South Wales Mineral Railway

It was built on the broad gauge and had steep gradients, including a rope worked incline near Briton Ferry.

A tunnel collapse in 1947 closed the western section of the network, but by then it was connected to an alternative route via Port Talbot.

It was necessary to bring the mineral output to waterborne transport, and a wharf at Briton Ferry was to be developed for the purpose.

[note 1] Viscount Villiers was a majority owner of the existing dock at Briton Ferry and he was a leading promoter of the SWMR.

It was to be on the broad gauge, linking with the newly opened South Wales Railway, and the engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

At a general meeting on 16 September 1854 it was announced that the company had failed to induce owners of property along the line to take the remaining shares.

A proposal had been received from the Glyncorrwg Coal Company to take up the unallotted capital, provided it was granted a lease at a rental which would ensure a dividend of 5 per cent.

There was a 1+1⁄2 mile double-track inclined plane, known as Ynys y Maerdy, to descend to that area from the hills; the remainder of the line was single track.

As it was the lessor of the SWMR this posed a significant threat, but the Glyncorrwg Colliery Co Ltd was quickly formed to take over the activities of the defunct company.

[8] In February 1871 the GWR decided to convert its South Wales Railway lines to narrow (standard) gauge.

In an 1872 Act the GWR included powers to make arrangements with six South Wales railway companies affected by the change of gauge.

The Bill contained a clause authorising the GWR to make arrangements with the affected smaller companies, although without actually referring to compensation.

An SWMR Act of 1874 was given the Royal Assent on 16 July 1874 authorising £22,210 of new preference shares for the conversion of the arrears of dividends and to issue £35,000 of debentures.

It was reported at the general meeting held in September 1877 that the quantity of coal carried was so small it would not cover the working expenses.

By this time the 30-year lease by the Glyncorrwg Coal Company had expired and the PTD&R took over the working of the line, and adopted the Blaenavon and Whitworth branches.

The GWR would fund the liquidation of the SWMR historic debt and from 1 January 1908 was considered to have had running powers.

Simmonds says that it was "condoned" in the 1880 working agreement, and that in the week ending 31 December 1886, 1,053 passengers had been conveyed between Cymmer and Ynysmaerdy Incline Top, from where it was a two-mile walk to Neath.

In December 1916 the Blaencorrwg Colliery company asked the Board of Trade to authorise such a service, and now that the war effort demanded the production of coal, a different view was taken in January 1917.

The service started on 5 March 1917, running from Cymmer to Glyncorrwg, Blaencorrwg and North Rhonda Halt.

In 1963 the service was further shortened back to South Pit Halt, and finally closed completely after 30 October 1964.

[13] On 13 July 1947, there was a partial collapse of the Gyfylchi tunnel, and the section of line from there to Abercregan sidings near Cymmer district was closed.

All goods and mineral traffic from Glyncorrwg was then taken to Port Talbot over the former Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway line, reached by a double reversal at Cymmer.

[2] Mineral traffic continued on the section between Abercregan Sidings and Cymmer Junction until August 1970, when the entire former SWMR network ceased to operate.