Llancaiach Branch
It was authorised in 1836 as part of the Taff Vale Railway, and its purpose was to connect collieries at Llancaiach and bring their output to Cardiff for onward shipment.
It was intended to be horse worked, and included a self-acting rope-worked inclined plane near the junction.
The passenger service was popular at first, but it was discontinued in 1932, and as the coal industry declined, the branch was successively cut back, finally closing completely in 1970.
The proprietor of Llanfabon Colliery, near Nelson, constructed such a tramroad to the canal at Navigation House (Abercynon); this was in operation before 1812.
Its main purpose was the conveyance of the products of the iron-making industry in Merthyr and Dowlais, to the docks at Cardiff for onward transport by sea.
In addition, several connections to collieries were planned, including pits at Llancaiach, and passenger transport was also authorised.
The first main line included a rope-worked incline near Quaker's Yard: to overcome a large and sudden ascent there, a length of double track was installed together with a stationary steam engine, and passing trains were hauled up and let down on a rope.
The line was engineered so that the remainder of the branch was practically level, enabling horse traction to handle the loads.
The collieries also had a connection into the Taff Vale Extension line, and it became possible to bring out Llancaiach coal through Quaker's Yard, avoiding the rope worked inclined plane on the branch.
An 1867 Act of the GWR gave structure to the connection at Llancaiach, and formalised the running powers of the TVR into Quaker's Yard.
The Taff Bargoed line opened to goods and mineral traffic on 10 January 1876, and to passengers on 1 February 1876, although the intervening terrain was very thinly populated.
It started from Llancaiach, but the TVR branch to that place had long since been out of use, and access to it was over the Taff Vale Extension line from Quaker's Yard.
[2] After a delayed start, the line was said to be ready on 18 July 1878, but the GWR had not yet made the junction connection at Llancaiach.
Having obtained the Act and apparently kept out interlopers, the TVR was very slow to actually build the line, as the pits to be served were not yet productive, but it seems to have been opened in 1884.
[note 3] In 1896 the TVR submitted a fresh bill to extend from Cilfynydd Inn to join the Llancaiach line, as earlier intended, at Ynysydwr Junction.
[1] With the development of the collieries at Cilfynydd, it was clear that a large population of miners and their families would be resident, and a passenger service began to be considered.
The opportunity was taken to make considerable improvements to Pont Shon Norton Junction, for passenger operation on the branch and also to provide relief to the congestion at Pontypridd station.
[2] In 1903 the TVR experimented with what it referred to as "motor cars": railmotors, that is single passenger coaches with a small integrated steam engine.
Although a crew of three was required, these motor cars enabled a frequent service to be run, calling at low-cost stopping places with minimal facilities.
On 10 October 1904 a motor car service was introduced on the Nelson line; a new "platform" was opened at Llanfabon Road (Abernant).
The introduction of passenger tramcars operating out of Pontypridd provided serious competition for the motor car service, and usage of Cilfynydd station declined steeply; it was closed on 1 June 1915.
