Author: D.S.M. Barrie
Publisher: Oakwood Press
Price: S/H copies available from about £15 depending on condition
Publication: March 1962
Number of pages: 62
Format: Hardback
How Obtained: Purchased
Railways were built for a variety of reasons. The opening up of new areas and providing additional capacity as industrial and passenger traffic developed spring immediately to mind. But a few railways were born out of conflict between powerful interests.
The history of one such company is the subject of The Barry Railway by D.S.M. Barrie. It was published in 1962 by the Oakwood Press. Now out of print for many years, this is one of our retro review series of older books which are still widely available at reasonable prices. Note that the book was reprinted by Oakwood in 1978 with some amendments. For this review I am using the original 1962 edition.
The Barry Railway: Competitive, Aggressive and Ambitious!
Immediately upon opening the book I was struck by the quirky page numbering, starting at 151! The reason is that the book formed part of an Oakwood Press quartet of South Wales railways. The Taff Vale (pages 1-44), the Rhymney (pages 45 to 92) and the Brecon and Merthyr (pages 93 to 150) railways form the others in the set. There are no formal chapters, the book being laid out as a series of short sections.
(Left: Map of the barry Railway and its competitors
From: Barrie. The Barry Railway)
Easily the largest part of the book deals with the genesis, competitive ambitions and aggressive development of the Barry Railway (known informally as just The Barry). However, only twenty pages are devoted to its operation, rolling stock and locomotives. There are twelve pages of black and white photographs. The standard varies from the dubious to the acceptable which may be due to the quality of the originals or the reprographic process of the early 1960s.
Competition bred an efficient and profitable organization
The birth of the Barry Railway in the 1880s resulted from commercial conflict. On one side was the Taff Vale Railway and the Bute Estates which operated the Cardiff docks while on the other were the powerful Rhondda Coal Mining interests. Importantly. a reluctance to sufficiently expand the Bute docks along with perceived profiteering led the coal masters to revive previous plans to develop an extensive dock and railway at the then small village of Barry.
Arriving late in a South Wales dominated by a number of dynamic companies, the Barry Railway used a combination of astute business tactics, threats and shifting alliances to develop a line which effectively tapped business from its rivals, including the GWR. The combative nature of the Barry Railway was part of its DNA and conflict inevitably continued with one or another of its competitors, especially the Taff Vale, for most of its relatively short existence of less than 40 years to 1922.
The Barry both faced and provided stiff competition, which turned it into an efficient and effective business. This is a story which Barrie is well placed to relate and is a strength of the book. Sadly the other aspects of its fascinating story such as ambitious civil engineering exploits and innovative practices receive much less attention.
In Summary
D.S.M. Barrie was an acknowledged expert in South Wales railway history and he tells the story of the origins of the Barry Railway and its ultra competitive nature in a compelling way. But the operational and engineering aspects are somewhat superficially covered. Still well worth reading 60 years after its publication.
The Good
- The compelling story of The Barry’s struggles to first build and then develop a highly profitable railway and dock complex
- The book is well written in a readable and engaging style
- Authoritative
The Not So Good
- The pictures are of a lower quality than may be expected from a modern book
- Some interesting characteristics of the Barry’s operational and civil engineering work are not well covered
- No index
About the Author
Derek Barrie was a former Fleet Street journalist brought into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1932 to organize public relations and publicity Amongst his extensive writings, He was the Author of several Oakwood Press histories of railways in South Wales. Subsequently he rose to become the General Manager of the Eastern Region.
Related reviews
Rails to Prosperity: The Barry and After (1884 to 1984) by Brian J. Miller
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 Ocean Coal Company and ‘The Barry’ by Leslie M. Shore
Top Sawyer: A Biography of David Davies of Llandinam by Ivor Thomas