This book provides a photographic record of South Wales railways, including their time as one of the most complex networks in the world transporting coal from the myriad of mines to the various docks, and supplying raw materials for the iron and steel industry.

Published in October 2022, this hardback book from publisher Pen & Sword and written by Stuart Davies, measures around 21.59 cm x 27.94 cm, has 144 pages, and 267 colour and black-and-white photographs, maps, and illustrations.

It has a published price of £30, but Pen & Sword has it available for £27 and at the time of writing it can be obtained from Amazon for £21.75.

Although the Great Western was the predominant railway company in South Wales, the London & North Western, and the Midland Railway both had a presence as well as over a dozen indigenous companies that were later absorbed by the Great Western.

Dozens of books about railways appear on the shelves of bookshops every year. At first sight, I thought South Wales Railway Gallery was another such book, with the word gallery suggesting another endless collection of photographs of trains or their locomotives in similar situations but at different stations.

Happily, I was wrong, as this volume is a gem with a variety of photographs – one of the best I have seen in a long time.

Within this book, Stuart Davies has captured many of the different types of traffic, operating practices, and locomotive types that were to be found in South Wales.

Although coal traffic features largely it doesn’t predominate, as many passenger services are illustrated along with other railway subjects that provide a flavour of what the railways of South Wales had to offer. Well-written extensive captions provide comprehensive details to supplement the photographs.

The photographs below are remarkable for showing just how important coal was to the economy of South Wales railways used to be, with sidings crammed full of wagons loaded with coal from different collieries, each with their owners’ names emblazoned on their sides.

Cadoxton on the left was the location of sidings for Barry Docks, from where an incredible 11 million tons of coal was exported in 1913.

The extremes of unloading coal are seen in the photos on the left below, where at the top-left a 10-ton wagon is unloaded manually, whilst the bottom photo shows an electric conveyor used for loading coal into ships.

At the top-right, the remains of a locomotive lie in a wooded valley after it became derailed and fell off a viaduct. Although looking as if it had met its last days, within a few months the locomotive had been recovered, repaired, and was again hauling trains.

Coal exports were such big business in the 19th century that from 1841 to 1910 two new docks opened every decade, with the Great Western Railway being among the major owners.

However, as larger ships became the norm, some of the docks couldn’t handle them, such as Porthcawl seen at the top below, which closed in 1895.

With narrow valleys being such a feature of the South Wales terrain, it was inevitable that imposing viaducts would be required to enable railways to avoid circuitous routes. One such viaduct seen at the bottom right was at Crumlin and, until it was demolished, was the highest viaduct in Britain.

To illustrate that South Wales railways were more than just coal and shipping, the pastoral scenes below provide a good contrast.

On the left, a train of ammonia tanks is pictured among the Brecon Beacons on the last stage of its journey from County Durham. Nothing could better depict the ruralness of this part of South Wales than the photo at the top right of a cow ambling along the platform at Talybont-on-Usk station.

Throughout the book, the author has paid great thought to include photographs of the railway’s infrastructure as well as trains.

Such scenes are seen in the photos on the left below, showing the London & North Western Railway station at Nantybwch at the top, and an industrial scene at Ebbw Vale at the bottom.

On the right is one of several maps throughout the book that the author has thoughtfully included to illustrate the complexity of lines that were a feature of many places throughout South Wales.

The book also has photographs of trams as seen on the left below, which make one wonder what they are doing in a book on railways. However, these belong to the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, which was the world’s first fare-paying railway.

The carriages were originally hauled by horses until steam replaced them before the system was converted to electric power, using the largest tram cars ever built for service in Britain.

At the top right below is one of many rare photographs in the book, this one illustrating Swansea Riverside Station, which closed in 1930.

From views of pumping engines in the pumping house that keeps the Severn Tunnel clear of water, to a photograph of Ebbw Junction engine shed in Newport when it was brand new in 1915 and not a locomotive in sight, to a photograph of a locomotive that has fallen into a ravine, this book stands out above the dozens of other railway books that fill the shelves of booksellers.

It is enhanced by well-researched and well-written captions that provide more than just basic information about the trains, locomotives and locations.

My only criticism is that many of the photographs are lacking in contrast, and would have benefitted from editing in a programme such as Photoshop before publication.

Other than that, South Wales Railways Gallery is an excellent read, reproduction is to a high standard, and well worth every penny. Very highly recommended

The book is available to purchase from Amazon and Pen & Sword.

We would like to thank Pen & Sword for providing RailAdvent with a copy of the book for review.