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Barry Railway Company
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The Barry Railway Company was a coal pit owner developed and owned railway company, formed to provide an alternate route for the sea export of coal mined in the South Wales valleys to the existing monopoly of the Taff Vale Railway and Cardiff Docks. Incorporated from 1884 and built from 1885, by 1910 it had overtaken Cardiff as the largest export point of South Wales coal thanks to its greater efficiency. Like much of the South Wales infrastructure, it quickly declined post the 1926 miners strike, and never recovered after World War II, with the docks becoming the home of the most famous site for the scraping of British Railways steam locomotives in the 1960s onwards.
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Encyclopedia
The Barry Railway Company was a coal pit owner developed and owned railway company, formed to provide an alternate route for the sea export of coal mined in the South Wales valleys to the existing monopoly of the Taff Vale Railway and Cardiff Docks. Incorporated from 1884 and built from 1885, by 1910 it had overtaken Cardiff as the largest export point of South Wales coal thanks to its greater efficiency. Like much of the South Wales infrastructure, it quickly declined post the 1926 miners strike, and never recovered after World War II, with the docks becoming the home of the most famous site for the scraping of British Railways steam locomotives in the 1960s onwards. Now a smaller operation than its former rival, what remains of the railway infrastructure has been absorbed into Network Rail, while the docks now owned by Associated British Ports are being given a light industrial and residential make-over.
Formation
David Davies of Ocean Collieries was one of the premier business men of the South Wales coal fields, but like many suffered from the capacity and monopoly issues created by two companies:
- The Taff Vale Railway which provided the dominant rail infrastructure. Capacity issues were particularly dominant after Pontypridd, where down loaded trains and up return empty wagons were restricted to a single double track route, which could not be expanded due to the geographic challenges of the valley
- Cardiff Docks, which having been developed by the Lord Bute, were sufficient to serve his needs of export of his coal on his ships/customers, but did not have sufficient capacity to cope with new mine developments
In light of the geographic restrictions of the valley south of Pontypridd, Davies proposed development of a secondary route which terminated at Barry, where a dock infrastructure could be developed without the mud flat or tidal restrictions which gave Cardiff's Tiger Bay its name. This would create a competitive edge to the development, and due to being later developed to a more easily accessible docks, a resultant efficiency advantge over Cardiff.
The Barry Dock and Railway Bill was introduced in the 1893 Parliamentary session but was defeated by opposition, particularly from the Bute Docks and Taff Vale Railway. The Bill was introduced again the following year and the Barry Dock and Railway Company Act was passed on 14 August, 1884 for the construction of a dock at Barry Island. The name was changed to the Barry Railway Company by an Act of 5 August, 1891.
Barry Railway
Starting in 1885, the company constructed 7 miles (11 km) of track from Cardiff, and by 1888 had completed it's main line from Barry to Trehafod, a distance of 18½ miles although the several branches brought this to 26 miles (41.6 km) in length covering an area from the docks to the Rhondda Valley. Additionally, access was created via junctions with the existing and authorised railways, to all the other great mineral-producing districts of South Wales. The original line had connected with the Taff Vale Railway at Trehafod, and connections were added with the GWR at Peterston and Bridgend (1900) and the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Caerphilly (1903). Eventually the Company had a total of route miles, but with an additional of sidings, of which were around the docks. The head office of the railway was at Barry. Apart from owning the docks themselves—which consisted of three docks entered by locks—the four main portions of the rail network were:
Despite the disadvantages of the line (not serving many collieries directly, crossing valleys rather than using them leaving to higher construction charges and running costs, and the Barry docks being further from the mines than Cardiff and Newport), the Barry Railway was by far the most successful of the South Wales companies.
Being largely owned by the mine owners, they used it wherever possible and the expansion of coal production meant there was more demand for transport than other lines could cope with. The docks were also larger and more efficient, sharing common management, being accessible to larger ships for more hours, and not needing to be dredged as much due to not being on an estuary.
Vale of Glamorgan Railway
The Vale of Glamorgan Railway was incorporated by an Act of Parliament on 26 August 1889 but the Barry Railway was cautious about competition from the line, this being resolved by an agreement for the Barry Railway to operate the line for 60% of the gross receipts. Despite this, the company experienced difficulty in raising the necessary capital, and a subsequent Barry Railway act of 1893 saw the Vale of Glamorgan become effectively a subsidiary of the Barry Railway in return for a guaranteed 4% devidend. The Vale of Glamorgan officially opened in 1897, still a nominally independent railway with its own directors. This situation remained until the grouping in 1923 when it became part of the GWR.
The Vale of Glamorgan Railway ran from a junction with the Barry Railway just west of Barry station, to a junction with the GWR Bridgend-Tondu line at Coity, with a 33 chain link to the GWR station at Bridgend itself. There were 5 passenger stations when the line opened, at Southerndown Road, Llantwit Major, Gileston, Aberthaw, and Rhoose. In addition, Llandow Halt was opened on 1 May 1915, St. Athan Halt on 1 September 1939 and Llandow (Wick Road) Halt on 19 April 1943. Passenger services were withdrawn on 15 June 1964.
At first passenger services on the Barry were only run on the Cogan branch, but soon further services were run, including those for passengers using the steamers in the docks. There were 150 coaching vehicles owned in 1912; and 138 locomotives.
Locomotives of the Barry Railway
Being quite a small concern, the Barry Railway used private locomotive works to supply its motive power, particularly Sharp Stewart and in common with many similar railways in South Wales, preferred locos with six or eight coupled (i.e. driving) wheels.
Rolling stock of the Barry Railway
Coaching stock was painted in an overall dark red colour. Wagons were painted in red oxide, generally identified by 24inch high letters BR in white. Wagon numbers were shown on the lower left of the vehicles, while load and tare details were on the lower right.
Barry Docks
By 1871 the population of Barry was over the 100 mark there being 21 buildings, the new estate-owning Romilly family being involved in the build up of the village but it remained a largely agricultural community. Developed solely as a coal port, work commenced on Barry Docks in 1884 and the first dock basin was opened in 1889 to be followed by two other docks and extensive port installations. The company developed extensive dock offices to cope with the administration of both the docks and the railway.
Trade grew from one million tons in the first year, to over nine million tons by 1903. The port was crowded with ships and had flourishing ship repair yards, cold stores, flour mills and an ice factory. By 1913 Barry was the largest coal exporting port in the world handling 4000 ships and 11 million tons of coal, but during its industrial peak a number of ships sunk off the Barry coast. Behind the docks rose the terraced houses of Barry which, with Cadoxton, soon formed a sizeable town.
Scrapping of British Railways steam locomotives
Following the rise of diesel and electric power on the UK's railways, the marshalling yards at Barry Docks became the largest repository of steam engines awaiting scrapping in the UK. Operated by Dai Woodham as part of his family scrapyard business Woodham Brothers, during the 1960s nearly 300 withdrawn British Railways steam locomotives were sent there. Although many were vandalised or looted by souvenir hunters, eventually a significant proportion of the engines were saved by rail preservation organisations.
ABP
In 1962, the British Transport Docks Board was formed as a government-owned body to manage various ports throughout Great Britain formerly owned by the rail industry, including Barry. In 1981, the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher implemented the Transport Act 1981, which provided for the BTDB's privatisation. In 1983 the British Government allowed the company to become a public limited company quoted on the London Stock Exchange known as Associated British Ports, which still owns and runs the docks infrastructure today.
Barry and Bristol Channel Steamship Company
The railway which had played a major part in the development of the dock, did a great deal to make Barry Island a popular resort.
From the 1890s, the company persuaded P and A Campbell to run steamers from a pier built alongside the dock across the Bristol Channel, but in 1905 they started to build their own fleet of four ships. But as a railway company, parliamentary powers were required to operate steamships and the powers granted generally included provisions which limited operations to routes genuinely associated with the mother company's principal business (ie railway connections to non-accessible locations). The powers were also granted to take account of the legitimate interests of existing operators.
The company were limited to calls on the southern bank of the Channel between Weston super Mare and Ilfracombe, with additional summer excursion destinations allowed so long as the cruises started and finished at Barry. To circumvent these restrictions, the company resorted to the ploy of registering their vessels in the names of its directors and set up an operating company, the Barry and Bristol Channel Steamship Company. P and A Campbell resorted to successful legal action which ensured that by July 1907, the Barry Railway Company was required to abide by the terms of the original legislation.
Services were maintained despite deteriorating financial fortunes, but as a cost saving measure, PS Gwalia was sold to the Furness Railway Company on 7 May 1910. Five days later the remaining three steamers were sold to Bristol Channel Passenger Boats Ltd. The latter company struggled to make the business pay and after two seasons, sold out to P and A Campbell.
Paddle Steamers owned
- PS Gwalia - new 1905
- PS Devonia - new 1905
- PS Westonia - second-hand 1905
- PS Barry - new 1907
After 1923 - post grouping
The whole of the Barry Railway, including the docks, became a constituent part of the Great Western Railway in 1923, post the railway grouping .
Local traffic on the line included that from the limestone quarries and the cement works Aberthaw, and Rhoose cement works at the eastern end of the line. Wartime traffic was created from Tremains and Brackla Hill at Bridgend and the RAF base at St. Athan.
The docks were separated from railway from 1961 as part of the British Docks Board. Traffic since has included the opening of Aberthaw power station in February 1966, and the Ford engine plant at Bridgend in January 1980.
1964-present
The Barry-Bridgend passenger service finished on 13 June, 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts, but the line continued to be used by through passenger trains between Cardiff and Bridgend when the main line via Pontyclun was closed. By the late 1990s, a daily train runs between Ford’s plants at Dagenham and Bridgend and merry-go-round coal trains run between Onllwyn and Cwmgwrach (to the west), Tower Colliery, Newport Docks and Avonmouth (to the east), to Aberthaw power station averaging some 10 trains a day.
After local pressure groups, the Vale of Glamorgan council and increasing traffic from Cardiff International Airport, from 1999 various studies and business plans resulted in a reopening of the line by Welsh Assembly government minister Andrew Davies on 10 June, 2005 with the first fare paying passengers transported on Sunday 12 June, 2005 with 143606/624 working 0840 Cardiff-Bridgend and 0945 return.
Sources
- The Railway Year Book for 1912 (Railway Publishing Co Ltd)
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