Talyllyn Junction

[RichardMaund]

What I would be particularly interested to know - from this general area - is how the B&M worked its passenger trains to the "north" station at Talyllyn Junction.

Culmination of Capt. Tyler’s inspections of Brecon & Merthyr’s east loop at Talyllyn (curve from East Junction (No. 1 Jn) to North Junction (No. 3 Jn)) was rejection. However, Company replied 29.9.1864 withdrawing the application:
“In reference to your letter of the 26th inst 1790R suggesting that in case the requirements of the Inspecting Officer are not likely to be complied with in regard to the loop line of the Company near Talyllyn, before the expiration of the period of postponement, I beg to withdraw the Notice of opening, and a fresh Notice shall be given.”

I have found no evidence in the Board of Trade files at Kew of a fresh notice ever having been given nor any re-inspection being carried out. Therefore it seems the B&M did not have authority to use the east loop for passengers at the time the HH&B and the Mid Wales opened in late September 1864, so the B&M cannot have legally used the new Mid Wales station at the north junction, other than by reversing at No. 2 (instead of No. 3) junction. There is no further reference in BoT records to any inspection of the east curve at that era (nor, indeed, any prior to its passenger use from summer 1893).

So how did the B&M get round the problem? Did they use the east loop illegally, continue to use the station at the west junction, or back in to the Mid Wales station from No. 2 Junction? And why do none of the writers on the railway history of this area address the question?

[RichardMaund]

Sorry - I got my junction numbers wrong in recent post: east junction was no. 3, north junction (Mid Wales) was no. 1 and west junction was no. 2.

[andrewnummelin]

I asked about this at the meeting reported in my post
http://wrrc.org.uk/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=135#p465
Nobody present had any knowledge of this but one person told me that although the other loops had been ballasted with stone, the east loop was only ever ballasted with ash.