Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - The Penarth Harbour Dock and Railway - Railway World Article - 1964 . . .

The Penarth line was well engineered. It is partly in cuttings from Radyr Quarry to Waterhall Junction and is on a continuous embankment from Fairwater Road to Llandough, so that gradients are negligible except for a short pitch at 1 in 157 down between Waterhall Junction and Ninian Park. From the platform end at Penarth Dock, however, there are 45 chains of 1 in 40 up towards Penarth Town; Dingle Road Halt stands at the top of this, but still on the gradient, making a trying start for down passenger trains. Penarth Town, 1 mile 7 chains from Cogan Junction, is the largest station on the line and has up and down through platforms with a third through road between. There are bays at the south end of both platforms for auto-trains and at one time there was an additional excursion platform on the up side beyond the overbridge at the Cardiff end of the station. In the station yard there was a short turntable, where Taff Vale tank engines were turned after through journeys from Methyr or Treherbert, but this was removed by the G.W.R., who made it practice for all engines to work chimney-first towards the Valleys and bunker-first to the coast. Strangely enough, the Taff never appeared to turn their 0-6-0 mineral tender engines; most of them were fitted with tender weather boards and worked tender-first as often as chimney-first.

We continue our journey over the former "Cardiff, Penarth & Barry Junction" line which commences with 1 in 45 and 1 in 60 down past Alberta Place Halt and Lower Penarth station (closed). It rises at 1 in 257 to Lavernock and falls sharply again at 1 in 60-80 through Swanbridge to Sully, 3 miles 66 chains from Penarth and a growing dormitory village where a number of trains terminate.

The line then continues on easy grades to join the former Barry Railway at Biglis Junction. Taff Vale trains terminated at Cadoxton station, 32 chains beyond the junction and 5 miles 10 chains from Penarth. Biglis Junction box was removed some years ago and the junction is now remotely controlled from Cadoxton. There are three signalboxes on the line; Penarth Cement Works beyond Lower Penarth; Lavernock; and Sully. This section of the line is in pleasant country, with its views of the Bristol Channel and Sully Island. It is a very popular area in summer with pleasant beaches and holiday camps.

Penarth is a pleasant seaside and dormitory town of the quieter type on the edge of Cardiff, with a pier, promenade and well-kept public gardens and cliff walks. The summer ferry service from the pier to Weston-Super-Mare has recently been augmented by a hovercraft service.