Standing as a now as an sculptural exhibit is this Boulton and Watt beam engine, built in 1817 and used in Netherton at the ironworks of M. W. Grazebrook. The function of the engine when in use was as a blowing engine rather than the more usual pumping engine to be found at work keeping coal mines dry or canals supplied with water. The engine is located in the centre of a traffic island at Dartmouth Circus in Birmingham.
Climbing from Aston 4244 a Volvo B7TL with Alexander ALX400 body is at work on the 65 route.
Copyright Geoff Dowling; all rights reserved
Tags: Beam engine Dartmouth Circus Grazebrook Boulton & Watt Volvo Alexander
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This is Southend on the "new" part of the Mumbles Railway, it shows car 12 heading towards Swansea, the car is moving away from Peter as no driver can be seen. The cars help to date the picture, nearest the camera is a lovely Austin Somerset pick up with a top cover added, beyond the building is a Sunbeam sports car, a Morris Minor and a Ford Prefect.
As far as I can tell Peter made one visit to the Railway, took 1 colour slide and 5 33mm square monochrome negatives.
Stations on the railway carried the place name and the designation "Mumbles Rly" it is usually referred to as the Swansea and Mumbles Railway. The line had 7 official stations they were:
Swansea Rutland Street
St Helens (know unofficially as "The slip")
Brynmill
Ashleigh Road
Llanelly Railway (Unofficial according to Bradshaw 1929)
Blackpill
West Cross
Norton Road
Oystermouth
Southend
Mumbles Pier. (The nameboard simply read "Pier")
The line had a long history starting at a point when the British Parliament approved the laying of a railway line between Swansea & Oystermouth for the transportation of quarried materials to and from Swansea canal. Approval was given to carry passengers in February 1807, Passengers were carried from 25th March 1807 thus it has the claim to being the first passenger carrying railway in the world with the service between Swansea and Oystermouth.
Early horse drawn vehicles gave way to steam haulage in 1877, the line was extended to Southend in 1893 and the remainder, including Mumbles Pier, in 1898. The railway celebrated its centenary in 1904.
The electrification period for the railway began in 1928 when it was electrified at 650 volts DC, full electric services began on March 2nd 1929. That service used eleven double-deck cars built by Brush of Loughborough, each could seat 106 passengers, they frequently operated in pairs giving a seating capacity of 212 passengers. Later two more cars were built and added to the fleet.
The end came in a not unfamiliar way...In 1958 the South Wales Transport Company (the principal bus operator in the Swansea town area) purchased the two old owning companies of the railway (the Swansea & Mumbles Railway Ltd and the Mumbles Railway & Pier Company), having previously been the lessee in succession to the Swansea Impovements & Tramways Company since the 1930's, and the following year went to Parliament with an Abandonment Bill. Despite vociferous local opposition the Bill became law as the South Wales Transport Act (1959)
The railway closed in two stages, the "new" section from Southend to the Pier was closed on October 11th 1959. Then at 11.52 on Tuesday January 5th 1960 a last special train carrying local dignitaries left Swansea for Mumbles driven by Frank Dukin, who had worked on the railway since 1907.
The above is a precis of a long article taken from Wikipedia. Ordinarily I would have gone to a library for a book about the Mumbles Railway but at the moment all are closed.
Peter Shoesmith Circa 1957
Copyright Geoff Dowling & John Whitehouse: All rights reserved
Tags: Car 12 Southend Mumbles Railway Austin Sunbeam Ford Morris
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Reflected in a grubby puddle is Hollywood Travel WIJ 1115. The coach was originally S620 VAY, owned by Paterson of Trench Lock, it is a MAN 24.400 with Noge C49F body.
The coach, and its newer sister are parked in Church Road Shirley.
Copyright Geoff Dowling; all rights reserved
Tags: Hollywood Travel WIJ1115 MAN Noge Church Road Shirley
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Y32 HWB is a Dennis Trident with Alexander ALX 400H43/20D body, new to Connex in April 2001, it passed on to Travel London and Abellio before becoming Green Bus 109. It is working a Maypole bound service at Digbeth High Street, the bus is calling at the stop near the listed building that belonged to G Makepeace. This was the former Makepeace clothing Mart (1913) designed by architect James Patchett.
Copyright Geoff Dowling; all rights reserved
Tags: G Makepeace Dennis Alexander Green Bus Y32 HWB
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