Penarth Dock, South Wales - the heritage and legacy

Volume Four - An Era of Change, Uncertainty, Depression & War - The era of God's wonderful railway - the GWR years . . .

The following text is taken from the book of GWR Track Layout Diagrams : [008].

"A careworm 0-6-0ST shunts the sidings on the north side of Penarth Dock around 1923. A number of pre-grouping company wagons are in evidence but the LMS lettered open can be seen on the left. A locomotive looks to be one of the ex-Taff Vale Railway 'V' class tanks, six of which were built by Kitsons in 1899 and it may well be No. 100, which as GW No. 787 and unlike its classmates, was withdrawn without having been rebuilt in 1926. The derricks are unloading a cargo of baled wood pulp, this end of the dock being used for general merchandise. the private owners on the lower level on the left are on one of the empties roads from the coal tips, which were situated nearer to the dock entrance."

However, closer examination of the image shows that the engine number is in fact TVR No. 280 which indeed was a 'V'' Class 0-6-0-ST engine, built by Kitson & Company of Hunslet, Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, during 1899. It's number was amended from 80 to 280 during late 1921 and following a rebuild under the G.W.R. became No. 789 in mid-1924. Hence, we can with confidence date this photograph between December 1921 and July 1924. The engine survived under various ownership until September 1950. [737] The lower image has been colourised.

Pulp had been imported to Penarth Dock for the use of the Ely Paper Mills for some years previously as the following article illustrates : -

1916 - Pulp Shipped to England - Although paper is the shortest thing in the United States at the present time, it has not stopped the exportation of the material for the manufacture of paper. On September 14 at Baltimore the Norwegian steamer " Granli ” arrived from the Tyne to load wood pulp for Manchester, England, and Penarth, Wales. Her cargo will consist of many hundreds of bales of the pulp. The pulp is in great sheets and ready for the process of being made into paper. The pulp has been stored in one of the great elevators in Baltimore for many months, and at last has been disposed of, to be taken across the sea for the use of the British paper manufacturers. - The American Printer [1202] [499] 5th July 1916.