The Wales & Borders Railway

The Wales & Borders Railway, story 24: Down the Pits

Based off the Senghenydd Mining Disaster in 1913, Wales

One morning on the Wales & Borders Railway, Barry was chatting to the others before going to Cardiff to work the first train to Ystrad Mynach, "Do you remember what happened back in the early 90s?" The others were intrigued. We go down Memory Lane to the year 1910, back in a small town in Caerphilly, before Mr Griffiths was a railway director, there were 5 locomotives that worked in Senghenydd, there was a colliery, which was located in in the Aber Valley. Started in 1891, it became a ventilation facility for the in 1928 before complete closure in 1988. The controller of the railway back then was a man named Mr Kelley, he was really kind and was responsible for the trains and coal wagons that travel through the shafts of the colliery, he had 5 locomotives pulling passenger and freight around the rails of Caerphilly. There was one tank engine numbered 5239, he was named a GWR 4575 'Small Prairie' called Goliath who pushes and pulls the coal wagons through the shafts, its driver is Tony Walsh and its fireman is Sean Lloyd. Goliath would enter the pits at the start of they're shift shining green, and left the pits all black with coal dust. "I'd like for you to take some Davy lamps in a small truck down to the supply yard in Shaft A" Mr Kelley asked Tony, "Yes sir" he answered politely, they took 21 Davy lamps down for the men, but there was a very strong gas lingering around Shaft A and a little bit in Shaft B.

The men lit the candles in their Davy lamps, then entered the shaft, and BOOOOM!!!, the little flame in their lamps caused the mine to explode. The roof had caved in and trapped several men, 81 of 82 miners were killed in this heartbreaking accident. The owner of the pit didn't care a bit about what happened in the pit, he just wanted the money. "The only miner who survived, will never forget this day, it will be one of those memories that'll never slip his mind", explained Sean to the several yard managers of the pit. The colliery was closed the next day, and was rebuilt not long after, miner John Walters was starting his day down the pits, at the start of each day Tony and Goliath took the miners into the pit via a brake van, they went in with their pick axes and a shovel for coal, whilst Tony entered again with some empty wagons. The gas was still bad in the shafts. John was with his best friend Gruff, he was holding a long metal rod against the long wire cable, which was the alarm, if metal touches the wire it makes a spark.

I'm sad to say Gruff's son Jimmy had held his shovel handle against the wire, it caused a huge spark and the gas had mixed with the spark, which caused a huge explosion, the miners were shocked & scared they went rushing in the lift and out the pit, but the miners at the far end of Shaft C, were in deep deep trouble, the whole of Shaft B has burst into flames, miners in Shaft C were trapped, they went to escape but the gas and flames was hitting 'em, 439 miners were unfortunately killed, John Walters was in tears his best friend Gruff and son Jimmy, were killed in the accident, "I'm going in there after them", Tony declared, as he entered the shaft, the gas didn't like the flame in his firebox, which made the fire worse, every miner that survived was out except for Goliath and Tony, luckily the crew had gas masks in the cab, he made it out of the pit as the roof had collapsed and blocked the track, unfortunately Goliath wasn't able to make it out, due to the entrance of the pit, trapping Goliath and its train in the pits. The little GWR 5205 Class 'Small Prairie' was unfortunately never seen again.

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