brian.p.mills
bpm01941
On the former Halls Road Branch between Lime Kiln Junction and Penar Junction, this is the east portal of the 230-yard Penar tunnel (official railway spelling). Its portals are located at rail mileages of 4M-42chains and 4miles-53chains. For a short period, rationalisation meant putting the branch into mothball and following the closure of the Neath & Pontypool Rd line, coal traffic from Oakdale colliery down to Newport was diverted from Penar Junction (ahead) to Pontllanfraith Low Level and down valley to Nine Mile point and beyond to Newport. This meant a run-around of the loco at Penar Junction but with the ultimate closure of the former LMS line to Nine Mile point, the mothballed Halls Rd branch was brought back into use but finally closed after 1989 and all track was removed. My BR(WR) record of 28th July 1963 is seen here. Note that the aerial telegraph rig is terminated at the pole and thence cabled through the tunnel to be re-established to aerial route at the west end. (On zooming in, Penar Jct signal box can be seen through the bore).
bpm01941
On the former Halls Road Branch between Lime Kiln Junction and Penar Junction, this is the east portal of the 230-yard Penar tunnel (official railway spelling). Its portals are located at rail mileages of 4M-42chains and 4miles-53chains. For a short period, rationalisation meant putting the branch into mothball and following the closure of the Neath & Pontypool Rd line, coal traffic from Oakdale colliery down to Newport was diverted from Penar Junction (ahead) to Pontllanfraith Low Level and down valley to Nine Mile point and beyond to Newport. This meant a run-around of the loco at Penar Junction but with the ultimate closure of the former LMS line to Nine Mile point, the mothballed Halls Rd branch was brought back into use but finally closed after 1989 and all track was removed. My BR(WR) record of 28th July 1963 is seen here. Note that the aerial telegraph rig is terminated at the pole and thence cabled through the tunnel to be re-established to aerial route at the west end. (On zooming in, Penar Jct signal box can be seen through the bore).