Vol.111 - Four Ways to Brecon  Ref: BR111D
	LAST DAY OF TRAINS TO BRECON On 29th December 1962, my friend and I each purchased a half-day excursion ticket (ah! Gone are the days of such tickets) from Pengam (Mon) to Brecon - price a mere 6 shillings and 3 pence - what value! (Thirty-one and a quarter pence in today's money). The 95 ton three-coach train arrived on time at 12-06p.m. (being the 11-15a.m.) off of Newport (High Street) Station) headed by 57xx class 0-6OPT 4627. This train was so well packed that my friend and I had to stand. 4627 blasted its way out of the station on a continuing gradient of 1 in 96 UP, part of a long climb from Newport through Pengam and which was to last until Pantywaun, some twelve miles further north. Through the centre of Britannia Colliery we went, from which much of its coal used to go to ex-Southern Region steam locomotives depots as well as to the docks at Newport for export. Many were the moments when 1 used to train-spot at Pengam (Mon) Station and read the destinations of he coal wagons as they were hauled out of Britannia Colliery sidings - Nine Elms, Bricklayers Arms, Stewarts Lane etc. Half a mile north of Britannia Colliery we bore left at Aberbargoed Junction where my friend and 1 had spent many happy hours helping 'Larry the Lamb' operate the junction signal-box in days last. Straight on was the single line 'branch' to New Tredegar, which was also closing to passenger traffic that day. From Aberbargoed Junction we continued to climb now at 1 in 94 UP until we were level with the ex-Rhymney Railway line (Rhymney to Cardiff via Bargoed, Ystrad Mynach and Caerphilly) outside Bargoed at Bargoed South Junction. At Bargoed our locomotive took on water since a newly chalked-up notice on the water-tower read 'NO WATER AT PANT 29/12/62.' Quite a few people joined the train here, while a few people got out and took some photographs - why didn't I, perhaps because it was so cold! We took the left hand fork at the junction north of Bargoed station, the right hand fork being the ex-Rhymney Railway line to Rhymney Bridge. Our line was clinging to the left hand side of the valley until it crossed to the other side later on north of our next stop - Darren & Deri - situated just north of the now derelict Grosfaen Colliery. Beyond Darren & Deri the line to Brecon was now single with passing loops at various stations. He fireman of our locomotive collected the single line token and after a short run we reached Oglivie Village Halt where two passengers joined the train. Our train was now faced with a very steep climb of 1 in35/50 UP to our next stop - Fochriw, where many parts of the BBC serial of a few years ago - 'How Green was My Valley' - was filmed. Although the snow was lying very deep our locomotive made the climb sure-footed to Fochriw, the pannier tank raising echoes from the valley sides on the climb. At Fochriw we exchanged our Deri-Fochriw single line token for a Fochriw-Dowlais Top one. After a short climb out of this station we reached the summit, which was Pantywaun. It looked like a ghost town with some of its buildings half demolished. With the closing of the railway it certainly would become such a town. From Pantywaun it was a few minutes run to Dowlais Top Station. Here we passed a three-car diesel multiple-unit en route to Cardiff (Queen Street), which now makes me think - couldn't B.R. have tried diesel multiple-units on the scenic Newport to Brecon line or perhaps have 'diverted' some Cardiff to Rhymney trains to run over the Bargoed to Brecon section of the Newport to Brecon line? Between Dowlais Top and our next stop, Pant, we could look down onto the town of Merthyr Tydfil. We were, at last, beginning to get warm since we had had difficulty in shutting a corridor window by which we were standing until we got to Dowlais Top Station. Our next stop - Pant - looked very bleak with only a few passengers joining our already overcrowded train. A run then of about one and a half miles brought us to Pontsticill Junction - once a junction with the single line from Merthyr whose path can still be traced towards Merthyr including the site of Pontsarn Station, and, still standing, a magnificent seven arched stone viaduct looking so clean (in that wonderful, clean, fresh Welsh mountain air) that one could imagine that it had just been built, Although, this station, Pontsticill Junction seems to have an important name, it is not very big being situated about one and a half miles from the nearest signs of civilisation, namely the village of Pontsticill to which R. I. Davies & Sons Limited of Tredegar used to operate a right old collection of double-decker buses (see Waybill 25 and the article 'Night Mrs Evans. . . ' by my pen name 'RTW') on this company's Merthyr to Pontsticill service. At Pontsticill Junction a few people took photographs of the Taf Fechan Water Board's Pontsticill reservoir on our left and some photographed the train. The train now continued climbing on gradients such as 1 in 47 and 1 in 55 into the heart of the Brecon Beacons as the train made its way alongside the reservoir to our next stop - Dolygaer. A few miles further on we came to the lonely station of Torpantau now occupied by sheep pens and a crude sheep dipping trough. At the time of this last journey, the only sound, apart from those of the train, was the trickle of water at the lineside. 4627 then started its train away from Torpantau on the final climb into the three-quarters of a mile long curving tunnel just inside which the line reaches a summit level of 1314 feet above sea-level. Once over the summit, the train quickly gathered speed on the falling gradients, first 1 in 68, then at 1 in 38 of the famous seven mile bank on which trains towards Torpantau face a climb of 925 feet in those seven miles. The Lickey Incline, Dainton nor Hemerdon banks have anything on this bank! On leaving the tunnel the path of our single line could be seen clinging to the right hand side of the snow-blanketed valley. Our speed mounted rapidly on this sharp descent and I estimated a top speed of 45 mph - the official maximum on this line being 50 mph. About halfway down the descent our speed was suddenly reduced for the passing loop at Pentir Rhiw where 4657 with the 12-10p.m. Brecon to Newport was waiting to take the road up the remainder of the bank to Torpantau. This southbound train was another well-packed three-coach train. Pentir Rhiw station is situated in delightful surroundings with beautiful views up and down the valley. A toot on the whistle and we were soon gathering speed down the remaining three mils of 1 in 38 bank which surely must be the most gruelling climb in Britain for any steam locomotive. I wonder what firemen on this route thought of it? At the bottom of the bank was Talybont-on-Usk station from which could be seen the frozen Brecon to Abergavenny canal which (when I wrote his article for The Waybill - 1978 - was well used by leisure craft whilst the station has, alas, gone and its site occupied by a new house and green-house). Here, in the loop, we passed 9675 on a short freight train. Little did I realise then that just under neither three years and I would be at the controls of that locomotive on the southern section of the Newport to Brecon line. (See Waybill 36 and the article by RTW). Our next stop was the important station of Talyllyn Junction where just outside the station we were joined by the line form Hereford and Moat Land Junction at Talyllyn East Junction Signal Box. At this station we passed an ex-L.M.S.R. Ivatt 2-6-0 2MT No 46516 and three more well packed carriages with the 1-20p.m. Brecon to Moat Lane Junction train. Many of these ex-L.M.S.R. locomotives were shedded at Brecon locomotive depot and were used on all the services radiating from Brecon alongside 57xx 0-6-OPT and 2251 class 0-6-0 tender engines. Our train waited here for five minutes during which time many photographs were taken and also many people left the train (possibly to join the other one). The end of the platform ended flush with the wall of the single line tunnel into which we puffed after our scheduled five minute stop. Our train was one of many which did not stop at Groessffordd Halt, and so after passing the Army barracks and Brecon motive power depot (coded 89B), we were coming to a stop in Brecon (Free Street) station where, at journey's end, everybody got out, some just walked away, but many were busy with all kinds of cameras, even women with movie cameras! Our three coaches were drawn out of the station and then propelled over the crossover into the other platform. A pannier of the 57xx class 9616 - backed onto the three coaches followed about five minutes later by a 2-6-0 tender locomotive - 46508. Probably the extra locomotive was needed because of a possible overloading on the last day - see later. 46508 bore a plaque bearing the dates 1864 - 1962 mounted on a piece of Christmas tree. A railway enthusiast came up with a string of red, white and blue triangular flags which were tied around the pannier tank. The train - the 2.05p.m. Brecon to Newport (High Street) - then left, and the report of detonators was heard amidst the shriek of locomotive whistles. Other locomotives blew their whistles as the double-headed train passed them. After the departure of this train, my friend and I made our way into the town of Brecon to have dinner at the Cafe Royal. Returning to the station later that day, we found our four coach train waiting in the main platform, but before our departure at 6-15p.m., there was the departure at 6-00p.m. of the last train to Hereford. This was a three-coach train headed by 4627, which had brought us to Brecon earlier in the day. No detonators, but plenty of whistles and a lot of flash photography accompanied this train out of the station. After the excitement of this departure we noted that 3700 and 9776 were at the head of our train which. I learnt from the guard (who was making a note of the number of passengers) was four tons over the 120 ton limit entrusted to a single 57xx locomotive. Once again another well-packed train - many passengers paying their last respects to this line including some members of the Monmouthshire Railway Society. Our train was the last regular passenger train to leave Brecon (except for a special excursion the next day); but before we could enter the first section of single track we had to wait for the last train from Hereford - the 4-05p.m. Hereford- Brecon - to clear this single section (Talyllyn Junction to Brecon). Whistles blew furiously on the arrival of this train, then very soon after we pulled out of Brecon station with a lot of detonators exploding but no whistling - how disappointing! With two locomotives and 124 tons of train, we soon gathered speed as we headed, behind schedule, into the night. Stopping first at Talyllyn Junction we noticed that it boasted a refreshment room, but we did not stop long here since the snow-covered platform was deserted. It was hardly worth stopping at Talybont-on-Usk - the only sign of life was the station staff, so we were soon attacking the seven miles of Torpantau bank. Halfway up we stopped at Pentir Rhiw; here gain only the station staff could be seen. However for our train there was some activity as we pulled a little way out of the station then stopped to allow one of the locomotives - 3700 - to take water. This took about five minutes, and then off we set on the final four miles or so of straight 1 in 3 8 UP to Torpantau. At Torpantau we passed two light engines coupled together - 2247 and 4697. The stiff climbing over we took things a littler easier on to our next stop Dolygaer - where we noticed that people were living comfortably in the station buildings and also nobody got on or off. Next stop Pontsticill Junction. Here 3700 was uncoupled and retired to a siding while the train engine - 9776 - took on water. The station looked white and bare, and across the reservoir on the other side of the valley could be seen the lights of the reservoir control house. As we left Pontsticill Junction station the engine's whistle re-echoed on the other side of the valley. Although we had one locomotive less now that all the climbing had been done our speed remained about the same and an effort was being made to make up for lost time. Having left Brecon about 15 minutes late, we were still 15 minutes late but that was not to be for long. Next stop - Pant - and a few people got off whilst one could hear the wind whistling around the station buildings. Leaving Pant, the engine gave a wonderful firework display of sparks form its chimney. There was also a display of sparks form the brake blocks of the train a s it came to a stop after a sprint between Pant and Dowlais Top stations. Civilisation was seen at this station mainly in the shape and form of the town of Merthyr Tydfil nestling mainly in the hollow below Dowlais. Quite a number of people got off here, and on leaving, the engine slipped slightly, but soon it made the slight climb from Dowlais Top to Pantywaun surefooted. At the ghost town of Pantywaun nobody got off or on and the same thing happened at our next stop of Fochriw, 1310 feet above sea level, where the lighted Christmas trees could be seen in a few houses. The line then began the long descent to Newport and we quickly gathered speed down the 1 in 35/50 single line incline. After a quick stop at Oglivie Village Halt we carried on to Darren & Deri where we surrendered our single line token and entered double track. At this station nobody moved except the station staff and our guard. Another quick sprint and we entered Bargoed Station where we met the last Newport to Brecon train (the 7-08p.m. off Newport (High Street)). As the two trains met whistles were exchanged with much gusto. There was quite a lot of activity here and more whistling and banging of detonators accompanied our departure from that station. After leaving the line to Cardiff at Bargoes South Junction, we were soon slowing down to join the New Tredegar branch line at Aberbargoed Junction signal box. A short run from here brought us to our destination - Pengam (Mon) Station. About six people got off here then our train quietly slid out of the station for the last time on the final journey to Newport, some fifteen miles away via Bedwas and Bassaleg - on time! Another of Doctor Beeching's economy cuts had come about. He made no attempt to make the line pay (the Newport Brecon nor its branch from Aberbargoed Junction to New Tredegar) - but why should he worry with £24,000 per year. Brecon is without trains, but those to whom I spoke at Brecon didn't seem to care. Perhaps they would have if trains ran at suitable times and made suitable connections at places like Hereford and Newport. NOTE: - Many years ago (1963?) the Argo Record Company made some recordings of a journey on the Newport to Brecon line. It was available on record EAF72 titled 'The 11. 15 for Torpantau'. The writer of this article has a copy but it is very precious to him as EPs can so easily get damaged and it is played with a lot of care! (c) 2005 Ken Mumford