A BRIEF HISTORY
(1816 - 2005)

The Swansea Vale Railway, situated in the Lower Swansea Valley, is a relic of the industrial revolution. Its origins lie in 1816 when Scott's Tram road was constructed to transport coal from Scott's Pit, near Birchgrove, to wharves on the River Tawe nearly four miles to the South. The engine house of Scott's Pit (pictured left), can still be seen next to the M4 between junctions 44 and 45.

THE TRAMROAD

The Tram road was essentially a road of cast iron plates on stone sleeper blocks.  Motive power was provided by Horses and Oxen, although from 1819 there is evidence that a George Stephenson Locomotive was employed from time to time.
The Tram road eventually passed into the hands of Charles Henry Smith, a local Colliery owner, who used his own steam locomotives on the line, which would normally be used at his Loco Works in Llansamlet.

THE SWANSEA VALE RAILWAY COMPANY

In 1845 the Swansea Vale Railway Company
(whose original seal pictured left), of which Smith became a Director, was formed to rebuild the line as a 'modern railway', and extend it north into the Swansea Valley, to serve new collieries and metal works, and south to the developing port of Swansea, which by this time was experiencing an increase in trade.

By agreement with the Broad Gauge South Wales Railway, which was
also being constructed at the time (now the Swansea to Paddington main line), a junction to the main line was provided in 1852, where the two lines crossed at Six Pit (named after a local colliery that had six pits), and the standard gauge SVR which was dual gauged from Six Pit to Swansea Harbour.

ACT OF PARLIAMENT

1855, by Act of Parliament, the SVR Company gained the necessary powers to purchase land to construct the railway north of Pontardawe.
1860, passenger services commence from Swansea's St Thomas Station to Pontardawe, with intermediate stations at Llansamlet and Glais.

The Company had by now acquired it's own locomotives and carriages, built from new in Birmingham. The line was steadily extended North to Ystalyfera and Ystradgynlais and eventually to Brynamman by 1868.

In 1874,The Midland Railway Company arrived on the scene, leased the railway, and eventually purchased the line outright in 1878. They were keen to get access to Swansea Docks, and linked up with the
Neath and Brecon Railway to make that possible.
Engine sheds were built at Upper Bank and Gurnos, Upper Bank had by now become a junction, with the construction of the Morriston Branch loop,
joining the SVR main line again at Glais. Passenger services
henceforth traveled along this route, running via Morriston
and the Upper Bank to Glais section of the SVR This section was finally closed to passengers by 1876 (part of which is now the pre-Morriston branch).

The SVR line was 'Midlandised', and through passenger services were introduced to Brecon, Hereford and Birmingham.

The heyday of the railway had now started , carrying large amounts of goods, raw materials and passengers. However by the time the Midland Railway became part of the LMS in 1922, the decline had begun, passengers services to Brecon being withdrawn in 1931.

By 1950, two years after nationalization, the last passenger services were withdrawn (Swansea to Brynamman), and a gradual complete closure ensued during the 1960's, so that by 1985 all that remained of the Swansea Vale Railway was the section preserved by the SVR Society.

Today, more than 190 years after Scott's Tram road was constructed, approximately 2 miles of track has been refurbished with a mile usable between Nantyfin Road Station ( Six Pit Station) and Cwm Crossing, with the remaining mile being relaid into the Upper Bank Station in the near future once again the sight and sound of Steam is part of the Swansea Valley, and is a nostalgic reminder of this once busy and Historic railway.