Saundersfoot Railway
Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Saundersfoot |
Locale | Wales |
Dates of operation | 1829–1939 |
Successor | abandoned |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft (1,219 mm) |
The Saundersfoot Railway was a Welsh industrial narrow-gauge railway in Pembrokeshire, Wales, built between 1830 and 1834, to connect Saundersfoot harbour to the local coal mines. It opened on 1 March 1834 and within a few years it comprised a small network of over 4 miles (6.4 km) along the coast from Saundersfoot to Wisemans Bridge and on to the collieries at Stepaside and Kilgetty, and later, running inland to Thomas Chapel near Begelly.[1]
It provides the first example in Pembrokeshire of the joint construction of a harbour and tramway, and remained independent until it closed in 1939.[2]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Saundersfoot-harbor.jpg/600px-Saundersfoot-harbor.jpg)
There were worthwhile deposits of high quality anthracite in the Saundersfoot area; part of the Pembrokeshire Coalfield. To move the extracted coal to the coast for onward shipping transport, a tramroad was proposed. The Saundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company was formed in 1828 to build a harbour at Saundersfoot and a tramway to connect it to the collieries around Begelly and Stepaside. In 1829, Parliamentary authorisation was given for the Saundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company. This was to be a four-feet gauge horse operated tramroad, connecting collieries with a new harbour at Saundersfoot.
The tramway, which consisted of two main mineral lines and a number of small branches, originally used horses to pull up to three laden wagons along the tracks. Of the two main lines, the first was built to connect the collieries near Stepaside and the later ironworks using local iron ore at Stepaside, and run along the coast through a series of short tunnels to terminate in the centre of Saundersfoot at the harbour.[3]
One important branch line was used to transport anthracite from Bonville’s Court Colliery to the Harbour in Saundersfoot, this line traversed a 1 in 5 incline powered by a steam engine and Gravity, the incline and engine house is still there.
The second line ran from the harbour to Thomas Chapel colliery near Begelly. The route, left the main line at Coalpit haul, (Now known as Coppet hall), passed beneath the GWR station through a tunnel at King's Moor.
When the South Wales Railway was authorised, the directors of the Saundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company decided to seek powers to build a line linking both Tenby and Saundersfoot to the SWR Pembroke branch at Reynalton. This was authorised in 1846 as the Tenby, Saundersfoot and South Wales Railway and Pier Company, with authorised capital of £140,000. The South Wales Railway opened its line as far as Haverfordwest on 2 January 1854, and to Neyland on 15 April 1856. However, the South Wales Railway did not attempt to build their Pembroke branch, so construction of the Tenby and Saundersfoot line was not started. As part of a modernisation project, the whole line was upgraded to a narrow gauge railway in 1874. The tramway was relaid with flat bottom rails on wooden sleepers allowing a locomotive to be used on the line to Stepaside.
Following the cessation of large-scale mining near Begelly, the track from the King's Moor tunnel to Thomas Chapel was lifted in 1887. In around 1914, it was re-laid and a new 1.5 mile branch line built to support the opening of a short-lived colliery at Reynalton. A new engine was purchased for this purpose.
But by the late 1920s coal mining was in recession and the line closed. In 1932 a brief resurgence in local mining led to the lines being briefly reopened.
However, only seven years later, due to financial considerations and the workings becoming exhausted, the railway finally closed on the eve of the Second World War. Subsequently, the rolling stock along with the tracks were scrapped for use in the war effort.
Today
The section of the route that follows the coastline from Saundersfoot to Wisemans Bridge is now a 4 miles (6.4 km) part of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Walkers using the trail pass through three tunnels on the former line.
Locomotives
Both engines used on the line had low profiles so they could work the tunnels. Although Rosalind was scrapped, Bulldog continued to work at Llanelli steel works until 1951.
Name | Builder | Wheel arrangement | Date | Works number | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rosalind | Manning Wardle | 0-4-0ST | 1874 | 476 | |
Bulldog | Kerr Stuart | 0-4-0ST | 1915 | 2401 | Purchased from the New Reynalton Anthracite Coal Company in 1921 |
References
- ^ Connop-Price, Martin (2004). Pembrokeshire: The Forgotten Coalfield. Landmark Publishing Ltd. p. 131.
- ^ Connop-Price, Martin (2004). Pembrokeshire: The Forgotten Coalfield. Landmark Publishing Lttd. p. 128.
- ^ D S M Barrie, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, volume 12, South Wales, David St John Thomas Publisher, Nairn,1994, ISBN 0 9465 37 69 0
Bibliography
Price, M.R.C. (1963). The Saundersfoot Railway. The Oakwood Press.
External links
- The Saundersfoot Railway at Industrial Wales
- v
- t
- e
Railway
- Aberdare Railway
- Aberdare Valley Railway
- Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
- Alexandra Docks and Railway
- Bala and Dolgelly Railway
- Bala and Festiniog Railway
- Barry Dock and Railway
- Barry Railway
- Blaenavon Tramroad
- Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway
- Brecon and Merthyr Railway
- Bridgend Railway
- Bristol and South Wales Union Railway
- Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
- Cambrian Railways
- Cardiff Railway
- Cardiff and Ogmore Railway
- Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway
- Carmarthenshire Railway
- Clarbeston Road and Letterston Railway
- Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway
- Corris Railway
- Corwen and Bala Railway
- Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway
- Ely and Clydach Valleys Railway
- Ely Valley Railway
- Ely Valley Extension Railway
- Gwendraeth Valleys Railway
- Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway
- Kington Tramway
- Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway
- Llancaiach Branch
- Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway
- Llanidloes and Newtown Railway
- Llangollen and Corwen Railway
- Llangurig branch
- Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway
- Llynvi and Ogmore Railway
- Maerdy Branch
- Manchester and Milford Railway
- Mawddwy Railway
- Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
- Mid-Wales Railway
- Monmouth and Hereford Railway
- Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
- Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway
- Neath and Brecon Railway
- Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
- Newtown and Machynlleth Railway
- North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway
- North Wales Mineral Railway
- Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway
- Oswestry and Newtown Railway
- Pembroke and Tenby Railway
- Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway
- Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway
- Port Talbot Railway
- Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
- Rhymney Railway
- Rumney Railway
- Ross and Monmouth Railway
- Shrewsbury and Chester Railway
- Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Chester Junction Railway
- South Wales Railway
- Taff Vale Railway
- Tanat Valley Light Railway
- Vale of Glamorgan Railway
- Vale of Llangollen Railway
- Vale of Neath Railway
- Vale of Rheidol Railway
- Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
- West Midland Railway
- Whitland and Cardigan Railway
- Wye Valley Railway
- Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway
Western Railway
- Anglesey Central Railway
- Bangor and Carnarvon Railway
- Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway
- Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway
- Carnarvonshire Railway
- Central Wales Railway
- Central Wales Extension Railway
- Chester and Holyhead Railway
- Chester and Connah's Quay Railway
- Conway and Llanrwst Railway
- Knighton Railway
- Llanelly Railway
- Red Wharf Bay branch line
- Sirhowy Railway
- Swansea and Carmarthen Railway
- Central Wales and Carmarthen Junction Railway
- Vale of Clwyd Railway
- Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway
- Nantybwch and Rhymney Railway
- Quakers Yard and Merthyr Railway
- Taff Bargoed Railway
- Buckley Railway
- North Wales and Liverpool Railway
- Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway
- Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway
- Vale of Towy Railway
- Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
- Wrexham and Minera Railway
- Corris, Machynlleth and River Dovey Tramroad
- Fairbourne Railway
- Ffestiniog Railway
- Festiniog and Blaenau Railway
- Glyn Valley Tramway
- Hay Railway
- Kinmel Camp Railway
- Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway
- North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
- Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway
- Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway
- Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway
- Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway
- Ruthin and Cerrig-y-Drudion Railway
- Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway
- Snowdon Mountain Railway
- Swansea and Mumbles Railway
- Talyllyn Railway
- Van Railway
- Welsh Highland Railway
- Bailey's Tramroad
- Beaufort Ironworks Tramway
- Bryn Oer Tramway
- Buckley Tramroad
- Cedryn Quarry Tramway
- Cowlyd Tramway
- Crawshay's Private Railway
- Crickheath Tramway
- Croesor Tramway
- Deeside Tramway
- Dinorwic Railway
- Dowlais Railway
- Eigiau Tramway
- Elan Valley Railway
- Gorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railway
- Gorseddau Tramway
- Hendre-Ddu Tramway
- Kerry Tramway
- Little Ormes Head Quarry tramway
- Merionethshire Railway
- Morda Tramway
- Nantlle Tramway
- Padarn Railway
- Penrhyn Quarry Railway
- Penydarren Tramway
- Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry tramways
- Rhiwbach Tramway
- Saundersfoot Railway
- Trefor Quarry railway
- Tremadoc Tramway