Stuart’s Photography

Earlier in 2010, I decided to spend a Sunday exploring the railway stations of the Coryton Line. This is the surviving section of the Bute’s Cardiff Railway, the last of the great railways built to bring coal down to the Cardiff docks. I’m sure I read somewhere that the Bute’s original intention was to run this railway along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal (which the Marquis had earlier bought), but that ultimately he wasn’t allowed to close the canal, and so had to come up with an alternative route for his railway.

Today, the Coryton Line is a single-track commuter run that swings east to west across the north of Cardiff. There are no services on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to explore these stations.

The Photos

Taken from the platform, looking north towards where the Coryton Line starts to make its turn west to Ty Glas Railway Station and beyond.

Looking south along Heath Low Level Railway Station’s platform. The station is approached through a little alleyway between houses, and is the only one of the Coryton Line stations that does not have the familiar red-and-white railway station sign outside it.

At its southern end, the railway quickly disappears beneath this road bridge before joining the main Cardiff to Caerphilly line.

The single best view of Heath Low Level station is from the road bridge. From here, you can clearly see the housing that backs onto the station.

For me, Heath Low Level wasn’t just the last of the stations I explored along the Coryton Line, it also contained by far the single most interesting photo to take. This public telephone can be found in the brick shelter at the station. I didn’t check to see if it worked, though.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

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If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.

Earlier in 2010, I decided to spend a Sunday exploring the railway stations of the Coryton Line. This is the surviving section of the Bute’s Cardiff Railway, the last of the great railways built to bring coal down to the Cardiff docks. I’m sure I read somewhere that the Bute’s original intention was to run this railway along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal (which the Marquis had earlier bought), but that ultimately he wasn’t allowed to close the canal, and so had to come up with an alternative route for his railway.

Today, the Coryton Line is a single-track commuter run that swings east to west across the north of Cardiff. There are no services on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to explore these stations.

The Photos

Taken from the bridge that carries the A469 over the Coryton Line. Looking east towards Ty Glas Railway Station.

Looking west to Ty Glas Railway Station. Taken from the gate to the pedestrian crossing at the eastern end of the station.

Looking east along the Coryton Line. In the distance the track finally abandons its straight march across the north of Cardiff and starts to turn to the south, towards Heath Low Level Railway Station and beyond to Cardiff Queen Street.

Looking west, back towards Birchgrove Railway Station, which is immediately beyond the bridge in the distance.

This is the comms tower seen in the earlier shot to the immediate south of Ty Glas Railway Station.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

–

If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.

Earlier in 2010, I decided to spend a Sunday exploring the railway stations of the Coryton Line. This is the surviving section of the Bute’s Cardiff Railway, the last of the great railways built to bring coal down to the Cardiff docks. I’m sure I read somewhere that the Bute’s original intention was to run this railway along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal (which the Marquis had earlier bought), but that ultimately he wasn’t allowed to close the canal, and so had to come up with an alternative route for his railway.

Today, the Coryton Line is a single-track commuter run that swings east to west across the north of Cardiff. There are no services on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to explore these stations.

The Photos

From a distance, Birchgrove Railway Station seems to be doing its level best to hide beneath the nearby bridge.

Looking west along the Coryton Line tracks back towards Rhiwbina Railway Station and beyond ultimately to Coryton Railway Station.

Birchgrove Railway Station, looking east along the platform. Note that Birchgrove hasn’t yet been the recipient of a shiny new shelter.

Birchgrove Railway Station is nestled right up against the A469, which carries traffic between Cardiff and Caerphilly. This photo looks east along the tracks towards Ty Glas Railway Station.

Looking down from the A469 onto Birchgrove Railway Station platform.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

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If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.

Download the full-size picture to use as your desktop wallpaper.

My choices this week have been the part of my Week of Woodland Wallpapers. I hope you’re enjoying them so far!

Of course, any walk through the woods can run into little difficulties from time to time. One of our favourite places to go walking near our home is on what’s left of the Lesser Garth (it has been so extensively quarried that the railway line that used to run around it no longer exists). I was exploring the remains of the railway line alone one day when I rounded the corner to find that a tree had come down the hill some time before and landed on the path I was on. I had a bit of fun climbing over the tree, hoping it wouldn’t decide to slide any further, and I was glad Mrs H wasn’t there at the time to talk me out of it.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

Earlier in 2010, I decided to spend a Sunday exploring the railway stations of the Coryton Line. This is the surviving section of the Bute’s Cardiff Railway, the last of the great railways built to bring coal down to the Cardiff docks. I’m sure I read somewhere that the Bute’s original intention was to run this railway along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal (which the Marquis had earlier bought), but that ultimately he wasn’t allowed to close the canal, and so had to come up with an alternative route for his railway.

Today, the Coryton Line is a single-track commuter run that swings east to west across the north of Cardiff. There are no services on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to explore these stations.

The Photos

Taken from the footbridge over the Coryton Line at Rhiwbina Station, looking west towards Whitchurch Station. Note the CCTV camera perched high on the left in a commanding view along the platform – provided there isn’t a train there

Looking east from the platform towards Birchgrove Railway Station, there isn’t much to be seen. There are local shops at the heart of Rhiwbina just off the bridge that you can see in the distance.

There isn’t much more to be said about Rhiwbina Railway Station to be honest, except that I found it tidy and with a modern shelter for passengers enduring the long wait for a train.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

–

If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.