Transport in the South Wales Valleys

Until the Industrial Revolution, most people travelled around the country by foot or by horse. During the 18th century many tonnes of raw materials and goods were being transported using tramways – horse drawn wagons which ran on simple guide rails. However, such was the increase in production and market demands that new solutions needed to be found.

The first solution to the problem was the development of the canal system - a series of inland waterways linking the manufacturing hot spots with the ports. These supported large barges that could carry much greater loads that horse drawn wagons. The canal age arrived in South Wales at the end of the 18th century, and the vast network included the Glamorgan Canal (1794), Neath Canal Mainline (1795) and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (1797).

Often sections of canal were owned by individual companies, and they would charge competitors huge sums of money to use them. This led one ironmaster, Samuel Homfray of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil to seek out another solution. He employed a Cornish engineer, Richard Trevithick, to build some static pumping engines. It soon became apparent that Trevithick was experimenting with moving steam engines (locomotives) and Homfray hoped that such a locomotive might be the answer that he was looking for. Thanks to his backing, in February 1804 Trevithick’s Penydarren Locomotive travelled a distance of 9.5 miles down a tramroad between Merthyr and Abercynon. This is widely acknowledged as the first real train journey in the world.

Other pioneers also worked in Wales including Isambard Kingdom Brunel who built numerous railways, bridges and stations. Within 50 years the UK was criss-crossed with railways, and rails manafactured in South Wales were being exported around the world, supporting the creation of rail networks in countries such as the USA and Russia. The technological advances in steam power also improved shipping and made the export of goods much easier.

The coal produced in South Wales was acknowledged as being amongst the finest steam coal in the world, and this ensured that the area stayed at the epicentre of industrialisation. With the huge output of first the iron industry and then the coal trade, great ports grew up around the coastal belt of Southern Wales including Cardiff, Newport, Barry, Swansea, and Llanelli.

Now many of the former tramways, railways and even canals have been converted to footpaths and cycleways - allowing you to explore the area and discover some of the amazing built heritage that still remains.

Key Sites to Visit

• Brecon Mountain Railway
• Bryn Oer Tramroad, Tredegar
• Taff Trail
• Cardiff Bay, Pierhead building and Coal Exchange
• Fourteen Locks Canal Centre, Newport
• Goytre Wharf, Mamhilad
• Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
• Newport Transporter Bridge
• Griffithstown Railway Museum
• Gwili Steam Railway, Nr Carmarthen
• Llanfoist Wharf near Abergavenny
• Millennium Coastal Path, Discovery Centre, Llanelli
• Swansea Canal
• Neath and Tennant Canal
• National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
• Swansea Museum – Tram Shed
• Trevithick’s Tunnel and Trail, Merthyr Tydfil
•  Cynon Valley Museum,
• Brynmawr Museum