Colin Chapman’s final book, The Pontypridd, Caerphilly & Newport Railway, is being published posthumously, some 15 years after the death of the author, who prior to that had compiled several railway titles for The Oakwood Press. The unpublished manuscript was passed to the Welsh Railways Research Circle, who have assisted in preparing it for publication.
Prior to Grouping, South Wales was awash with local railway companies, one of which was the Pontypridd, Caerphilly & Newport Railway. The PC&NR was constructed to transport coal mined in the Aberdare and Rhondda valleys directly to the Alexandra Docks at Newport. Initially it was an independent concern comprising about seven and a half miles of main line railway, but later it was absorbed by the Alexandra (Newport & South Wales) Docks and Railway, so the development of this concern is also examined to some extent. The early chapters of the book deal with the usual themes of early schemes, promotion, construction and opening as an independent railway. Then, the story moves on to the period when the railway was under the management of The Alexandra business. Chapter six covers Grouping to closure and chapter seven, entitled ‘Along the Lines’, describes the route and its features. ‘Locomotive and Train Working’ is the penultimate chapter and finally ‘Postscript’ looks at what now remains.
67 black & white photographs, 13 maps and diagrams. 160 pages.