Time for a break, Mountain Ash ? 1969

Image: © Alan Murray-Rust Taken: 27 Nov 1969

The Mountain Ash Railway was a colliery railway, latterly NCB serving a number of locations in the Cynon Valley, and centred on Mountain Ash, The two locomotives are making their way to the locomotive shed for a mid-day break. They are (left) No.8 and (right) Sir John. No.8 had a varied history, starting life as a War Department 'Austerity' locomotive in 1944, having been built in 1944 by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns of Newcastle. It was sold to the Hunslet Engineering Co of Leeds in 1960 where it was rebuilt incorporating improvements to the designs of Argentinian steam engineer L D Porta. It was given their works number 3880 and sold to the NCB in 1961. After withdrawal it was sold into preservation and after several moves is currently (2020) at the Dean Forest Railway. 'Sir John' was built by Avonside Engineering of Bristol (no.1680) in 1914. It too has survived into preservation and is currently (2020) on long term loan to Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway at Big Pit, Blaenavon. The tall building behind Sir John is the Mountain Ash Workmen's Club, which still survives. The station platforms in the foreground are those of the closed Mountain Ash (Cardiff Road) station of the former Vale of Neath Railway.

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