The Blaenavon Stone Road

The Blaenavon Stone Road or Common Road was proposed in 1797 and opened from 1799. It ran from Waunllapria to Pwlldu and eventually Blaenavon, connecting Clydach Ironworks, via the Llanelly Hill inclines to the Pwlldu and Blaenavon Tramroads. Within a few years it was rebuilt as a 4'4" tramroad through to Blaenavon, sometimes referred to as the Clydach to Blaenavon Tramroad. It probably closed c1812 when Clydach Ironworks could use the completed B&A canal. It was re-instated in 1829 to carry cinders from Garndyrys to Clydach until after 1836.

Waunllapria

Along the route

Iron slab footbridge, Waunllapria	Stone Road looking West	Stone Road looking East	Stone Road looking East
Stone Road looking West	Stone Road looking East	Stone retaining wall	Stone Road looking East
Stone Road looking West	Stone Road culvert	Culvert near the cottage

Jones Colliery, Llanelly Hill - SO 2280 1200

Jones Colliery tips, Llanelly Hill	Jones Colliery tips, Llanelly Hill	Jones Colliery tips, Llanelly Hill	Jones Colliery, Llanelly Hill
Jones Colliery, Llanelly Hill	Jones Colliery, Llanelly Hill	Jones Colliery, Llanelly Hill	Reservoir above Jones Colliery

The ruined cottage above Coedcae Newydd - SO 2310 1223

Ruined cottage near Blaen Dyar

Ruined cottage near Blaen Dyar

Ruined cottage near Blaen Dyar

Rail in the cottage wall

Blaen Dyar

The Blaenavon Stone Road at Blaen Dyer

This stretch of the route is relatively undisturbed with a lot of stone sleepers to be seen.

The Stone Road trackbed	The Stone Road trackbed	The Stone Road trackbed	The Stone Road trackbed
The Stone Road trackbed	Tramroad sleepers	Tramroad sleepers	Tramroad sleepers

Blaen Dyar colliery - SO 2345 1215

This colliery straddles the Clydach - Blaenavon Tramroad with quite extensive tips. It appears on the tithe map of 1843, owned by the Clydach Iron and Coal Co of Clydach Ironworks. Todays' drainage level may well have been the main haulage road, given its relationship with the tips. There were modern re-workings between 1930 and 1970 in the same area.

Blaen Dyar colliery level	Blaen Dyar colliery level	Blaen Dyar colliery level	Blaen Dyar colliery level
Blaen Dyar colliery level	Blaen Dyar colliery tips	Blaen Dyar colliery tips	Blaen Dyar colliery tips
Blaen Dyar colliery tips	Blaen Dyar colliery tips	Blaen Dyar colliery tips	Blaen Dyar colliery tips
Looking down on the colliery	Blaen Dyar colliery leat	Blaen Dyar colliery leat

The causeway at Blaen Dyar- SO 2375 1215

The Stone Road runs down to the causeway across Nant Dyar with many stone sleepers in evidence again.

Approaching the causeway	Blaen Dyer causeway	Blaen Dyer causeway
Blaen Dyer causeway	Blaen Dyer causeway	The Stone Road trackbed
Tramroad sleepers	Tramroad sleepers	Tramroad sleepers

Having performed a U-turn on the causeway, the Stone Road climbs up the Eastern side of Nant Dyar to a reversing spur to continue along the modern lane to Pwlldu. More sleepers and a buried tramplate can be found here.

Blaen Dyer causeway	Blaen Dyer causeway	Blaen Dyer causeway	Blaen Dyer causeway
The reversing spur	Blaen Dyer causeway tramplate	Looking back across the stream

Blaen Dyar Farm - SO 2369 1223

Blaen Dyar Farm

Blaen Dyar Farm

Blaen Dyar Farm

Blaen Dyar Farm

Blaen Pig

Blaen Pig beerhouse - SO 2360 1180

The building here is marked 'BH' for beerhouse on the 1879 OS map but most of the surrounding 'old workngs' had ceased so it probably reverted to a smallholding. Behind it is a very narrow level possibly a drainage level for one of the larger levels.

Beerhouse at Blaen Pig	Beerhouse at Blaen Pig	Beerhouse at Blaen Pig	Beerhouse at Blaen Pig
Possible tramroad at beerhouse	Level behind the beerhouse	Level behind the beerhouse

Around Blaen Pig - SO 2340 1170

The very heavily eroded canyon coming down from Blaenavon's opencast workings.

Erosion at Blaen Pig	Erosion at Blaen Pig	Erosion at Blaen Pig	Erosion at Blaen Pig
Coal seam at Blaen Pig			Tips above Waun Wen Farm

Tramroad plates, sills and ironmongery

A walk around Blaen Pig and Blaen Dyar turned up some very interesting relics of tramroad days. Someone had cleared some land beside the Blaenavon Stone Road and unearthed a nuber of tramroad plates and tiebars or sills. They are narrow-gauge so probably from the colliery at Blaen Dyar.

Possibly the underframe of a wooden dram

A wooden dram underframe?

A wooden dram underframe?

A wooden dram underframe?

A wooden dram underframe?

Tramplates and tie-bars or sills

Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar	Tramplates at Blaen Dyar
A rebated tramplate at Blaen Dyar	A rebated tramplate at Blaen Dyar	A rebated tramplate at Blaen Dyar

A 9ft long iron column

Iron column at Blaen Dyar	Iron column at Blaen Dyar	Iron column at Blaen Dyar	Iron column at Blaen Dyar
Iron column at Blaen Dyar	Iron column at Blaen Dyar	Iron column at Blaen Dyar

Acknowledgments, sources and further reading.

Thanks to :- Chris George, Richard Preece and Brynmawr Historical Society for their photos and information.
'Early Limestone Railways' by John van Laun