# Barry Island photos - breakwater, pier and railway - info needed!



## editor (May 31, 2011)

I came across this old breakwater near Barry Island and it rather strangely had a railway running along its length to the lighthouse. 

Anyone know anything about it?


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## Crispy (May 31, 2011)

Probably used to transport materials for the construction of the lighthouse. Why it was left in place though, I don't know...


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## editor (May 31, 2011)

Crispy said:


> Probably used to transport materials for the construction of the lighthouse. Why it was left in place though, I don't know...


That's pretty unlikely - the lighthouse is small and made from made from cast iron so building an entire railway just for that would be_ real_ overkill!

Besides, I suspect that the track would be in a far worse state if it hadn't been used since 1890. Actually, the rail track clips prove this - they're stamped 'GWR' while the originals would have been stamped Barry Railway. 

I'm guessing that there was some of pier/jetty leading into the harbour, with the track perhaps used to load ships with coal for fuel.


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## pogofish (May 31, 2011)

There is some discussion of it and more photos on Railscot:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=15298

Captions on two of the pics in the lower part of this page suggest the line was used to meet pleasure steamers and that it remained operational till 1975:

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Barry Railway

And this old photo with a crane, so it could well have been used for servicing shipping/harbourworks?


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## pogofish (May 31, 2011)

Also this from the Barry Railyay Company Wiki page:



> Barry and Bristol Channel Steamship Company
> Barry Dock Offices - June 2007The railway which had played a major part in the development of the dock, did a great deal to make Barry Island a popular resort.
> 
> From the 1890s, the company persuaded P and A Campbell to run steamers from a pier built alongside the dock across the Bristol Channel, but in 1905 they started to build their own fleet of four ships. But as a railway company, parliamentary powers were required to operate steamships and the powers granted generally included provisions which limited operations to routes genuinely associated with the mother company's principal business (i.e. railway connections to non-accessible locations). The powers were also granted to take account of the legitimate interests of existing operators.
> ...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Railway_Company

Services were maintained despite deteriorating financial fortunes, but as a cost saving measure, PS Gwalia was sold to the Furness Railway on 7 May 1910. Five days later the remaining three steamers were sold to Bristol Channel Passenger Boats Ltd. The latter company struggled to make the business pay and after two seasons, sold out to P and A Campbell.


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## editor (May 31, 2011)

pogofish said:


> Captions on two of the pics in the lower part of this page suggest the line was used to meet pleasure steamers and that it remained operational till 1975:
> 
> http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Barry Railway


That must surely be an incorrect caption - Barry Pier was to the east and looked like this:










http://www.barrywales.co.uk/showimage.asp?ID=729


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## pogofish (May 31, 2011)

Then it looks like cargo/harbourworks might be the better guess?


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## editor (May 31, 2011)

The original railway pier can be seen to the right of the LB station in this map (the breakwater is to the left)


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## Crispy (May 31, 2011)

And the lighthouse pier railway can be seen connecting via a tunnel to the docks to the north - in fact, the southern portal is just about visible on gmaps: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?clien....3937,-3.264129&spn=0.000264,0.00098&t=k&z=20


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## editor (May 31, 2011)

Crispy said:


> And the lighthouse pier railway can be seen connecting via a tunnel to the docks to the north - in fact, the southern portal is just about visible on gmaps: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?clien....3937,-3.264129&spn=0.000264,0.00098&t=k&z=20


Looking at the aerial view it makes you wonder where the crane was unloading stuff to as the breakwater rocks stretch out quite a way and it all looks rather shallow and sandy. 

There has been talk of reopening the line through the tunnel from Barry Island station, although I can't see that happening any time soon. It would open up that part of the docks though.


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## pogofish (May 31, 2011)

editor said:


> Looking at the aerial view it makes you wonder where the crane was unloading stuff to as the breakwater rocks stretch out quite a way and it all looks rather shallow and sandy.



Yes - Especially when you consider the split level and as there is a similar crane visible on the opposite breakwater in that old photo?


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## 1927 (May 31, 2011)

editor said:


> That must surely be an incorrect caption - Barry Pier was to the east and looked like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
And looking out to sea it looked like this.


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## davesgcr (May 31, 2011)

There is some book available (cant recall now) , about the life of a young railway fireman in Barry in WW2 , - there was an easy job on some shunting  engine which scampered around as a "dock pilot"  (carying bits and pieces , tools , stone etc - in those non mechanised and rubber / petrol rationing days) - where he describes taking stone out onto the breakwater lines for maintenance. Quite a good read , If I can find it, will post the ISBN etc.


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## editor (May 31, 2011)

So it looks like the railway and (motorised?) crane was there for the maintenance of the breakwater? That makes sense, especially considering how busy the port used to be. I wonder if that curious shed on wheels was created from the base of the old crane.


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## 1927 (Jun 1, 2011)

editor said:


> So it looks like the railway and (motorised?) crane was there for the maintenance of the breakwater? That makes sense, especially considering how busy the port used to be. I wonder if that curious shed on wheels was created from the base of the old crane.


 
I remember the shed on wheels it was used by the yacht club as a sort of starting hut for races. If you look at your photos of Cardiff bay Ed you will see that you photographed a pink thing on the Penarth side of the barrage that does the same job!


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## editor (Jun 23, 2011)

1927 said:


> If you look at your photos of Cardiff bay Ed you will see that you photographed a pink thing on the Penarth side of the barrage that does the same job!


That one might have trouble moving


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## agricola (Jun 30, 2011)

editor said:


> So it looks like the railway and (motorised?) crane was there for the maintenance of the breakwater? That makes sense, especially considering how busy the port used to be. I wonder if that curious shed on wheels was created from the base of the old crane.


 
I know nothing about Barry breakwater, but that reason above is definately the same one for why Holyhead breakwater's railway was kept going, along with its unique engines.


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## ddraig (Jul 5, 2011)

not sure how relevant but there is an article in yesterdays echo called "A waterside history" about an exhibition covering the history of Penarth Docks and the Ely Tidal Harbour
from the photocopy i can see that there is a pic of a chain ferry around 1898, construction of the sea gate, the Red House pub and a publicity poster for South Wales Docks, the old subway 1897


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## 1927 (Jul 11, 2011)

On the subject of Penarth Docks did you know, or do you care, that the SS Great Britain made its final working voyage from Penarth Docks! ANd theres a painting to prove it!


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## davesgcr (Jul 16, 2011)

Now that is an amazing find ! - thank you very much for this


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## Stanley Edwards (Jul 16, 2011)

editor said:


> I came across this old breakwater near Barry Island and it rather strangely had a railway running along its length to the lighthouse.
> 
> Anyone know anything about it?


 

Only just come across this thread.

Normally, the rail lines were used to construct the breakwater itself. There are some incredible structures around the coast of Europe. In Spain, I was pretty gobsmacked by the size of the breakwaters at La Coruña. A huge engineering feat.


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## Gethin (Oct 29, 2011)

I think its there for maintenance purposes.

Different question: does anyone know when the council house estate was built on Barry Island? My guess is around 1950/52.


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## ddraig (Feb 6, 2014)

Ariel footage of Barry Island from Drone

from these people http://www.crazyhigh.co.uk/
few more here
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgm1reUzEhUQnbX5GHb8Aew?feature=watch


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## Kerensky (Feb 20, 2014)

"Captions on two of the pics in the lower part of this page suggest the line was used to meet pleasure steamers and that it remained operational till 1975"

I can vouch for that.
As a school kid in Barry I can remember our annual school trip to Bristol Zoo, and for a change we went on the paddle steamer across to Avonmouth.
We all marched down to the train station, and boarded a special service which went thru Barry Island station, thru the tunnel, and onto the dockside, where we all embarked onto the paddle steamer.
(I get the feeling it was a few Barry schools, not just ours - High Street)

Then we dis-embarked at Avonmouth & got buses to the Zoo.
If memory serves me, we all returned by train.

Had to have been about 1965/66 ?


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## ddraig (Feb 20, 2014)

sorry to put this here
latest thread on Railways in Wales and couldn't find anything more appropriate
*Classic locomotives in Wales on new Royal Mail stamps*
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-26262966


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 20, 2014)

I'm just shocked that there aren't loads of dead bodies washed up against the breakwater, after phildwyer's tales about Barry being tougher than hell's Kitchen.


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## editor (Nov 24, 2015)

I've been sent a really detailed update about the breakwater, so have added a new article. 











Forgotten railways of south Wales: the south-west breakwater at the entrance to Barry Docks revisited


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## editor (Apr 13, 2020)

I love these videos. Must take the guy ages. It features the breakwater at the end.


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## editor (Dec 27, 2021)

Look at his amazing photo of Barry Island station from Sept 1962



MRS Collection, © John Livsey


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