The Rhymney Railway – Retro Review

The Rhymney Railway was promoted as a way of getting the products of ironworks to the English Midlands. But difficult trading conditions at first imperilled its existence in 1858. Thereafter an improvement in fortunes resulted in it becoming one of the most influential South Wales railways.

The rags to riches story is told in The Rhymney Railway by R.W. Kidner. Published in 1995 by Oakwood Press (established by Kidner himself), it is volume 9 in the Oakwood Library of Railway History. The book was based upon an earlier 1952 volume of the same name by D.S.M. Barrie. Both publications are out of print but widely available second hand..

The Rhymney Railway: ultimate success from an uncertain start!

The Rhymney Railway was conceived as a way of linking ironworks at the head of the valley with markets in the English Midlands. The planned route was via the Taff Vale Extension of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway. Subsequently, a link to the Taff Vale Railway (no relation!) was included for access to the port at Cardiff. Unfortunately, by the time it was built in 1858, a trade slump combined with slow development of Rhymney valley coal mining meant that the railway nearly went bankrupt soon after opening. After that the situation improved markedly and the line started to boom, albeit with a few setbacks.

Feuds, alliances and innovative locomotives

Kidner points to the engagement in 1862 of Cornelius Lundie as Traffic Superintendent and Engineer as a turning point, providing long term energy and vision. Appointed Locomotive engineer in 1884 was one Richard Jenkins, a pioneer in the adoption of tank locomotives using the 0-6-2 wheel configuration. Subsequently, some of the Rhymney’s locomotive designs became so successful they were copied by other companies. For example, a number of Brecon & Merthyr engines built by Robert Stephenson were based on the Rhymney P Class 0-6-2T, which became ubiquitous in South Wales.

Kidner describes the part Rhymney played in the intricate politics and dynamic competition which was the central feature of South Wales railway development. For example, it fought with the Taff Vale while collaborating with both the Great Western and London and North Western. With the Brecon and Merthyr it did both as each tried to build a line up the Rhymney-Bargoed valley!

With all the complexity, one feature I found very handy was the printing of a map on the back cover. This meant I could easily follow the route detail in the text by simply flipping the book over.

In Summary

This book is up to the usual standard of the Oakwood Press, especially the later editions from the 1990s onwards. Authoritative and detailed the text is backed up with photos diagrams and maps to present a large amount of historical information in a very digestible manner.

Outline Contents

• The Reasons for the Railway
• The Mid-Victorian Period
• The System Completed
• The Late Victorian Period
• The Twentieth Century
• Locomotives and Rolling Stock
• The Route and Stations
• After Grouping

About the Author

Roger Kidner was born on 16 March 1914, the son of civil servant Arthur, and Mabel. He attended Westminster School where he struck up a friendship with Michael Robbins. The two bonded over a shared interest in railways, and in 1931, they founded The Four Os to publish a newsletter called Locomotion.

In 1935, Kidner and Robbins changed the name of their nascent publishing house to The Oakwood Press and published their first book, Railway Bibliography by Canon Fellows. This was followed in 1936 by L.T. Catchpole’s The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway which is still in print in its 9th edition.

Kidner travelled widely to research the railways that his authors wrote about. The Oakwood Press suspended publication during the Second World War, and Kidner served in the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment where he rose to the rank of Major. He published James I. C. Boyd‘s seminal series on the narrow-gauge railways of north Wales, starting in 1949 with Narrow Gauge Rails to Portmadoc which drew attention to the then-closed Ffestiniog Railway and was instrumental in its eventual restoration.

He sold The Oakwood Press in 1984, but kept in close contact with the new owner, writing and editing books. He died of cancer in 2007.

(Wikimedia Creative Commons)

Related reviews

Caerphilly Works 1901 – 1964 by Eric R. Mountford
Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: vol 12, South Wales by D.S.M. Barrie
South Wales Branch Lines by H. Morgan
The Rhymney Railway: Volume1, The Main Line From Cardiff by John Hutton