British Railways Board Records

Railway and dock company records, 1846-1984, including share registers of railway companies subsumed into the Great Western Railway, 1847-1923; records relating to the disposal of surplus railway land in West Glamorgan, 1969-1977; legal papers of railway companies subsumed into the Great Western Railway, 1846-1943; railway company legal agreements relating to siding provision, 1875-1923; engineering drawings of services and machinery in Briton Ferry, Port Talbot and Swansea docks, 1910-1945; legal papers relating to Briton Ferry, Port Talbot and Swansea harbour companies, 1860-1929; records relating to British Rail property, 1984.

The Great Western Railway was created by Act of Parliament in 1835 to provide a double-tracked line from Bristol to London. The GWR continued to expand its rail network across western England and Wales. In 1863 the company amalgamated with the South Wales Railway Company and in 1866 with the Vale of Neath Railway. In 1922 the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway and the Neath and Brecon Railway became part of the Great Western Railway. In 1923, the government reorganisation of the railways into larger units amalgamated the 13 independent railways in South Wales and the Cambrian Railways system in mid Wales into the Great Western Railway. These companies included the South Wales Mineral Railway and the Port Talbot Railway and Docks Co. The Dulas Valley Mineral Railway Co. was established in 1862, but changed its name the following year to the Neath and Brecon Railway. The company merged with the Swansea Vale Railway in 1869. The Swansea Vale Railway Company bought the unsuccessful Swansea Valley Railway in 1850 and was absorbed into the Midland Railway in 1876.

Arranged into ten groups by railway company; Group one consists of Briton Ferry Docks Co., Dulas Valley Mineral Railway Co., Neath and Brecon Railway Co., Port Talbot Railway and Dock Co., Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Co., Swansea Harbour Trust, Vale of Neath Railway; Group two consists of Dulas Valley Mineral Railway, Neath and Brecon Railway Company; Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company, South Wales Mineral Railway Company, Swansea Harbour Trust, Vale of Neath Railway; Group three consists of British Railway Board records; Group four consists of Brynhenllys Colliery Company, Dulas Valley Mineral Railway Company, Midland Railway Company, Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Company, South Wales Railway Company, Swansea and Clydach Railway Company, Swansea Vale Railway Company, Swansea Valley Railway Company, Vale of Neath Railway Company, Ystalyfera Carriage and Wagon Shop, South Wales Mineral Railway Company; Group five consists of engineering drawings of Briton Ferry, Port Talbot and Swansea docks; Group six consists of legal papers of Briton Ferry, Port Talbot and Swansea harbour companies; Group seven consists of Neath, Pontardawe and Brynaman Railway Company; Group eight consists of Port Talbot Railway and Dock Company, Swansea High Street Station; Group nine consists of railway company legal agreements concerning siding provision; Group ten consists of Swansea and Loughor Railway, Swansea and Neath Railway Company, Swansea Harbour Trust, Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junction Railway Company, Swansea Valley Railway.

Records relating to the disposal of surplus railway land in West Glamorgan are closed for 30 years after date of creation

Source not recorded

Compiled by Richard Burman for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: West Glamorgan Archive Service, British Railways Board, catalogue; The Great Western Archive (http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/), viewed 1 February 2005; RAILSCOT homepage (http://www.railscot.co.uk/index.htm) viewed 1 February 2005;

A hard copy is available at the West Glamorgan Archive Service.

Usual copyright regulations apply.

All records transferred to the West Glamorgan Archive Service have been retained.

Accruals are possible