Quakers Yard railway station
Encyclopedia
Quakers Yard railway station is a railway station serving the community of Edwardsville
in the village of Edwardsville near Treharris in Merthyr Tydfil
, Wales
. It is located on the Merthyr branch of the Merthyr Line
. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
.
Until June 1964 (when the adjacent Vale of Neath Railway
High Level station was closed, along with the Pontypool Rd to Neath
line that passed through it) this was a large, two-level junction with services to numerous locations and a hub through which large amounts of coal was transported.
Today the station is situated below the Taff Vale estate where bespoke detached properties have been built on the high level line area and also on the incline that existed from the lower level which ran towards Treharris. The derelict upper level was partitioned when the Taff Vale estate was built. The land to the east below Edwardsville cemetery was earmarked for business units - but was eventually sold off to Bailey Homes house builders - mainly detached houses were built and named Forest Grove. A small senior citizen sheltered bungalow complex buffers this site with the Taff Vale site.
The line from Abercynon-Merthyr Tydfil is now a single line operation, the dual track being removed in the early 1970s.
Nb Some dual track has since been brought back at Merthyr Vale running towards Merthyr Tydfil to help with the increased frequency of services.
The station was opened as "Quakers Yard Low Level" by the Taff Vale Railway
in 1858.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
built the Goitre Coed Viaduct, it was opened in 1841. Its height is approx 100 ft the Goitre Coed Viaduct was widened in 1862 with another stone bridge of slightly differing design sitting embedded next to the original one, this addition can easily be spotted when passing underneath the viaducts arches on the Taff Trail
cycle route 8.
This viaduct still exists as the gateway to the Taff Valley for the Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil railway line.
In a recent TV appearance, a Brunel expert put the Goitre Coed Viaduct as the finest example of Brunels Viaducts in Wales.
Two more viaducts existed at the north end of Edwardsville which were demolished shortly after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s - The main reason for their demolition was subsidence and the viaducts had been strengthened with huge wooden supports for a number of years.
It should also be noted that Quakers Yard station is also a very useful point to access or leave the Taff Trail
cycle route. The beauty spot at Pontygwaith
Bridge over the River Taff
lies approx 1 mile north on the trail. Arriva trains allow cyclists on local trains with some restrictions on timing. Access to the Taff Trail is via a foot crossing over the railway line a short distance north of the railway platform.
This section of the Taff Trail includes the original stone sleepers from Edwardsville towards Pontygwaith and beyond towards Mount Pleasant, where Richard Trevithick
ran the first ever Steam locomotive
to run on rails and the first to carry passengers in 1804. Stephenson's Rocket of 1829 some 25 years after the Pen-Y-Darren Locomotive is no longer lauded as the first railway locomotive. For many recent years Trevithicks achievements were ignored in favour of Stephenson but it would appear in recent years with plenty of publicity both Trevithicks and the Taff Valley's place in history are now assured.
A public house, The Great Western Hotel, still exists just above the railway station with strong links obvious by its name to the railways.
A more detailed history of the station and viaducts and infamous tornado
of 1913 which passed through the railway cutting and hit Edwardsville head-on causing devastating damage and fatalities can be found
Edwardsville
Edwardsville is the name of several places in the United States:*Edwardsville, Alabama*Edwardsville, Illinois*Edwardsville, Indiana*Edwardsville, Kansas*Edwardsville, Pennsylvaniaand a place in Wales*Edwardsville, Merthyr Tydfil...
in the village of Edwardsville near Treharris in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is located on the Merthyr branch of the Merthyr Line
Merthyr Line
The Merthyr Line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from central Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare. The line is part of the Cardiff urban rail network, known as the Valley Lines...
. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
.
Until June 1964 (when the adjacent Vale of Neath Railway
Vale of Neath Railway
The Vale of Neath Railway was a broad gauge railway line from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorgan, Wales, and also operated the Swansea and Neath Railway which gave it access to the docks at Swansea...
High Level station was closed, along with the Pontypool Rd to Neath
Neath railway station
Neath railway station is a mainline railway station, serving Neath, Wales. The station is located at street level on Windsor Road in Neath town centre...
line that passed through it) this was a large, two-level junction with services to numerous locations and a hub through which large amounts of coal was transported.
Today the station is situated below the Taff Vale estate where bespoke detached properties have been built on the high level line area and also on the incline that existed from the lower level which ran towards Treharris. The derelict upper level was partitioned when the Taff Vale estate was built. The land to the east below Edwardsville cemetery was earmarked for business units - but was eventually sold off to Bailey Homes house builders - mainly detached houses were built and named Forest Grove. A small senior citizen sheltered bungalow complex buffers this site with the Taff Vale site.
The line from Abercynon-Merthyr Tydfil is now a single line operation, the dual track being removed in the early 1970s.
Nb Some dual track has since been brought back at Merthyr Vale running towards Merthyr Tydfil to help with the increased frequency of services.
The station was opened as "Quakers Yard Low Level" by the Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
in 1858.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
built the Goitre Coed Viaduct, it was opened in 1841. Its height is approx 100 ft the Goitre Coed Viaduct was widened in 1862 with another stone bridge of slightly differing design sitting embedded next to the original one, this addition can easily be spotted when passing underneath the viaducts arches on the Taff Trail
Taff Trail
The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is named so because it follows the course of the River Taff...
cycle route 8.
This viaduct still exists as the gateway to the Taff Valley for the Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil railway line.
In a recent TV appearance, a Brunel expert put the Goitre Coed Viaduct as the finest example of Brunels Viaducts in Wales.
Two more viaducts existed at the north end of Edwardsville which were demolished shortly after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s - The main reason for their demolition was subsidence and the viaducts had been strengthened with huge wooden supports for a number of years.
It should also be noted that Quakers Yard station is also a very useful point to access or leave the Taff Trail
Taff Trail
The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is named so because it follows the course of the River Taff...
cycle route. The beauty spot at Pontygwaith
Pontygwaith
Pontygwaith is a village situated in the Merthyr Valley, , South Wales.A Sussex Ironmaster named Anthony Morley set up a small ironworks here in 1583....
Bridge over the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
lies approx 1 mile north on the trail. Arriva trains allow cyclists on local trains with some restrictions on timing. Access to the Taff Trail is via a foot crossing over the railway line a short distance north of the railway platform.
This section of the Taff Trail includes the original stone sleepers from Edwardsville towards Pontygwaith and beyond towards Mount Pleasant, where Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick was a British inventor and mining engineer from Cornwall. His most significant success was the high pressure steam engine and he also built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive...
ran the first ever Steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
to run on rails and the first to carry passengers in 1804. Stephenson's Rocket of 1829 some 25 years after the Pen-Y-Darren Locomotive is no longer lauded as the first railway locomotive. For many recent years Trevithicks achievements were ignored in favour of Stephenson but it would appear in recent years with plenty of publicity both Trevithicks and the Taff Valley's place in history are now assured.
A public house, The Great Western Hotel, still exists just above the railway station with strong links obvious by its name to the railways.
A more detailed history of the station and viaducts and infamous tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
of 1913 which passed through the railway cutting and hit Edwardsville head-on causing devastating damage and fatalities can be found