The Brecon Mountain Railway

The Brecon Mountain Railway was conceived over 40 years ago when a search started to find a suitable site to build and run a steam railway using locomotives collected from all over the world.

Merthyr Tydfil seemed ideally located at the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park with its beautiful mountain, lake and forest scenery.

At one time Merthyr Tydfil was the greatest iron making town in the world and most of the very early railways used rails rolled in Merthyr Mills.

It was in Merthyr, in 1804,that the trial run of the world’s first steam railway locomotive built by Cornishman Richard Trevithick took place.

The railway runs from Pant, 3 miles North of Merthyr Tydfil, to Torpantau. This follows some of the route of the original Brecon & Merthyr Railway which closed in 1964 when we lost a lot of our railways

The journey takes you into the Brecon Beacons National Park, through Pontsticill and right along the Taf Fechan Reservior before climbing to Torpantau high up in the Brecon Beacons to the summit of the original line. It offers the most wonderful views from the all-weather observation carriages and what an experience to be pulled behind a vintage steam locomotive.

All trains travel non-stop from Pant to Torpantau but all returning trains from Torpantau stop at the intermediate station in Pontsticill. Here you can get out and have something to drink or eat at the Lakeside Cafe, see the new Steam Museum, admire the view or stretch your legs along the edge of the reservoir. Trains stop here for 25-35 minutes but you can also stay longer to enjoy the marvellous scenery and catch a later train back to Pan if you prefer.

Upon leaving the platform at Pant Station the line curves right then left on a climbing gradient before joining the original trackbed of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway. Pant Station is at 1134 Feet (346m) above sea level. On the left hand side is the gorge of the Taf Fechan River. In the bottom of the gorge is the abandoned railway that ran from Pontsticill Junction to Merthyr Tydfil in the old days.

The dam of the lower Ponsticill Reservoir can be seen to the left hand side of the station . The reservoir was constructed between 1913 and 1927 and can hold 3400 million gallons (15000 million litres). The original signal box and station house are on the right hand side. The original stone waiting room has been converted and extended and now houses a small museum with a collection of small stationary steam engines and 3 small steam locomotives.

Finally the railway reaches the summit of the original Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Torpantau, 1313 feet (400m) above sea level.

The station only has one platform! Trains only wait 15 minutes before returning to Ponsticill but you can spend longer and go back on a later train if you prefer.

Five locomotives share the work: The Santa Teresa, The Baldwin, The Sandy River, The Forney Type and the Graf Schwerin-Lowitz. There are also three smaller steam locomotives on the railway but they are too small to pull trains. They have been restored to full working order and are displayed in the museum at Pontsticill Station. Two of the locomotives were built in Wales so they have come home.

This is the most wonderful experience for all ages!