A tie-bar from Bailey's Daren Disgwylfa Tramroad?

C.A. Watkin

The cast-iron tramroad tie-bar in the photograph was seen in April 1994. It was then lying near SO 215147

at the disused Daren Disgwylfa quarries on Llangattock Mountain in Powys, about 3 km NE of the town of

Brynmawr.

At the time I was with a party of walkers who had started off on a day's walk from Llangattock. We had just

come up from Wern Watcyn, SO 216149, to Daren Disgwylfa – for the last part of the way following a clear,

well-made tramroad rising eastwards to the Daren Disgwylfa quarries near SO 217144.

Rattenbury, in his Tramroads of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal (RCHS, 1980) identifies the main

tramroad in this area as Bailey's Nant y Glo to Daren Disgwylfa road. (Its main line shows up well on the

1965 edition of the OS 1:25 000 map - though not on more recent editions).

The tie-bar was not on the tramroad itself but lying on the north (downhill) side of a wire fence nearby. It

was obviously not in situ. I couldn't see where it had come from and had no time to search as the group I was

with were not inclined to linger. There was time only to clamber over the fence, photograph the tie-bar and

scramble back again to catch up my companions.

RAILWAY AND CANAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

TRAMROAD GROUP

Occasional Paper 123

123/2

At the time I was struck by the 'narrow-gauge' appearance of the tie-bar compared with the gauge of the

Brinore and Llangattock tramroads with which I was familiar. Scaling from the dimensions of the OS map in

the picture and making allowance for perspective gives a back to back gauge measurement of 2 ft 8 in

between the top inner lips of the bar :-

Rattenbury gives 2 ft 4 in as the back to back gauge of Bailey's tramroad, as compared to the 3 ft 6 in gauge

of the nearby Llangattock tramroad. He notes that in 1976 plates and tie-bars were found in excavations in

Clydach Street in Brynmawr but did not appear to know of plates or tie-bars from any other part of the line.

If the tie-bar in the photograph had been found locally I think that the likelihood is that it came from Bailey's

tramroad or from a quarry branch off it. The apparent discrepancy in gauge may be due to no more than the

difficulties of scaling from the photograph.

I must apologise to the Tramroad Group for such sloppy recording of this artefact but does anyone now

know the whereabouts of this, at the time of photographing, well preserved tie-bar? Is its actual place of

origin known and have any more track components been found in this area?

December 1997