The Sirhowy Valley and its Railways – Retro Review

The Stockton and Darlington is famous as the first public railway to use steam locomotives. But it may not have been built at all without the influence of the Sirhowy Tramroad in South Wales.

That is one of the interesting ideas contained in The Sirhowy Valley and its Railways by D.S.M. Barrie and Charles Lee, published by The Railway Publishing Company.

A 1940 Forerunner of Modern Studies

The book consists of a collection of articles which appeared as a four part series between September 1939 and June 1940 in The Railway Magazine.  These articles comprise the book’s chapters, with two each written by Lee and Barrie. June 1865 is the dividing point in the book, the date at which scheduled passenger services started running on the Sirhowy Railway, having been converted from a tramroad.

These structural aspects means that the book could be viewed as a direct ancestor of modern studies of the line. For example, the recently reviewed Steam on the Sirhowy Tramroad and its Neighbours covers much the same material as Chapter 1 and 2 but in vastly expanded detail. Similarly, the mix of historical information and descriptive content of the railway era is well covered in Railways and Industry in the Sirhowy Valley.

From the Sirhowy Valley to Stockton and Darlington

Irrespective of the information it contains, the book is of historical interest in its own right. Above all, it provides a feel for the atmosphere of the line at the start of the Second World War from a personal contemporary perspective which cannot be gained from photographs alone. Moreover, assuming it was compiled following the final magazine article, the publication date can be put as between July and December 1940. This was at the height of the Battle of Britain or shortly thereafter.

What about the Stockton and Darlington claim? When the decision was being taken as to whether a railway/tramroad or canal would better serve the collieries of the area, Charles Lee (page 18) states that:

“…valuable information was provided in 1818 to the S & D promoters by Samuel Homfrey regarding the working of the Sirhowy line, which then yielded 18 per cent per annum, whereas the Monmouthshire Canal yielded only 8 per cent.”

Conversely, when steam traction was used on the S & D this attracted the attention of Homfrey, eventually leading to the purchase of a locomotive from contractor Robert Stephenson.

In Summary

Considering the age and nature of the book it seems inappropriate to provide the usual Good, Not so Good summary.

About the Authors: D.S.M. Barrie and Charles Lee

D.S.M. Barrie was a Fleet Street journalist, brought into the LMS in 1932 to organize public relations and publicity. The Author of several Oakwood Press histories of railways in South Wales, he eventually rose to become the General Manager of the BR Eastern Region. (From SteamIndex)

Charles Edward Lee was a transport historian, born in 1901. Elected to membership of the Newcomen Society in 1940, he was president from 1959-1961. By profession he was a journalist and was once the editor of ‘The Railway Magazine’. He was also later a director of the Tothill Press group of transport industry journals.

He was a prominent member and President of the Railway Club and the Railway and Canal Historical Society. As well as these society activities he was the author of the series of historical booklets on travel in London which were issued by London Transport. He died at the age of 82 in December 1983. (From the Science Museum Group)

Related reviews

Hill’s Tramroad: Blaenavon World Heritage Site by Chris Barber
History of the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company by Aubrey Byles
Industrial Locomotives of Gwent by Geoffrey Hill and Gordon Green
Memoirs of the Sirhowy Branch: 1868 – 1960 by W.W. Tasker
Rails in the Valleys by James Page
Reflections on a Railway Career: LNWR to BR by J.M. Dunn
Railways in the Sirhowy Valley by W.W. Tasker