Amman Valley Branch

[swcovas]

Trawling the web for something totally unrelated I found this short article from the Carmarthen Journal of 25th July 2012:

“An Amman Valley railway charity has welcomed the Government's £2 billion pledge to electrify the line from London to Swansea — but said there are still gaps it can fill. The Amman Valley Railway Society (AVRS) says it has already secured overseas investors to build a cutting-edge £250 million tram system connecting the Amman Valley, Llanelli and Swansea. This, it said, would supplement the electrification, which will cover the valleys north of Cardiff and will start construction in 2014.”

Although it sounds great it also sounds totally fanciful. I know that there was talk some time ago of the PPM being trialed on the branch but heard no more about it and haven’t managed to find anything else on the above article. Any one wish to comment or know anything more?

 

[TGVDUDE]

I have supplied the AVRS with photographs earlier in the year and wasn't aware of the progress they seemed to have made, will be interested to see what becomes of that tram system, after some failed plans with cardiff in the past. I'd have liked to see that ppm trial as mentioned though, maybe a future contender for the cardiff bay branch too?

 

[Greenback]

Anything printed in the Carmarthen Journal or Llanelli Star should be treated with extreme caution.

Sadly, the ARVS does not seem to have its feet planted anywhere near reality. Though the plan for a 4.8km heritage line may well be worth pursuing, the rest is pie in the sky.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I speak with some local "previous" - put it this way , the passenger service from Pantyffynon to Brynamman died in August 1958 as a steam service to the end , the Ammanford station manager was quoted as the average load in Winter (bar schoolkids) being 5 passengers a 2 coach train. The onc car shuttle from Garnant to Gwaun-Cae- Gurwen lasted from 1907 to 1926 - the GWR General Manager refused to countenance the reinstatement after the May 1926 General Strike.

Much though one likes the idea - I cannot see how if the pre-car owning (and good bus service era) could fail to justify a heavy rail service........

Heritage and leisure , of course , a different story.

 

[Greenback]

I speak with some local "previous" - put it this way , the passenger service from Pantyffynon to Brynamman died in August 1958 as a steam service to the end , the Ammanford station manager was quoted as the average load in Winter (bar schoolkids) being 5 passengers a 2 coach train. The onc car shuttle from Garnant to Gwaun-Cae- Gurwen lasted from 1907 to 1926 - the GWR General Manager refused to countenance the reinstatement after the May 1926 General Strike.

Much though one likes the idea - I cannot see how if the pre-car owning (and good bus service era) could fail to justify a heavy rail service........

Heritage and leisure , of course , a different story.

Indeed. As much as it is an appealing idea to convert the numerous trackbeds in the area (or at least those that are still there) to light rail, it is a pipe dream.

The railways in South Wales were originally constructed for mineral traffic, there was never a good commercial reason for passenger services on most of them.

But I do love the fantasists. You could say they are continuing the great tradition of British eccentrics.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Whilst many South Wales railways were built for coal traffic, there were also wildly speculative passenger ventures. If one area of the British railway network can be said to have suffered from over-provision this was it. Despite having a huge mileage of track, much of it didn't form a cohesive network. Many Welsh towns had multiple stations originally operated by rival companies. Even after grouping it proved difficult to integrate the various lines conveniently.

 

[Greenback]

Whilst many South Wales railways were built for coal traffic, there were also wildly speculative passenger ventures. If one area of the British railway network can be said to have suffered from over-provision this was it. Despite having a huge mileage of track, much of it didn't form a cohesive network. Many Welsh towns had multiple stations originally operated by rival companies. Even after grouping it proved difficult to integrate the various lines conveniently.

In South Wales, the age of railway mania was definitely about coal and other mineral traffic. Various companies competed to get from the valleys and the other areas where coal deposits to the sea. It was seen as a licence to print money. There was also the need to get the raw materials to the tinplate and steel works, usually much more local traffic, but all of which necessitated a web of railway lines.

Hardly any of the lines in my local area were built to transport passengers (perhaps the Oystermouth Railway might have been an exception), and some never had an official passenger service at all. Others had a relatively limited service that didn't last much beyond the 1930's or 1950's.

In other parts of Wales, it is probably less true to say that mineral traffic was the driver of rail expansion. But there was little demand for passenger travel except in the upper classes in the early days of the railway. The main reason that towns and villages wanted to be connected to this new system was to transport goods in and out.

The population size and density in Wales has never really supported profitable passenger trains in most areas. The geography of the country also does not help much in this regard!

 

[Gareth Marston]

Whilst many South Wales railways were built for coal traffic, there were also wildly speculative passenger ventures. If one area of the British railway network can be said to have suffered from over-provision this was it. Despite having a huge mileage of track, much of it didn't form a cohesive network. Many Welsh towns had multiple stations originally operated by rival companies. Even after grouping it proved difficult to integrate the various lines conveniently.

5 different pre grouping companies served Merthyr High St and at the top of the hill in Dowlais it got really confusing with 3 stations on different routes!