Description

Swansea Vale Railway at Duffryn works Morriston.

 The Swansea Vale Railway line ran from the Midland Station, St Thomas, Swansea to Brynamman. It was built as a standard gauge railway taking over pre-existing coalfield tramways.In 1846 it was extended to Brynamman and by 1868 it was completed. It carried passengers from completed sections for the first time in 1860 as well as coal stock to Swansea Docks. The railway line followed the River Tawe northward crossing over the river near the to were the football stadium is today. It then continued to travel northward between the River Tawe and Swansea Canal passing under the GWR viaduct at Landore. As it passed through Morriston a loop line was created with the rail lines running right through the Duffryn, Tin plate works Morriston (where Asda stands today). The Swansea Vale railway ran until 1963 when the entire rail line closed. The Duffryn works Morriston was opened in 1903 and employed over 600 personnel. In 1923 it was purchased by Grovesend Steel and Tinplate Company. At one time the Duffryn works Morriston was producing most of the worlds high quality tinplate until high tariffs were imposed by the USA resulting in a drop in trade and mass lay off’s of workers. Many skilled workers from the Duffryn works emigrated to the USA in order to continue working in the tinplate industry. After the second world war the factory was modernised and fitted with a continuous strip mill. By the late 1950s the demand for tinplate was in decline and the last steel to be produced there ended in 1961.