Toggle navigation
News
Latest
Queries
Articles
Slideshows
On this day
Locations
Companies
Contributors
Maps
Slideshows
On this day
Locations
Companies
Maps
More
Queries
Articles
Slideshows
On this day
Locations
Companies
Contributors
Maps
Brynmawr And Blaenavon Railway
All photographs of this railway in date order.
![Varteg station near Blaenavon in July 1977, approximately 36 years after losing its passenger service.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore /07/1977]](/images/38000/38892.jpg "Varteg")
![Bagnall 0-6-0PT 'Brookfield' in action on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway in May 1991.<br><br>[Peter Todd 19/05/1991]](/images/27000/27060.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![A photograph showing Bagnall 0-6-0T <I>Brookfield</I> in action on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway in May 1991.<br><br>[Peter Todd 19/05/1991]](/images/49000/49509.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![The Blaenavon Express: the P&B used to have only one operating steam engine, with BROOKFIELD emblazoned on its tanks IIRC. It is pushing its single coach up to the later location of Whistle Inn halt in September 1991. The 'landscaped' background looks distinctly bleak; as viewers of the TV programme 'Time Team' will know, it contains a buried viaduct.<br><br>[Ken Strachan /09/1991]](/images/25000/25714.jpg "Whistle Inn")
![The current motive power on this short preserved line is Devonport Dockyard saddle tank no. 19. You can almost feel every piston stroke on the steep climb to Whistle Inn.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 25/05/2009]](/images/25000/25766.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![These saddle tanks are stabled next to the Big Pit mining museum, where one can go underground into the old pit (easiest for those under 4'10'!). One engine has a concealed speaker playing 'loose coupled shunting' noises - rather eerie.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 25/05/2009]](/images/25000/25768.jpg "Blaenavon (Big Pit museum)")
![I couldn't quite hear what the fireman was saying. It might have been 'another 50 tea bags should do it, drive'; or it could have been 'Shut up about Beeching and McGregor and I'll let you out again'...<br><br>[Ken Strachan 25/05/2009]](/images/25000/25784.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![It's nice to have two steam trains stabled adjacent to the Big Pit museum. But by the state of the track in the foreground and the wagon on the right, the volunteers will be busy for years yet.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 25/05/2009]](/images/25000/25792.jpg "Blaenavon (Big Pit museum)")
![New station sign at Blaenavon High Level on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway - and the reason it is known as 'the High' station. May 2010.<br><br>[Peter Todd 27/05/2010]](/images/29000/29147.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![Ex-BR class 08 shunter no D4157 on sleeper recovery duty, photographed at Blaenavon High Level station on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway on 27 May 2010.<br>
<br><br>[Peter Todd 27/05/2010]](/images/29000/29154.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway has recently restored operations to Blaenavon High Level station. This is the last (16.40) service to Furnace Sidings on 20 April passing the Big Pit mining museum [see image 25792]. It's a short run, but a steep gradient; so the sound effects are excellent.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 20/04/2014]](/images/47000/47060.jpg "Blaenavon")
![Imagine that you are a miner, about to go underground. This view of a saddle tank and wagons from the window could be the last daylight view you see for eight hours or more. Hope you like trains.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 20/04/2014]](/images/47000/47228.jpg "Blaenavon (Big Pit museum)")
![Not every preserved railway has doubled its number of stations in the last year or two. This recently-built halt is visible from Big Pit museum, making it harder for visitors to the former coal mine to be ignorant of the steam railways existence. Having said that, services from Furnace Sidings to this platform are usually diesel powered, whereas the main line service from Whistle Inn to Blaenavon High Level is normally steam - hauled [see image 47060]. This is similar to the dual services from Lydney Junction to Norchard and Parkend on the Dean Forest Railway.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 20/04/2014]](/images/48000/48666.jpg "Blaenavon Big Pit")
![A short walk South from Blaenavon High Level station gives you a choice: steadily down to Newport, or up a once-notorious 1 in 22 to Varteg Hill colliery. This is where the colliery line crossed the B4246 Varteg Road, between Blaenavon and Abersychan. The steep rise of the Eastern Valley is shown by the view of the Mendip Hills above the approaching cars - the Mendips are 40 miles away, across the Bristol Channel. View looks South.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 24/08/2014]](/images/48000/48608.jpg "Varteg Hill Colliery")
![A plastic dragon and a collection of slag heaps - we could, perhaps, be West of the Severn. 'Mechanical Navvies Limited' prepares to take the 3pm down train away from Whistle Inn halt in August 2014. There is a tramway tunnel under the hill in the background.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 24/08/2014]](/images/48000/48973.jpg "Blaenavon")
![Barclay 0-4-0STs <I>Rosyth No 1</I> and <I>United Steel Companies</I> at Blaenavon High Level station in the process of running round their train on 13 September 2014.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48688.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![J94 71515 (RSH 7169 of 1944) running downhill to Blaenavon High Level station on 13 September.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48694.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![<I>Rosyth No 1</I> at the buffer stops at Blaenavon Big Pit station on 13 September 2014.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48702.jpg "Blaenavon Big Pit")
![Steam in action on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway on 13 September 2014 as Barclay 0-4-0STs <I>Rosyth No 1</I> + <I>United Steel Companies</I> depart from Blaenavon High Level Station.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48712.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![<I>Rosyth No 1</I> heading along the branch towards the Big Pit on 13 September 2014. <br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48721.jpg "Big Pit")
![J94 71515 returning from Big Pit to Furnace Sidings, still under full power, on 13 September 2014.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48740.jpg "Big Pit")
![<I>Rosyth No 1</I>, <I>Sir Thomas Royden</I> and <I>United Steel Companies</I> standing together in Furnace Sidings station on 13 September 2014.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48756.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![Scene at Furnace Sidings on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway as <I>United Steel Companies</I> leads <I>Sir Thomas Royden</I> into the Station on 13 September.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/48000/48775.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![Barclay 0-4-0STs <I>Rosyth No 1</I> + <I>United Steel Companies</I> awaiting their departure time with a train at Blaenavon High Level Station on 13 September 2014.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/49000/49080.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![J94 71515 <I>Mech. Navvies Ltd.</I> [RSH 7169 of 1944] banking a train out of Furnace Sidings on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway on 13 September 2014.<br><br>[Peter Todd 13/09/2014]](/images/49000/49483.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![Ex-GWR Collett 0-6-2T no 5637, currently on loan from the East Somerset Railway, running round its train at Blaenavon High Level station on 12 September 2015. The station re-opened in 2011.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52585.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![Austerity 0-6-0ST 71515 <I>Mech Navvies Ltd</I> departing Furnace sidings on 12 September 2015.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52593.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![A train leaving Blaenavon High Level station on 12 September 2015 behind ex-GWR 0-6-2T no 5637.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52605.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![Barclay 0-4-0ST <I>Rosyth No 1</I> at Furnace Sidings station on 12 September while operating a shuttle service between the Whistle Inn and the Big Pit Museum.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52623.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![GWR 0-6-2T 5637 about to depart from Blaenavon High Level Station on 12 September 2015. The locomotive is currently on loan from the East Somerset Railway.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52652.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![<I>Rosyth No 1</I> (Barclay 0-4-0ST 1835/1914) at Furnace Sidings on 12 September 2015 preparing to take out a train providing a shuttle service that day between the Whistle Inn and the Big Pit Museum.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52665.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![Scene on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway on 12 September 2015, with ex-GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 6435 about to depart with a train from Furnace sidings.<br><br>[Peter Todd 12/09/2015]](/images/52000/52689.jpg "Furnace Sidings")
![This was once the highest standard gauge station in England and Wales. Having experienced the local climate, I can understand the use of trees as a windbreak for the station master's house. View looks towards Blaenavon. [Ref query 4 September 2017]<br><br>[Ken Strachan 19/08/2017]](/images/60000/60645.jpg "Waenavon")
![The former, and hopefully future, site of Blaenavon High Level signal box. Notice the slots to allow the rodding to pass through the brick lower wall.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 19/08/2017]](/images/60000/60655.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![This view looks North from a location about half a mile from Waenavon station [see image 60645], which was once the highest standard gauge station in England and Wales. (the Black Mountains appear to be visible on the horizon)This area was once completely ploughed up for opencast coal mining, so it is possibly more by luck than judgement that the cyclepath shown follows the course of the railway. The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway want to reopen this stretch - I hope they compact the ground thoroughly first!<br><br>[Ken Strachan 19/08/2017]](/images/60000/60705.jpg "Waenavon")
![When you're 73 years old, it's easy to forget where you left things - like, three coaches. 'Mech Navvies No. 1' runs round its coaches on 19th August. View looks North West, towards Furnace Sidings.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 19/08/2017]](/images/60000/60941.jpg "Blaenavon High Level")
![If anyone suggests to you that steam engines are old fashioned, just show them this picture. 'Mech Navvies No. 1' had a sliding sunroof over 40 years before any Sierra or Montego.<br><br>[Ken Strachan 19/08/2017]](/images/61000/61468.jpg "Blaenavon Furnace Sidings")
