Good Morning Noel,
Thank you for your further reply.
>> There was also a north-facing junction at the west end, at Hendy Junction, if I've got the name right.Yes, was and still is, this north - east chord, according to Google maps, satellite view, is double track, and is used regularly for the Burrows Sorting Sidings to Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen traffic. The south - east chord is also double track, used predominately for freight working, with a small sprinkling of passenger services, occasional sight of
this web page makes interesting reading. The north - south chord is single track.
>> This long new line left the main line near Briton Ferry and looped round to the north of Swansea, joining the Llanelly line near Bynea.Although I hadn't read this particular piece of script, I have read similar scripts, sufficient for me to have pondered over the various authors conclusions.
When one considers that the eastern chord of the Lon Las junction provided a GWR built double track connecting back to the South Wales Main Line a little west of Skewen Station,
(link to map) whilst the south-eastern chord from Lon Las connected to the (then) Rhondda & Swansea Bay Railway. One wonders at this distance in time, if the GWR would have preferred to run their Ocean Mail trains over their own built and owned tracks, albeit via Skewen & Neath, in preference to running Ocean Mail trains over a third party's freight line to Briton Ferry?
>> ... ... ... there was a triangular junction there, so that coal traffic from the Amman valley could turn east on to the new line; ... ... ...Not only the Ammanan Valley, at the time of the opening of the SDL there were already connections to Graig Merthyr (exchange?) sidings a little east of the above mentioned triangular junction; to Cefngyfelach & Tircoed collieries and separately to Tir Ffordd colliery at Llangyfelach station and somewhat later the Tir Llewellyn Briquette plant also at Llangyfelach. By looking at the series of Ordnance Survey, 6 inch sheets published plus/minus 1913 there are other coal industry related features to be seen along the line between Morlais Junction South and Lon Las Junction.
I thank you for your contribution to this thread which is adding to my knowledge of the history of the Swansea District Line.