Edwardsville Viaducts

Edwardsville Viaducts

Photographs courtesy of Andrew Quick

<click on the image to enlarge>

In the 1st picture can be seen 2 viaducts. The nearest one was built by the

G W R in 1864 .At the same time it also built a tunnel that went through

the mountain and into the Aberdare valley. This enabled trains to run

between Neath, through Hirwaun down through Mountain Ash into the Taff

valley across to Nelson and on to Pontypool eventually reaching the Midlands

and the North.

In the late 50s a friend of ours caught a train (that started out at

Swansea) at Quakersyard High Level to Manchester.

The viaduct furthest away was built much later in 1886 when the GWR and

Rhymney Railway formed a partnership to lay a new railway up to Merthyr on

the west side of the Taff. It was much larger (200 mtrs) than the other

viaducts at Quakersyard.The A470 follows much of its course up to Merthyr.

Both these viaducts were affected by the underground movements of the coal

workings of Deep Navigation Pit in Treharris, which travelled in a westerly

direction . In fact to this day there are still subsidence issues in

Edwardsville . Both viaducts had timber reinforcements in their arches to

make them safe . By the 1950s the newer viaduct became unsafe and the

railway was closed.

Trains stopped running over the older viaduct in 1962 and in 1969 both were

demolished .

This shows the team of men that installed the wooden supports. middle row second from the right is Andrew's

grandfather Evan John Evans of Buarthglas, Pontygwaith, next to him on the right is David John Squires of

Pont-y-dderwen Farm which can be seen in the foreground of Pic 5.

The supports that were required to strengthen the viaducts against subsidence.

Pont-y-dderwen Farm in foreground.

The Viaduct with the supports fitted, note the Penydarren Tramroad in the Front Right, the

sleepers can be seen clearly if you enlarge the photograph.

The following two photographs were taken by Andrews father

shortly before the viaducts were demolished.

Demolition of the joint GWR-RR Viaduct - 1969.


To	To	To
Quakers Yard High Level Station	Map Page	Quakers Yard