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queries on old photos
Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2019 7:17 pm
by andrewnummelin
I've just been going through a few things that have come to the Circle as part of the late Gerald Davies collection, and I've found a few things that really caught my eye for different reasons.
In an early photo of Pontypool:
GD-Pontypool-front399px.jpg
1. Why is there a loco at what appears to be the rear of the train?
2. Has anyone information on the John J. Murphy wagon? I've not come across this company before.
In a post card of Ebbw Vale (undated, produced in Ebbw Vale):
GD-EbbwVale-front399px.jpg
Can anyone offer information about the coaches?
In an image, probably from Cyfarthfa Castle and taken by Robert Thompson Crawshay in the 1870s:
1399vvv399px.jpg
Can anyone identify any of the stock? It's not common to see a goods break van between loco and passenger coaches. (The viaduct has 7 arches.)
Sorry the detail is not as good as I would wish as the forum only allows images up to 400 pixels wide.
Re: queries on old photos
Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:52 am
by andrewnummelin
Noel wrote:andrewnummelin wrote:Sorry the detail is not as good as I would wish as the forum only allows images up to 400 pixels wide.
Are you sure, Andrew? I seem to remember bigger photos than that have been posted previously. As it is the posted versions are a bit too small to be useful, at least for the long distance shots.
This is the error message I received:
The image must be at least 0 pixels wide, 0 pixels high and at most 400 pixels wide and 400 pixels high. The submitted image is 5415 pixels wide and 1660 pixels high.
There's also a 2MB limit on file size.
Rob plans to put them in the next Newsletter: they should be clearer there.
Re: queries on old photos
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 5:02 pm
by Wagonworks_andy
I have increased the image size to 1000 x 1000.
Hope that helps.
Andy
Re: queries on old photos
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 10:28 am
by andrewnummelin
Wagonworks_andy wrote:I have increased the image size to 1000 x 1000.
Hope that helps.
Andy
Thanks Andy, here are 1000pixel wide versions.
GD-Pontypool-1000px.jpg
GD-EbbwVale-1000px.jpg
1399vvv-1000px.jpg
Re: queries on old photos
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 3:51 pm
by Newport_rod
The viaduct view looks like Pontsarn to me (see
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j ... 8245272251) . And the GBV rather like the one in this view taken at Pontsticill,
Re: queries on old photos
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2019 6:13 pm
by andrewnummelin
Noel wrote:A wander around the internet has found
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/C ... aters.1880 which lists "Murphy John J. & Co., 2 Dock chambers" under iron Ore Importers. They are also listed in
specialcollections.le.ac.uk › digital › ... › download, which links to a downloadable .pdf file, so I haven't looked at it. Hopefully this is the right company...
So far as the train is concerned, I have no idea where exactly it is, and which way it's going, so can only speculate. However, there is a brake van between the loco and the train, so possibly a banking engine?
So far as the train on the viaduct is concerned, more speculation is all I can offer. The date, if correct, is before the compulsory use of continuous brakes, so that the train may lack these. There may be a guard's compartment in the rear coach, I can't really tell, but none of the others seem to have one, so has the operator borrowed a goods brake in order to have a handbrake at each end, possibly? Or even a handbrake at all, if I'm wrong about the rear coach?
Your identification of the Murphy wagon looks quite likely: thanks. The company did more than import ore, for which the wagon would not be appropriate.
The train is on the Eastern Valley down line so a banking engine would not be expected: if for adding braking I would have expected it to be in front.
Re: queries on old photos
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2019 6:32 pm
by andrewnummelin
Indeed, I'm sure you are right about it being Pontsarn.
The stock at Pontsticill looks very similar to those at Pontsarn, so most likely the Pontsarn train is a B&M one but with one coach from another line. I'd go along with Noel's suggestion about the use of the goods brake van.
I wonder if similar things may have been seen at Machen...