1st Generation Diesels & DMU's on the Brecon & Merthyr

[Gareth Marston]

Can anybody identify the workings that appear on Alan Georges website of Old Merthyr Tydfil?


In particular these pictures interest me most as they show EE Type 3's On the B & M mainline and Merthyr loop at locations beyond the Vaynor Quarries which stayed open for freight until October 1966.

EE Type 3 emerging from the SE Portal of Torpantau Tunnel unknown date. i.e coming from the Brecon direction.
http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Images_A-C/Class37LocomotiveAttorpantauTunnel_B.Morris_.jpg

What look likes the same loco pulling low loading flat wagons at Dolygear.
http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Images_D-H/DolygearStation_BarryMorris.jpg

Is this a demolition train? Any guess at a date?

A dated shot of the Pontsarn Viaduct Feb 66. Type 3 and brakevan?
http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Images_N-P/PontsarnViaduct_24.02.66_IMG_0003_BarrieMorris.jpg

Undated shot of Dowlais Central with DMU. DMU has Dowlais Top on destination blind.
http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Images_D-H/DowlaisCentralStation_1960.jpg

Please use this to navigate the rather complicated railway layout around Merthyr (5 pee Grouping Companys) -hovver the cursor over the lines till it turns into a hand.
http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/railways.htm

 

[Ash Bridge]

I don't no, they look like they could be departmental type spoil carrying wagons to me, perhaps with the exception of the one immediately behind the Class 37.

 

[Taunton]

These Derby suburban dmus did come to the Valleys quite early in the diesel era, they had taken over many passenger workings by 1957-8. The one shown is from the W508xx batch - the earlier W500xx batch had a marker light above the indicator, while the subsequent W511xx batch did not have the white cab top. All the 50 units of the W508xx were initially allocated to South Wales (many spent their whole lives there).

The opening photo of the Type 3 emerging from the tunnel is pretty likely to have been after the line was abandoned. Weeds to that extent (which would be thought nothing on Network Rail nowadays) were unknown on active WR lines, even freight only lines. I understand the strong and effective weedkiller they used was later banned for environmental reasons of how it poisoned the runoff.

 

[randyrippley]

................ Weeds to that extent (which would be thought nothing on Network Rail nowadays) were unknown on active WR lines, even freight only lines. I understand the strong and effective weedkiller they used was later banned for environmental reasons of how it poisoned the runoff.

I don't specifically know about railways, but typically at that time the main herbicide on that kind of land would have been Sodium chlorate, possibly with something like 2.4-D and/or 2,4,5-T added as a cocktail.
Sodium chlorate would be toxic to just about everything, while 2,4-D/2,4,5-T was more plant specific - but contained dioxin impurities (its otherwise known as agent orange....)