Author: Aubrey Byles
Publisher: Village publishing
ISBN: 0946043000
Publication: 1982
Number of pages: 132
Price: Around £15-£20 S/H depending on condition
Format: Softcover
How Obtained: Purchased
The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company (MRCC) may have been unique in the whole of Britain! It experienced almost every conceivable phase of development possible: canal, edge rail, plateway, combination tramroad/edge rail and standard gauge railway. Finally, it was taken over by a major competitor, the GWR!
Aubrey Byles describes its extraordinary existence in The History of the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. It was published in 1982 by Village Publishing. Being long out of print and from a relatively small publisher means that copies are less readily available than some other volumes in our ‘retro review’ series.
The book starts with a brief overview of the development of ironworking and coal production in the Monmouthshire valleys during the late eighteenth century. Byles shows that the creation of the MRCC was a direct response to the almost nonexistent transport routes from the ironworks at the top of the valleys to Newport Docks.
The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company: continuous reinvention
The evolution of the later steam-hauled rail system is what most interests Byles. Such is clear from the fact that only one chapter is devoted to the canal navigation. This is compared with twelve chapters covering tramroads and edge railways. A final chapter describes the disappearance of the MRCC heritage beneath new roads and building developments. The book was published nearly forty years ago and the situation has worsened considerably since then. (Bob Price’s fascinating video Panteg and Griffithstown: The Station in the Woods gives an idea of what can be seen today).
It is difficult to provide a complete history of the MRCC without some discussion of the Sirhowy Tramroad/Railway. In broad outline the stories are intertwined, with an initial phase of innovation and cutting edge development from the start until the 1830s. A period of stagnation followed, such that by the 1860s both lines had fallen behind the competition and became targets for take over.
A major cause of this stagnation was a chaotic technical and financial transition from a tramroad to a railway, The multiple phases mentioned in the first lines of this review left a railway which was at times dangerous and dysfunctional with major engineering shortcomings. Byles tells the story in a compelling and occasionally shocking manner.
Good overall history with interesting insights…and some disputable facts
Whereas the strength of Byles book is in the broader arc of the development of the company, he is far less secure in the details. Certain facts which may have been accepted in the 1980s are regarded as doubtful or even wrong today. For example the story of the invention of railway points by Fothergill in a Tredegar church is nowadays regarded as apocryphal!
There are, however, many fascinating insights. For example, the description of using oil on the tracks to deliberately induce wheelslip on early locomotives was new to me. The purpose was to activate the mechanically driven injector to keep the boiler topped up with water.
In Summary
Little attention has been paid to this fascinating railway and this book fills a gap. It is probably a good idea, however, to check specific facts with more modern sources. Nevertheless the book is an entertaining read and it is worthwhile tracking down a copy.
The Good
- A good overview of the development of a unique railway company.
- Some rare and unusual photographs and other documentary evidence.
- With little literature available on the history of MRCC this is a valuable volume
The Not So Good
- Later research has rendered some facts doubtful or proven to be inaccurate.
- The book is unbalanced with very little space devoted to the early canal history of the company (but if you are reading this blog it may not be important to you!)
- There are few references to sources so interesting details cannot be verified or followed up
Outline Contents
- The Beginnings
- The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation
- Steam Locomotion: The Pioneers
- From Tramways to Railways
- The Eastern Valley Section: The Newport and Pontypool Railway
- The English Connection: The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
- Towards Railway Status: The Final Conversion
- The Railways and the People: “Where Do They All Come From?”
- Making the System Work
- Outside Threats: The Thin End of the Wedge
- A Disastrous Episode and a New Start
- Survival Attempts and Tactical Errors
- Opposition Grows: Threats From the G.W.R.
- The Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway
- The Present Day – Our Disappearing Heritage
About the Author – Aubrey Byles
Aubrey Byles was born at Cross Keys in the Western Valley of Monmouthshire in 1928.
His family had long been connected with the county’s railways. His great grand-father, a master mason, came to South Wales in 1847 to work on the stoneworks of the Eastern Valley section of the Monmouthshire Railway.
Mr Byles trained as a clothing designer and for some years worked at Swindon, designing uniforms for British Rail. In 1962 he returned to live and work in South Wales.
Following a disabling accident at Llanwem Steelworks in 1973 his hobby of railway modelling was superceded by research into the history of the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. This book is the result of his investigations.
Related reviews
Lost Lines of Wales: Monmouthshire Western Valley by Geoffrey Lloyd
Steam on the Sirhowy Tramroad and its Neighbours by Michael Lewis
The Sirhowy Valley and its Railways by D.S.M. Barrie and Charles E. Lee