Bryn Oer Tramway
| Bryn Oer Tramway | |
|---|---|
 Memorial stone
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.jpg) Replica of a tram car
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| Route length: | 13 km |
| Gauge : | 1067 mm ( cape track ) |
The Bryn Oer Tramway or Brinore Tramroad was a 13 km horse-drawn narrow-gauge railway with a track width of 3 feet 6 inches (1067 mm) in South Wales , which opened the 1815th
history
A parliamentary resolution of 1793 approved the construction of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal and up to 8 miles (13 km) long branch lines. On this legal basis, the Bryn Oer Tramway was built in 1814 and opened in 1815. It was a horse - drawn railway called Plateway with cast-iron L-shaped rails that served the coal mines of Bryn Oer and the limestone quarries of Trefil . From there it overcame a slope of 330 m to the canal port at Talybont-on-Usk . The iron foundry in the Rhymney Valley could be reached via a later extension .
In the 1830s, local railways pulled by steam locomotives began to compete with the tramway, whose brittle rails were unsuitable for the heavy steam locomotives. By 1860, most of the traffic was already being handled by railways and the tramway was therefore closed in 1865.
Current condition
In 2006, the route was mostly used as a public hiking trail and in places as a public riding and mountain bike trail. In some places there are still stone sleepers.
The Brinore Tramroad Conservation Forum was established to preserve the historical remains of this important railway line to Welsh industrial archeology . In it, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Forestry Commission , Tredegar Town Council, the local councils of Talybont and Llangynidr cooperate with the Llangynidr Historical Society and private individuals.
literature
- Narrow Gauge Railway Museum article on the Bryn Oer Tramway .
- Brinore Tramroad Conservation Forum article on the origins of the tramway .
See also
- Penrhyn Quarry Railway Welsh industrial tramway
