DEVELOPMENT – FENCING (STEP 1.2.2)

Fencing (uploaded 8 January 2010)

We suspect that fencing is not something that makes the heart of the average person beat any faster, but it is a highly necessary component of every railway in the country, and indeed, has been since the dawn of railways. Oddly, it is only in the United Kingdom that there is a statutory requirement to totally enclose railway property within fences, but the PBR is undoubtedly a railway, and the statutes apply to us as much as they do any railway.

Since coal trains stopped travelling up and down to Big Pit in 1980 that fences have gradually fallen into disrepair, been taken down, fallen down and in some cases have even been built over. On the extension part of the line it has almost become embedded into the local psyche that the railway track is where people walk their dogs – and even ride their horses, despite a perfectly adequate leisure path running alongside for the very vast majority of the length of the line. There is also a common, but mistaken, impression that we operate only at weekends, so that walking on even that part of the line , from Furnace Sidings up to Whistle Inn, is somehow OK.

The PBRCo is facing a challenge in how to gently convince people otherwise, without alienating our faithful supporters in Blaenavon and Forgeside, that walking on the track constitutes an act of criminal trespass, is dangerous, and will become increasingly so as time goes by. This is because larger and larger numbers of works trains and soon passenger trainswill be going up and down the line at all sorts of odd times. The line is steep, and presents a variety of problems to our drivers. Mercifully, visibility is good, but there is one point, just south of Forgeside bridge where there is a blind spot, and drivers have received special instructions on how to cope with the problem. However, and despite our trains having good brakes, a train coming down hill can slip on greasy rails. Most of our train weigh in the order of 200 tons, and the results of someone being in the way are too awful to even think about.

So, we have to have fences.

After at least a decade with no new fences built by PBR, we did manage to enclose the outside sidings to inside the main site at Furnace Sidings in 2008, but it wasn’t till early December 2009 that Step 1.2 fencing, was started. It was always the intention to leave fencing till late in the project, partly because we needed external access to the track, but more importantly, because there is a chronic problem with fences due to vandal damage, and we wanted to reduce the window during which damage could occur before the inspector came to visit and the railway was opened.

The first contract is well under way on a cold 3 December 2009. The low winter sun casts a shadow of the railway embankment over the work and makes the work, not only cold, but hard to see. This first contract was for about 185mof fence between Bridge 16 (Cycleway) and Bridge 17 (Doncaster’ stream), plus a few complex details on both sides of the line at Bridge 17. The posts are already in, and the fence mesh is being rolled into place. 0611 – 3 Dec 09

From the top of the embankment the turn in the run closes to Bridge 17. This area has been made rather more complex by TCBC in early 2010 who have run a proper path and kissing gate immediately to the right of the fence. Bridge 17 is seen to the left. 0614 – 10 Apr 10

By early April it was time to start the fencing work in earnest – it has already been delayed by funding difficulties and bad weather, but the opening of the extension was only months away…

Here an extra fence has been laid extending from Forgeside direct to Blaenavon (High Level) station. It was established by the LNWR as back as 1872, as a railway footpath, but is not a public Right of Way. We were anxious to retain this bit of history and to serve the local community, but the fence is a consequence of more modern legislation. 1117 – 10 Apr 10

Whilst the crossing on the rails is properly described under the ‘Trackwork’ section of development, we were in a bit of a quandary over where we should describe this. Ultimately, as will be seen shortly, ’Fencing’ seemed appropriate. So – here is the tarmac covered path leading down to, and across, the crossing 1118 – 10 Apr 10

At Glantorfaen Crossing, here’s the fencing marching off in the direction of Bridge 18 (Forgeside Road), the black deck of which can be seen peeping between the posts in the far distance. 1129 – 10 Apr 10

And here, just to complete the set is the view across the line in the opposite direction towards the last few houses of Upper Glantorfaen Terrace 1123 – 10 Apr 10

Rather out of sequence, here is the southern end of the ‘Contract A’ fence work from early December 2009 as it approaches Bridge 17 (Doncaster’s Culvert). PBR’s fence is on the left, with our line, on its embankment, behind it. TCBCs new path, laid some months later now dominates the scene, and continues south into woods of silver birch and reed filter ponds. 1129 – 10 Apr 10

This is the scene from the southern face of Bridge 18 (Forgeside Road) looking towards Railway Terrace. As noted elsewhere, this is an area which represents a significant hazard to trespassers – especially children running across the tracks from the terrace. This is because the clearance by the far abutment is tight, and children cannot be seen till the last moment. For this reason secure (but ugly) palisade fencing has perforce, been employed here. The ‘leak’ at the far left end of this fence was cured a few days later. 1163 – 22 Apr 10

Modern safety regulations demand increasingly complex ways of handling passengers at the end ramps of platforms, and there is a difficult balance to strike between satisfying the regulations and preserving heritage appeal. Here some spear fencing is being prepared for planting. . Fencing anoraks may like to know that this appears to be Barry Railway fencing not GWR fencing, although it its final days Barry Railway fencing was used all over the GWR in South Wales 1227 – 9 May 10

Here is not very good view of the fence, now planted, and painted black. Gates and other complications are required to complete the job, and this image provides evidence that both the foot crossing and the sand drag are complete, although some tidying up around the crossing is required. 1238 – 15 May 10

Back again at Glantorfaen Crossing we see that the stock fencing has given rise to flanks of ranch fencing and a necessary but rather ugly galvanized steel gate. 1242 – 15 May 10

Taking a few steps further back onto the cycletrack we can see both sides of the track. The signs are not exactly pretty but were sufficient to satisfy the inspector. They, and the gate, can be tidied up later, for example, the ‘trespass’ sign could be made smaller. The nearside gate need hi-viz paint in parts as it opens onto the cycletrack, and both would benefit from being painted black. Additionally arrangements have to be made to ensure that the gates are self-closing. 1243 – 15 May 10

…and that is the story of the fencing up to the point at which the route was approved for use by the inspector. However there is still some tidying up work to do, and photos of other part of the line’s fencing ‘to do’. Perhaps most important from the visual standpoint is the installation of heavy LNWR-pattern fencing along the back of the platform at Blaenavon (High Level) , so a further upload on this fencing page seems likely in the not too distant future.

Click HERE to return to Main Development page