Roving in South Wales
In the valleys
19 August 1986
I can't remember what the particular incentive
for this trip was - suffice it to say that we left
Shrewsbury at a very early hour on a fine
August morning, 33-hauled to Cardiff. Here,
we would take advantage of a "Rover" ticket
and explore two of the South Wales valleys,
and pay a brief visit to the seaside at Penarth.
Our first trip took us to Rhymney, the line which currently sees
regular loco-hauled passenger trains. In 1986 the valleys train
service was in the hands of the much more mundane class 116
suburban DMU sets. We rode straight up and back again - through
Cardiff and on to Penarth. There we took a quick look at the pier
(I think perhaps we took on refreshments too...) before
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
returning to Cardiff, there taking a trip to
Merthyr and back. We broke the latter
journey at Pontypridd, where the station
was clearly an important facility in days
gone by.
Lastly we returned to Cardiff, taking a
quick stroll to have a look at ex-GWR pannier tank no. 9629,
which at that time was on display outside the local Holiday Inn
(or was it, by then, the Marriott?). It's worth looking closely at
the picture - the poor loco had no boiler, and the chimney, dome
and safety valve cover are not quite right...
Back to the station now - just time for a few snaps of one or two
passing freights, then home again.
