Rails in Wales. Cwmbargoed Closes 30.11.23. One of the final departures.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2024
- On one of the coldest days this winter, I was surprised to be one of only 3 photographers to be at Cwmbargoed to record one of the final coal trains to depart for Margam and Port Talbot, 66068 doing this turn. Note all the road vehicles onsite as the final loads are brought down from Ffos-y-Fran. I will post more memories of the past 30 years in future dates
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Cheers Mike. This was my old industry, Washing Plants, Opencast Sites, Steelworks, Coal Fired Powerstations. Quarries. Most have gone and all the well paid jobs as well. We had plentiful affordable Energy then and this Political ideology wants you dependent on imported expensive Energy to Fuel the record debt we have, look at all those 773, 777 Trucks parked up all going back onto CATS books, more loss and no investment. Glad I’m out of it now, the working man is stuffed in this country.
I saw 2 CAT 777’s on low loaders going out of Wales over Prince of Wales bridge around 16:00hrs last night. Name on side of tipper body was painter over
It's fitting that you, with your vast experience of recording railway/ industrial history of South Wales has captured the last days of Cwmbargoed.
Being originally from the Merthyr area, I understand why the open cast mine was controversial. It was seen as a throwback to the 19th century, with the mess, noise, health issues and disruption that coal extraction brings. But it did provide jobs and prevented coal imports that were even worse for the environment.
Cwmbargoed disposal point was created to manage the outputs of the many small, private coal mines (or "levels) in the area, that sent their coal to the washery for processing and onward movement to various customers around the country, including (and primarily) Aberthaw power station.
I am just about old enough to remember class 37s hauling scrap metal trains past Cwmbargoed and down into the ZigZag Sidings at Dowlais. Then I recall the double & triple heading of 37s on the coal trains at Cwmbargoed, by which time the line had been truncated to where it terminates presently, and then class 60s taking over.
Then there was a hiatus before the current (or now more accurately the former) extraction project commenced, which saw the 66s take over.
From memory, I think you've captured most of this history in your videos, including the odd railtour and MoD working.
So now there are two issues to be resolved: will the line close, or will the campaign to re-instate the long-withdrawn passenger service be successful; and will the promised re-landscaping of the site ever happen?
Thanks for the memories and creating a permanent record of this final chapter (I think?) of the coal industry in South Wales.
Thanks for your support. I retired over 20 years ago and I have a good selection of friends, plus my son, who knows what's happening, when and where. So hence the newsworthy clips!
Its likely to close. I'm all for reopening lines, but the problem with the Cwmbargoed line is it runs to nowhere. Dowlais would have to be completely landscaped and even then, its not worth the cost to Network Rail who run trains to Merthyr.
@abloogywoogywoo I reckon so too. It could serve Bedlinog, Trelewis, Nelson & Treharris, as well as a few other places north of Ystrad Mynach, but these communities are small and each would need a station built, at a cost of millions per unit, and also the Merthyr/Cardiff & Rhymney/Cardiff lines run closely adjacent to it.
Perhaps a stub will survive as a headshunt at Ystrad Mynach.....
@@stephendavies6949 I'd like to see development, only problem is, those towns aren't very big, unless they use trams?
Obviously fresh paint was an "optional extra". Thanks, Mike, for another interesting historical video.
Why isn't it used for passengers? Why was it closed? Look at the benefits of re opening the Rogerstone line.
Beeching Cuts or WW2 I think.
The problem is the line goes nowhere, Dowlais station is long gone.
A Few Rail Preservation societies would not say no to a couple of wagon loads !
Sad day for Heritage steam, now coal has to be imported from Columbia, that should help reduce emissions!!!!!
Now what am I meant to do during my lunch break from college sat at Ystrad Mynach station. Guess I will just have to watch 231’s and 150’s and the occasional 153. Am going to miss the 1130 Cwmbargoed-Margam TC
Truly a sad day for the Welsh Valleys
End of another chapter. Thanks for sharing! 😪
I was up ther today Mike but it was freezing cold and foggy. Looks like there is still some coal to be shifted maybe a few more trains? Same loco as yesterday.
I was down at Queen Street, she was on time again. Yesterday I was "up there" and was told about 6 more loads to be delivered to port Talbot
Hope this doesn't become another lost line. There is an perfect opportunity here for a passenger service to Dowlais through ystrad mynach and Caerphilly. Would open up a lot of job opportunities for people who live both ends of the valley. A station in Nelson / Treharris even the chance to one day extend further towards Brecon
The locals have been lobbying for such a service for years. Perhaps the time is right, as TFW have grasped the nettle in other Valleys, for example in Methyr there will be 4 trains per hour before long, something that was unheard of, even in the heyday of the GWR.
As you say, it would open up employment opportunities for communities in Nelson, Treharris, Trelewis, Bedlinog, etc.
I lived in Caerphilly for years. Such a line would have opened up all sorts of opportunities for myself before I drove. A new passenger route through to Dowlais top and even on to the rassau and Tredegar alongside the heads of the valleys road
I wouldn't hold your breath on that one, once the pit closes it's a line to nowhere.
Unfortunately I feel it probably will close. Tfw and the Welsh government are far too short sighted to see this lines long term potential
I want lines to be preserved, but I'm afraid the former line to Dowlais goes nowhere. Its days are numbered.
How can there be more than one 'final' departure?
The "final working" was at the end of November, when the opencast closed officially. however the needed to clear the stock accumulated at the loading point, so that's why clearance trains have run. OK ?
@@TheMichaelWilcock2016Railways :Thank you, so the final working was a clearance train. That makes sense.
Make a good preservation railway 😉
It's such a shame when things shut up and the effect on the local community. That Class 66 seemed to be struggling and I'm not surprised with the creaking groaning rust bucket rolling stock with arthritis-carrying heavy coals.
It was never a popular projects for those living close to the site. It was seen as a throwback to the 19th century. But as you say, it did provide employment, even though the working conditions were not ideal. Also, the carbon footprint is much less than importing coal.
But the world (or at least the Westen World) has moved on. Our 300 years of coal reserves are probably never going to be disturbed again, at least not this side of a nuclear apocalypse!
@@stephendavies6949 or, not this side of a Tory or Labour Government.
Worked up there many times for BR EWS and DBC Last train 22 nd Feb 2024
Thanks, I hope to be there.
"i was there"
A sad day and what a waste.
A sad day.
Another success story for the green lobby. 🤨👎
On TV today nobody mentioned that we'll now have to import the coal and where was the problem? No dust around, it's not "ugly" General public don't drive past it on the main roads !
@@TheMichaelWilcock2016RailwaysSomebody needs to get a grip of this country. Can we no longer do anything for ourselves !