Llynvi and Ogmore Railway

Llynvi and Ogmore Railway

Locale	Wales
Dates of operation	1861–1873
Successor	Great Western Railway
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) and 7 ft (2,134 mm) Brunel gauge
Length	27 miles (43 km)
Headquarters	Tondu

Llynvi and Ogmore Railway
Legend
originally Duffryn, Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway    to Glyncorrwg South Wales Mineral Railway to Tonmawr Cymmer Viaduct Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway to Port Talbot • to Treherbert West Junction Cymmer Afan Abergwynfi Abergwynfi Colliery Cymmer Tunnel 1591 yd  1455 m  Caerau Colliery Caerau Nantyffyllon Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company to Pontyrhyl Maesteg (Neath Road) PTR&DCo to Port Talbot Maesteg Maesteg (Ewenny Road) Garth Troedyrhiew Garth Llangynwyd Ogmore Valley Railway to Brynmenyn Tondu South Wales Main Line to Bridgend Cefn Junction PTR&DCo Kenfig Hill South Wales Main Line to Bridgend Pyle Junction Pyle South Wales Main Line to Swansea closed 1965 Cornelly Quarry Nottage Halt Nottage Tunnel 63 yd  58 m  Porthcawl

The Llynvi and Ogmore Railway (originally the Duffryn, Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway) was formed by the merger on 1 July 1866 of the broad-gauge Llynvi Valley Railway and the standard-gauge Ogmore Valley Railway. It served Porthcawl, Bridgend, and Tondu in Glamorgan, Wales, along with various branches.

The company name was spelt Llynvi using the Anglicised phonetic spelling popular at the time, rather than the correct Welsh Llynfi.

Chronology

• 1825 The horse-drawn Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway (DLPR) authorised by Act of Parliament
• 1828 DLPR opened from Porthcawl to Garnlwyd in the Llynfi Valley
• 1828 The horse-drawn Bridgend Railway authorised by Act of Parliament
• 1830 DLPR completed to its northern terminus at Coegnant near the head of the Llynfi Valley
• 1847 Llynvi Valley Railway (LVR) authorised by Act of Parliament and merges with DLPR
• 1861 Horse-drawn LVR re-routed and re-opened as the steam-hauled, broad gauge Llynvi Valley Railway
• 1863 Ogmore Valley Railway authorised by Act of Parliament
• 1865 Ogmore Valley Railway opened from Nantymoel to Tondu
• 1866 Llynvi and Ogmore Railway formed by merger
• 1868 All lines now mixed gauge
• 1872 Broad gauge abandoned
• 1877 Cymmer Tunnel opened to connect with the Afan valley
• 1883 Amalgamated into the Great Western Railway as part of the Maesteg Line
• 1886 Llynvi Valley Extension (Great Western Railway) to Abergwynfi opens
• 1958 Ogmore Valley Railway closes (Bridgend-Nantymoel 5 May 1958)
• 1960 Line to Abergwynfi closes
• 1965 Branch to Porthcawl railway station closes in the Beeching Axe
• 1970 Passenger service between Cymmer (Afan) and Bridgend withdrawn
• 1971 Cymmer Tunnel closed to all rail traffic
• 1973 Cefn Junction and Signal Box closes

Locomotives

Main article: Locomotives of the Great Western Railway

Broad gauge 0-6-0ST

0-6-0ST

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Slaughter, Grunning & Co.

Specifications Configuration 0-6-0ST Gauge 7 ft (2,134 mm) Driver diameter 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) Wheelbase 15 ft 5 in (4,699 mm) Cylinder size dia × stroke, 16.5 in × 24 in (419 mm × 610 mm)

• Ada (1862–1868)
• Una (1862–1868)

The railway owned two 0-6-0STs for goods traffic. Built by Slaughter, Grunning and Company, they were similar to the South Devon Railway Dido class built at around the same time.

In 1868 they were exchanged for standard gauge locomotives from the West Cornwall Railway, which had recently been rebuilt to allow broad gauge trains to run through from the Great Western Railway to Penzance.

In 1876 Ada and Una became GWR 2146 and 2147 respectively. They were withdrawn in 1884 and 1886.

Broad gauge 4-4-0ST

4-4-0ST

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Slaughter, Grunning & Co.

Specifications Configuration 4-4-0ST Gauge 7 ft (2,134 mm) Leading dia 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Driver diameter 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Wheelbase 18 ft 0 in (5,486 mm) Cylinder size dia × stroke 16.5 in × 24 in (419 mm × 610 mm)

• Rosa (1863–1868)

The railway owned a single 4-4-0ST passenger tank locomotive. Built by Slaughter, Grunning and Company, it was similar to the South Devon Railway Eagle class.

Rosa was also exchanged for West Cornwall Railway rolling stock in 1868. It was then rebuilt as an 0-6-0ST, making it similar to Ada and Una.

It became GWR 2145 and was withdrawn in 1885.

Standard gauge

Twelve Lynvi and Ogmore Railway locomotives were acquired by the Great Western Railway in 1873 and renumbered 915 to 926.

• 5 Sharp Stewart and Company 0-6-0ST (1865)
• 4 Robert Stephenson and Company 2-4-0 ex-West Cornwall Railway (1868), three rebuilt as tank locomotives
• 3 Black, Hawthorn & Co. (1871)

External links

• Gathering the Jewels
• Duffryn, Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway
• Llynvi Valley Extension (Great Western Railway)