Taff Vale Railway

Taff Vale Railway

Overview
Headquarters	Queen Street, Cardiff (Workshops: West Yard, Butetown, Cathays)
Reporting mark	TV
Locale	South Wales
Dates of operation	1840 (1840)–1921 (1921)
Successor	Great Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Length	124 miles 42 chains (200.4 km) (1919)[1]
Track length	403 miles 41+1⁄2 chains (649.40 km) (1919)[1]
Route map Legend Cyfartha Iron Works Brecon and Merthyr Railway to Brecon Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Plymouth Street to Dowlais Ironworks Pentre-bach Rhymney Railway to Merthyr Troed-y-rhiw Quakers Yard & Merthyr Jt Rly to Aberdare Merthyr Vale Quakers Yard Low Level │ High Level Rhondda Fawr Collieries Rhymney Railway to Nelson Rhondda & Swansea Bay Rly to Neath and Swansea Maerdy Colliery Maerdy Treherbert Ferndale Ynyswen Tylorstown Treorchy Pontygwaith Halt Pentre Platform Wattstown Platform Ton Pentre Ynyshir Ystrad Rhondda Taff Valley Collieries and Tower Colliery Gelli Platform Aberdare Llwynypia Cwmbach Tonypandy Fernhill Dinas Rhondda Mountain Ash Pandy Rhondda Fach Junction Penrhiwceiber Porth (1st station) Matthewstown Halt Porth Pontycynon Halt Hafod Abercynon North Aerw Valley Industrial Railway Trehafod Abercynon South Barry Railway Company to Barry Berw Road Halt Gyfeillon Platform Llancaiach Branch Pontypridd Stormstown sidings Pontypridd, Caerphilly & Newport Rly to Caerphilly Treforest Llantrisant & Taff Vale Jn Rly to Llantrisant Maesmawr Treforest Estate Taffs Well Rhymney Railway to Caerphilly Penarth Harbour & Dock Rly to Penarth │ to Rhymney Radyr Radyr Junction Penarth Harbour & Dock Rly Llandaff Rhymney Railway to Cardiff Cathays depot Carriage & Wagon works Maindy Halt Woodville Road Halt Cathays Rhymney Railway to Caerphilly Cardiff Queen Street South Wales Railway to Newport and London Cardiff Central Bute Street Queen Alexandra Dock P & A Campbell ferries Barry Junction Railway to Barry Cardiff Canton TMD Ninian Park Penarth Harbour & Dock Rly to Taffs Well South Wales Railway to Swansea

The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stages in 1840 and 1841.

In the railway's first years, the coal mining industries expanded considerably and branches were soon opened in the Rhondda valleys and the Cynon Valley. The conveyance of coal for export and for transport away from South Wales began to dominate and the docks in Cardiff and the approach railway became extremely congested. Alternatives were sought and competing railway companies were encouraged to enter the trade.

In the following decades further branch lines were built and the TVR used "motor cars" (steam railway passenger coaches) from 1903 to encourage local passenger travel.

From 1922 the TVR was a constituent of the new Great Western Railway (GWR) at the grouping of the railways, imposing its own character on the larger organisation. The decline in the coal and iron industries took its toll on the mainstay of the network, but passenger trains still operate on most of the main line sections.