Introduction to photo archive by Brian Mills

"The idea of photographing the permanent way, generally as seen by the ganger on track, seemed the perfect way to amass a photo-archive of both, lifted and active railway lines in the South Wales and selected other areas of BR Western Region and successors. From this, it will be appreciated how much effort went into creating the routes in the first place and subsequently the high level of maintenance that was and is required not only to keep the track, bridges, tunnels and viaducts fit for purpose but also keep the lineside clear of vegetation.

The earlier records of South Wales permanent way in this library, show that as branches were shut down, miles of track had only just been re-ballasted and the 6ft-way, cesses, embankments and cuttings were in pristine condition and a credit to the Per Way gangs, although on many rural routes there were speed restrictions, pending track renewal. The lines that remained, soon succumbed to less maintenance as staffing was reduced and so, many cuttings became almost enveloped in overhanging trees as the steam fleet disappeared, thus reducing fire risk to lineside vegetation in hot summer periods.

This historical survey also includes some locomotive shots and a large cross-section of fast disappearing GWR/BRWR semaphore signal assemblies and ancillary equipment used for the safe passage of trains, signalling adding a touch of colour to a generally brown and green landscape. Many features and the development of certain heritage railways are also included.

Initially, times and dates of photographs were not recorded, the earliest shots being taken with cheap cameras, starting in about 1959 but after 1963, serious thought was given to noting the time, date and wherever possible, the exact locations in miles and chains. The latter feature has proved to be no easy task since some of the lines surveyed, bore no mileposts and those that did, meant that the photo location had to be assessed by estimated distance from a milepost and possibly confirmed later. Establishing the Engineers' Line References (ELRs) was another task necessary to give this historic record a professional edge.

Were it not for the kind assistance of Area Managers of the former British Railways, Western Region and later, certain Permanent Way Maintenance Engineers of the new order of the nationalised network, with some influence of the former South Wales Permanent Way Institution's Section Secretaries on my behalf, it would have not been possible to achieve this massive photo-library by direct access to the track, generally unassisted, and so personal safety was of prime importance.

With such backing, up to 1992, line surveys were made, having the necessary insurance and working knowledge, which satisfied the BR Board, and access to probably 80% of the recorded content, was possible. The remainder has been achieved by access to public overbridges, railway foot-crossings and of late (2006), by accompanied Network Rail/Contract staff overseeing permanent way remodelling of infrastructure. More recently, some of the records have been asked for by Contract or Network Rail Per Way staff where it was known that their own officials were not fully covering an entire project's progress by way of photography.

In Wales, with nearly all public information now being printed in English and Welsh, spellings of place names has been influenced so some may appear different from that which one is accustomed to.

I must thank Philip Toogood for his IT skills in putting this work into a macro-linked computer format and I dedicate the work to Network Rail PW Staff and the Permanent Way Institution who I have had the honour to be associated with for over 43 years."

Brian Mills, Hon. Life Member, PWI South & West Wales Section. September 2006