Cathays railway works

Cathays railways works was a development started by the Taff Vale Railway to provide its main carriage and wagon works, as well as its main railway depot for the entire TVR system. Taken over by the Great Western Railway, after nationalisation under British Railways they sold off the carriage and wagon works to the Pullman Company Ltd.

Today, both the site of the railway depot and the carriage and wagon works have been redeveloped, mainly with buildings and commercial activities associated with the University of Cardiff.

History

The site was just north of Cathays railway station, as the line headed towards Llandaf railway station, in the Cathays suburb of Cardiff.

Railway Depot

Ex-GWR Collett-designed GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2T No.6682 simmers in April 1951, outside the fomer TVR railway depot at Cathays

Located on the southside of the tracks to the carriage and wagon works, parallel to Colum Road, it was the largest depot on the TVR. Opened in 1884, it was equiped with a five-road shed and an attached five-road repair shop, each under its own bay built from local brick. The roofs were to a similar pattern, each with extensive glazing on both faces. The GWR had supplied a standard-pattern over-grider 55 feet (17 m) pattern railway turntable, which was never extended as it could cope with the tank engines allocated to the site.

Designated by the GWR as the divisional shed of the Cardiff Valleys Division, under the Loans and Guarantees Act (1929): the track layout was improved; a new corrugated roof installed; and a new ramp added to the GWR standard-pattern single-road coaling stage.

By 1950 under British Railways, the combined depots of Cathays and Radyr (Code:88A), had a compliment of 82 locomotives, all tank-types: 2x2-8-2T; 62x0-6-2T; 15x0-6-0T; 3x0-4-2T. In 1959 the shed was divided to cope with the introduction of diesel multiple units. In 1961 the shed closed to steam, and all steam locomotives were moved to Radyr. The shed closed completely in November 1964, with the opening of the newly diesel-redeveloped Cardiff Canton TMD. Shortly afterwards the site was cleared for redevelopment.

Present

The site today, 15 September 2007. To the left is Colum Drive, marking the site of the earlier demolished Cathays depot. To the right is a Lidl store, a later development on the site of the former carriage and wagon works. Beyond the store is a newly developed student accomodation block

The site of the former depot was left as scrub land until the late 1980s, when redevelopment start with the creaton of the new Colum Drive, which runs parallel and adjacent to the railway line. Most of the land was redeveloped with buildings and activities associated with the University of Cardiff.

The former carriage and wagon works buildings were still in existance until the early 2000s, when they too were demolished. The site now houses a new kit-built Lidl store, and to its north a student accomodation block.