IRSE Sept 08.indd

TAFF VALE
End of an Era
on the Taff
by Jim Gibson
Signal Maintenance Engineer
Network Rail, Cardiff
IRSE
The terrain behind Cardiff, the capital City of Wales, consists of a number of
parallel north-south valleys rising up to the Brecon Beacons. The whole area
is known locally as ‘The Valleys’. In the 1800s vast coal deposits were
discovered and many mines were built, requiring an extremely complex
network of railways to carry the coal down from the valleys to the Port at
Cardiff. In its heyday, 11 million tons of coal per year were transported down
to the Port by these lines.
Since the Second World War the mining effort wound down and today
there are no working mines in existence. Many of the lines closed, but over
the years a number have been up-graded to provide an efficient passenger
service into Cardiff. The latest to have this treatment are the lines to
Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil.
Abercynon Signal Box (left) took over control
of Stormstown Signal Box area in 1977 with
an OCS system affectionately known as
“Arthur Salters Olympic Scoreboard”
named after the main S & T tester (below)
With the commissioning of the new Abercynon Signal Box in May 2008, the
last Mechanical Signal Box on the Cardiff to Merthyr line has been
replaced. The line from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil is the oldest in the Cardiff
Valleys and had in the pre-Beeching days, 32 Manual Signal Boxes. After
years of stagnation, rationalisation and singling of lines, the railways
started to expand the train service with injection of money from the local
councils. With the greater number of passengers and the increased
service in the Cardiff area, the expansion started. The Treherbert line had
been singled from Porth to Treherbert, which restricted any increase in
service timetables. The provision of a passing loop at Ystrad Rhondda
made ½ hourly services possible. The passenger network was trialled
onto freight only lines on the Aberdare line & City lines in Cardiff which
proved to be a very successful project.
Radyr was the first major Re-signalling scheme in the valleys required
for the expanding services replacing life expired Signal Boxes. The boxes
replaced were Llandaff, Radyr Junction, Radyr Quarry, Walnut Tree,
Maesmawr, Pontypridd and Porth, thus leaving Abercynon the only
remaining Semaphore signalling with Great Western Lower Quadrant
mechanical signals in the Taff valley.
The Stormstown Interlocking is direct wired using
54-pair telecom cable drawn to Western E10k. There
were also two token systems, one working to Black Lion
Signal Box on the Merthyr line and the other to
Abercomboi Signal Box on the Aberdare line.
It also controlled the Ynysbwl branch by Train Staff
working with a plunger in the Signal Box sounding a Klaxon
to draw the shunter’s attention to an approaching train.
Abercynon Signal Box History last century
The Signal box itself had a chequered history starting off its life in
Birmingham Moor Street. It was there from 1909 to 1913, and was then
at Foxhall Junction, Didcot until 1931 it finally moved to Abercynon in
1932. The frame was originally 93 levers reducing to 34 after lines were
singled and rationalisation had taken place in the Abercynon area.
The Signal Box took over control of Stormstown Signal Box area in
1977 with an OCS system affectionately known as “Arthur Salters Olympic
Scoreboard” named after the main S & T tester.
16
Issue 137 September 2008
IRSE
NEWS