Taff Vale Viaduct – Quakers Yard
Within the distance of just over half a mile three impressive railway
viaducts were built across the River Taff near the present day village of
Edwardsville. While the two most northerly were demolished shortly after the
closure of the lines they carried, the third but first to be constructed
still remains to the south of Quakers’ Yard station. The Taff Vale, for many
years one of the most prosperous railway companies in the whole of Britain,
was completed between Merthyr Tydfil and the growing port of Cardiff in
1841. Engineered by I.K. Brunel, the line enabled the ironworks and
collieries of Merthyr and its environs to continue to expand and achieve
industrial greatness.
Just as this tortuous part of the Taff Valley had challenged the skills
of the canal engineers, the construction of the railway here was not to be
accomplished without difficulty. The line north of Navigation required the
construction of a tunnel, and the steepness of the gradient meant that
trains on this section had to be hauled by a stationary engine positioned at
the southern end of the viaduct. The walker will notice that the viaduct has
been constructed in two separate parts. The original structure of 1841
carrying a single track is the more northerly, while that to the south was
built alongside in 1862 when the line was doubled to cope with the
increasing demands of industry to the north. It was at this time too that
the tunnel was opened into a cutting and locomotives became sufficiently
powerful to pull trains up the gradient from Navigation.
Downstream of the viaduct the Penydarren Tramroad crosses the river for
the first time by means of a stone arched bridge. This bridge, with a span
of sixty-three feet, was built to replace the original timber structure,
which collapsed in 1815. On February 15th. John Guest of the Dowlais
Ironworks reported that “ The upper tramroad bridge fell down yesterday
while the Penydarren Trams were going over it. The whole of the iron, trams,
horses and hauliers fell into the river as well as four other persons who
were riding on the trams. One horse was killed and another much cut.
Continue >>