[7] Thomas proposed building a dock accessed by the railway for export of coal, iron and limestone, and import of hay, grain and vegetables for the mining districts.

The Ogmore Valley Railway Company wanted to increase revenue by carrying coal for shipment to the docks at Cardiff and Penarth.

The Barry Harbour Act 1866 authorised another company to build a 600-yard (550 m) quay extending from where Buttrills Brook entered the old dock near the northwest end of the present No.

[5] On 14 November 1884 a group of ship and mine owners "trudged out to Castleland Point—near the later Dock Offices—to dig a small hole in the ground with the aid of a ceremonial spade, a wheelbarrow and a plentiful supply of planking to keep the autumn mud off their shoes.

The centre dam was built without much difficulty by simply tipping material to form an embankment, although some of the earth sank into the mud, so more had to be added.

[16] The eastern dam was made of piers of masonry with marl foundations, backed up with earth, leaving four 15 feet (4.6 m) openings through which the tide flowed.

Three 12-inch (300 mm) pipes with valves ran through the lowest part of the concrete wall, allowing the water to drain to this level while excavation proceeded.

A branch line mainly used for passenger traffic connected Barry to the Taff Vale Railway at Cogan Junction near the Penarth dock station.

[26] The dock layout that was originally planned – including the site of the basin entrance and passage – was adjusted as the work progressed to ensure that the foundations rested on hard rock.

In the early days, the dock operators would often run the water down to bring in a single ship having a wider beam than the Lady Windsor lock could handle.

1 dock has a full width of 1,600 feet (490 m) at the eastern end, so the largest vessels could swing even when the tips and quays were fully occupied.

This link was later severed and part of its length converted to another dry-dock, with the pond beyond filled in to make way for the necessary high-level rail viaducts and embankments run to the No.2 dock coal hoists.

It serves remaining sidings for the Sully Moors industrial complex, Dow Corning silicone plant, and intermodal rail freight traffic (2017).

In the twilight years of tanker unloading for the William Cory (Powell Duffryn) oil works, short footbridges were provided from the mole.

This enables works staff to access the brick plinths to handle the flexible tanker oil discharge piping and supports, and it was not unknown for rail tank wagons to be in use on the siding serving the northwest Mole face.

Battery Hill pumphouse at Barry Island was demolished after 1945, but the main part of the Bendricks building (referred to as the "Sully hydraulic engine house" in R.A.COOKE'S section 44b GWR track diagrams) lived on until just after the Millennium.

At the start of loading, the coal would run into a suspended anti-breakage box, which was hydraulically lowered into the hold and emptied through a hinged flap at the bottom.

[61] In 1896 a spur line was built to a new railway station on the Barry Island, which quickly developed as a day trip resort with eating places, shops, and in 1912 a funfair with rides.

Ledger to open up land on the eastern dock area towards Sully to host steel manufacturers from the Midlands proved fruitless.

[65] At the docks, the company ran a total of 41 tips of various kinds, 47 mooring buoys, and kept tugs, launches, a dredger, a firefloat, and even had its own diver and police force.

[68] By 1920, the Barry Railway Company had a workforce of 3169, of which 890 were unskilled labourers, and operated 148 steam locomotives, 194 carriages and brake vans, and 2,316 wagons and trucks.

[71] There was a short boom in 1923, after which GWR made heavy investments in adapting the hoists and tips in its docks and sidings to handle the 20-ton wagon, but the collieries were often unwilling to adopt the new size despite offers of rebates.

Goods service at stations was cancelled in April 1964,[22] but the through-line was officially closed in July 1963 following the devastating fire at the Tynycaeau Junction signal box in March 1963.

[98] A£230 million version of the plan was approved in 2011, which included a new road linking the town centre to Barry Island, a school, hotel, restaurants, a supermarket, and public spaces.

To complement these developments, in December 2009 a new pedestrian footbridge was opened that spans the railway line and links Thompson Street with the medical centre, new Waterfront housing, and retail outlets such as the Morrisons.

Like the (by then) Entrepreneurial Centre already established alongside, the building stood on the site of the former Barry Railway Company's loco works and carriage sheds and on a level above the hydraulic engine house.

In February 2012, work had started on clearing the site opposite the old hydraulic engine house in preparation for building a new hotel which by June 2014 was open to the public as the Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre pub and carvery.

Further drastic change came in April 2015 when a new Asda supermarket and petrol station was opened that occupied most of the land previously bearing the Powell Duffryn oil tank farm as well as former multiple railway sidings used latterly for storage of withdrawn steam locomotives held by Dai Woodham.

[99] In 2012 the Docks directly employed 23 full-time employees, but this does not include people working as crews on the dredging vessels or pilots based at Barry.

[101] In June 2014 it was reported that the Vale of Glamorgan Council had ruled that there was no need for an extensive environmental assessment of a solar farm planned by ABP for an unused part of the dock.