Authors: Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (with David Edge)
Publisher: Middleton Press
ISBN: 9781904474166
Price: £18.95
Publication Date: 1st August 2007
Number of pages: 96
Format: Hardback
How Obtained: Purchased
The railway journey from Brecon to Newport offered almost unparalleled variety in terms of the scenery. From picturesque Breconshire villages, to the bleak windswept aspect of the Heads of the Valleys and the narrow heavily industrialised Darran and Rhymney valleys.
Brecon to Newport by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith with Dave Edge offers a portrait of the line, which closed to passengers in 1962 It was published by Middleton Press in 2003 and reprinted in 2018 as a volume in their Country Railway Routes series. It is still available from booksellers or direct from Middleton here.
Brecon to Newport: An uphill battle geographically…….
The book starts with a geographical background, including a gradient profile of the line which reveals the challenging nature of the route. Next, a brief history focusses mostly on the Brecon and Merthyr Railway before an overview of passenger services. The book follows the usual format of other Middleton Books by featuring locations of interest starting from Brecon. These include junctions such as the Talyllyn, along with the halts and villages over the Beacons and down the Darran and Rhymney Valleys to Newport.
Along with photographs, each location is placed in context using OS maps from the early 20th Century. The 120 black and white photographs in the book mainly cover the line when it was operated by the GWR and later British Railways. However, there are some from the pre-1923 Brecon and Merthyr Railway era. Informative annotations point out remarkable or important features.
……and financially!
Surprisingly for such an important strategic East Wales route the railway from Brecon to Newport was mostly single track with passing loops. But the company which owned most of the track mileage until 1923, the Brecon and Merthyr, existed in a perilous financial state. However, a train traversing the entire route would also pass over Great Western and, briefly, the Rhymney Railway at Bargoed. After 1923 it became entirely GWR. Happily, the charming Brecon Mountain Railway now uses a short stretch of the trackbed north of Pant near Merthyr Tydfil. Photographs featuring the narrow gauge BMR are a welcome inclusion.
Partly due to the presence of a turntable at Brecon and partly due to the greater distance than travelled by most valley services, more tender locomotives are featured alongside the early saddle tank and later pannier tank engines.
A new 3-part series of books on the Brecon and Merthyr by John Hodges and Ray Caston is in the process of being published. You can find a review to the first two books here and here. Apart from being much cheaper this volume is a handy one-volume portrait of the route which gives a good flavour of the line. The trade off is you don’t get coverage of the Brecon and Merthyr’s lines to Merthyr, New Tredegar and Caerphilly.
In Summary
While more extensive books are available on this spectacular route I like this book for its brevity while giving a good flavour of the magnificent Brecon to Newport line.
The Good
- Good picture range which include some very early Brecon and Merthyr saddle tank locos and the current narrow gauge line from Pant
- Well written and informative photograph annotations
- Photographs placed in geographical context by local OS maps
The Not So Good
- In common with other Country Routes volumes, photographs of important locations such as Newport are spread across separate books
- Some poor quality images which appear to be a problem with the original picture rather than the reproduction process.
- Few pictures of the all important goods workings on the line
Outline Contents
- Bargoed
- Bassaleg
- Bedwas Platform
- Brecon
- Brecon Mountain Railway
- Church Road
- Darran & Deri
- Dolygaer
- Dowlais Central
- Dowlais Top
- Fleur-de-Lis
- Fochriw
- Groesfaen Colliery
- Groesffordd Halt
- Ivor Junction
- Machen Junction
- Maesycwmmer
- Newport
- Ogilvie Colliery Halt
- Pant
- Pantyscallog Halt
- Pantywaun Halt
- Pengam (Mon)
- Pentir Rhiw
- Pontsticill
- Rhiwderin
- Talybont-on-Usk
- Talyllyn Junction
- Torpantau
- Trethomas
About the Authors Vic Mitchell (1934-2021) and Keith Smith
In 1978, Vic Mitchell published his first railway item, a route map of the London and South Western Railway. Thus Middleton Press was born, taking its name from his home at Middleton Lodge, Midhurst, West Sussex. In 1980, Mitchell was involved in a fundraiser for St. Mary Magdalene and St. Denis Church, Midhurst. An exhibition was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the closure to passengers of the Petersfield–Midhurst–Pulborough railway.
One of the exhibitors was Keith Smith. Mitchell got into conversation with him and it was felt that there might be demand for a book on the railways in the area. Three publishers were approached but all rejected the idea. Mitchell spent £5,000 and published the book himself in 1981. Titled Branch Lines to Midhurst, it sold well and Mitchell recovered his investment. Initially, there was no intention to publish more titles, but Branch Lines to Horsham was published in 1982 and other books followed. By June 2018, Middleton Press had published 617 titles. Subjects covered include British railways, tram and trolleybus systems, as well as railways abroad.
(From Wikipedia)
Related reviews
Railways and Industry on the Brecon and Merthyr: Bassaleg to Bargoed by John Hodge and Ray Caston
Railways and Industry on the Brecon and Merthyr: Bargoed to Pontsticill by John Hodge and Ray Caston