The Taff Vale Railway Company, a brief decsription.

Taff Vale

Of all the pre-Grouping railway companies, the TVR is probably one of the better known to the lay person with any knowledge of Economic History. It was authorised in 1836, and opened a line from Cardiff to Merthyr in 1841, extending out to Treherbert and Aberdare a few years later. This little 'valleys' railway eventually had 124 route miles and nearly 300 locomotives. Vast quantities of Welsh coal was transported to the docks at Cardiff and, as a result, the TVR paid, at one time, dividends approach­ing 20%, an enormous amount for the Victorian era. This was, surely, one of the jewels in the crowning glory of the British industrial revolution.

The TVR was in fierce competition with its many rivals, opening a line to Swansea in 1890 and, unsuc­cessfully, trying to reach Newport. Such was its prof­itability, that in 1894 the TVR introduced non-contrib­utory pensions for employees with 25 years service, unheard of generosity for the time. However, follow­ing a ten day strike in 1900, over recognition of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, during which the TVR used scab labour, the company claimed £23,000 compensation from the union: at that time the average manual worker received slightly less than £50 per year in wages. This was upheld a year later at the infamous 'Taff Vale Judgement', which effectively robbed unions and workers of the right to strike, until reversed several years later by the Liberal government. The past Tory governments have done their best to reverse the position once again and the present and past New Labour governments continues the policies of anti-unionism.

Despite its somewhat colourful history, the daily work of the TVR was lacking in glamour. Short dis­tance passenger trains vied with an endless run of coal trains for track space, against the suitably drab back-cloth of industrial Wales. T. H. Hurry-Riches was the Locomotive Superintendent charged with providing the motive power for this diet of traffic, between 1873 and 1910. In the main, this warranted a large number of tank engines and a variety of 0-6-0 tender engines. Many were fine locomotives, and played their part in the profitability of the company by leading suitably lengthy lives; who could ask for more? Hurry-Riches went on to become the President of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers for 1906-7, an honour amply justified by his sturdy, reliable, no-nonsense designs.

As with the other 'Welsh valleys' railways, the TVR operations were run as a strictly 'no frills' affair. After the events of 1900, the TVR could not even boast of being a 'happy family', as could its rivals, but it retained the position of 'top dog' in the 'valleys'. There were other compensations as well. Shareholders of the GWR may well have basked in the reflected glory of that company's achievements, but those of the TVR had a far better financial return on their invest­ment. On purely business grounds, which is an impor­tant yard-stick by which to judge a company, the TVR succeeded better than any other railway in Britain. However, for all its commercial success, the TVR is best remembered for the way it acted during a ten day period; history can be unforgiving at times.

Click on image to enlarge.

This delightfully quaint looking I class 4-4-OT, No.68, built at Cardiff in 1884, stands among the typical debris of a steam shed, at Cardiff Cathays. They had 16in x 24in cylinders, 140psi boiler pressure and 5ft Sin driving wheels, and originally had half cabs. As befits their ornate external appearance, these were used on the passenger services, and were later fitted for push-pull working. All three engines were passed onto the GWR, but were withdrawn by 1925.
The TVR was predomi­nantly a mineral railway, and although tank engines later dominated the scene, 0-6-Os were widely used during the last century. Typical of the earlier vari­eties of this type of engine is No. 252, dating from cl860, having 16in x 24in cylinders and 140psi boiler pressure. It stands on the shed roads at Cardiff Cathays still shin­ing, despite its age.
This broadside picture of K class No. 58, again at Cardiff Cathays, shows the weather shield on the tender to protect crews when run­ning tender first, a regular occurrence on the TVR. Altogether there were 85 of these locomotives, several of which passed on to the GWR, with the last being withdrawn in 1930.
A posse of railway workers gather around Taff Vale Railway K class 0-6-0 No, 3, as it stands at Cardiff Cathays shed. Designed by Hurry-Riches, and built at Kitsons and TVR own works, between 1874 and 1889, they started life as the L class, being rebuilt from cl889. They had 17'/2in x 26in cylinders, 140psi boiler pressure, 4ft 6'hin wheels, 17,380lbs T.E. and weighed 36'/2 tons, ideal for the min­eral trains they hauled.
Third class 0-2-2 steam rail-car No. 11, built by Kerr, Stuart & Co. at Stoke-on-Trent in 1905, awaits its next duty at Cardiff. These were introduced on the Cardiff-Cadoxton services in 1903, and were quite suc­cessful. Nevertheless, the fluctuating nature of South Wales passenger traffic was not really suited to the restricted loading of these trains, and they were not widely used.
This view of Pontypridd captures the atmosphere of the Welsh 'valleys' in their heyday. Pontypridd was one of the busiest stations in South Wales, perhaps the busiest, although most of the traffic was generated by the then extensive coal industry. A passenger train enters the station, hauled by one of the ubiquitous tank engines, amidst typical 'valleys' scenery.
Perhaps the most interesting of this series of photo­graphs taken at Cardiff Cathays, shows the crew of Ul class No. 197, built at the Vulcan Foundry in 1896, busily preparing the engine for its next duties. Of particular interest is the array of oil cans, used to lubricate all the necessary parts of a steam engine. These 0-6-2Ts had 17'hin x 26in cylinders, 160psi boiler pressure, 5ft Sin driving wheels, 17,190lbs T.E. and weighed 63 tons, and were used on both passenger and coal trains. In 1921, 150 out of 271 TVR engines were 0-6-2Ts, but wholesale scrapping soon began, once the GWR had decided on a standardised replacement for all the Welsh 'valleys' companies' engines.
The crew of the almost brand new O3 class 0-6-2T No. 55, built at the Vulcan Foundry in 1905, have a quick pose for the camera while waiting at Cardiff Cathay s. These had 1 Thin x 26in cylinders, 160psi boiler pressure, 4ft 6in dri­ving wheels, 19,870lbs T.E. and weighed 63 tons, mak­ing them ideal engines to haul the endless stream of coal trains on the TVR.
The six engines in Hurry-Riches C class were the first inside cylinder 4-4-2Ts built in Britain. No. 171, built at the Vulcan Foundry in 1888, rests in another view at Cardiff Cathay s. Having 17J/2in x 26in cylinders, 160psi boiler pressure, 5ft 3in driving wheels, 17,195lbs T.E. and weigh­ing 54 tons, they were used for the 'valleys' passenger services and, compared with the I class, were an altogether more purposeful looking engine. They were all scrapped 1925-7.