Llangunllostretches, thus leading to unnecessarybreakdowns.Many passengers expressed their opinionsto me that week for WAG/ATW to

introduce a one-day rover ticket, costing say£7, for Cerdyn Cymru Bus Pass holders totravel throughout the year between Swan-sea and Shrewsbury, thus resulting in abetter constant flow of rail travellers,(excluding the RWAS week in July ofcourse!).

Hywel Jones, CwmduStation Adopter at Llanwrda since 2004

(soon after ATW took over the Franchise).

Chairman’s (Back) ChatAs a life-long railwayman, whose earlycareer involved HoWLTA (adopt-a-stationscheme in 1985-6) I must say I was disap-pointed at the cheap tabloid-style snipingat Network Rail’s Robin Gisby in Chair-man’s Chat (Winter 2015) about the Christ-mas overrun at Finsbury Park. Robin hadannounced his retirement well before

Llanwrda at 1644 hrs on 26th March.I had travelled between Llandeilo andLlandrindod that week on Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday and thesituation was the same at some pointbetween these two stations.The Wednesday was an ‘adventure’ onthe HoWL with one engine hauling twounits to Llandeilo at a max speed of25mph (according to driver), there musthave been over 200 passengers onboard. Most of the 24 passengersintending to board at Llandeilo (some

had travelled as far as Gwernogle) decidednot to travel and left for home after seeingthe number of standees on the trainalready. After repairing a water pipe on thedisabled engine, and taking morepassengers on at Llandovery the waterpipe failed again on leaving the Sugar LoafTunnel with all passengers transferred to awaiting 150 unit (two carriages) bound forSwansea. This ensured that the transferredShrewsbury-bound passengers were able tocontinue their journey in a more reliablemanner. I travelled back on the disabledtrain to Swansea taking 1½ hours to reachSwansea from Llandeilo - a journey norm-ally taking 1 hour.The overcrowding is due to the fact thatCerdyn Cymru Bus Pass holders travelledfree on the HoWL from the beginning of

[Photo © Hywel Jones]


[Photo © Les Turner]



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[Photo © H C Casserley]




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2b [Photo © Stephen Miles]


[Photo © H C Casserley]

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