Volume Eleven - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - some more aspects - The Taff Vale Railway and Docks - 'The Engineer' Article of 1866 . . .

The abolition of this heavy incline having been decided upon by the company, a second one, a quarter of a mile longer than the first, with a gradient of 1 in 40, was commenced more than a year ago, and will be finished in about six months. The new incline lies parallel with the old one, but in a cutting 70ft. in depth for a considerable portion of its length. The soil being hard, and full of fragments of rock, most of the work has been done by blasting. Soon after the works were commenced the company removed the drums and stationary engine, and for the last twelve months have carried all the trains up and down a single line on the old incline of 1 in 18 by the aid of two or three locomotives.

As this is by far the steepest gradient in the kingdom over which passenger trains and heavy mineral traffic of a main line are so worked, very stringent regulations have necessarily been made to ensure safety. The working instructions, therefore, enact that :

1. When taking goods or mineral traffic up the main incline, one engine will be coupled on in front of the train, the other engine will assist at the tail end of the train. With down trains the two engines will be coupled together, and to the front end of the train.

2. The train load passing over the main incline must to a great extent be regulated by the weather and the state of the rails. On no account for the two engines must the gross weight exceed fifty tons, or twenty-five tons for one engine.

3. With the usual up passenger trains on the main incline, one assistant engine will be coupled on in front of the train engine. An engine must follow close behind the train so as to give assistance if required.

4. The speed of up engines and trains on the main incline must not exceed seven miles per hour, and the speed of down engines and trains must, as far as practicable, be limited to five miles per hour, which must not be exceeded.

These regulations have been practically carried out in all states of the weather during the past twelve months. The fact that no accident to a passenger has yet occurred on the Taff Vale Railway is attributed to the circumstance that the rules are very stringently enforced, that no officer exhibiting the slightest tendency to intemperance is retained, and that signals are turned against all trains, which are not allowed to pass them till temporarily changed for the purpose by the signalman on duty.