The Mumbles, or Y Mwmbwls in Welsh, are two small islands off the south coast of Wales. The name has also been given to a small fishing village on the mainland, although the village is really called Oystermouth.
The First Mumbles Train
In 1804 a track was laid along the shore of Swansea Bay and the Mumbles train carried limestone from a quarry at Mumbles to the docks at Swansea (Rogers, 2000). The train in those days was a carriage that ran along iron tracks, but was pulled by a horse. The limestone carrying train started running in 1806 and a year later one of the investors in the line, Benjamin French, proposed a passenger service and converted one of the carriages to carry people. The carriage would hold 16 people, run twice a day and cost one shilling (about 7 cents). The service was first called the Oystermouth Railway, later to become the Swansea and Mumbles Railway. Locally, it was known by the delightful title of the Mumbles Train. The first passengers were carried on the line on March 25, 1807.
An Early Recommendation
In 1809 Elisabeth Isabella Spence, writer of novels and travel books, rode the train and had this to say of it.
“I have never spent an afternoon with more delight than the one exploring the romantic scenery at Oystermouth (Mumbles). I was conveyed there in a carriage of singular construction built for the conveniency of parties who go hence to Oystermouth to spend the day. This car contains twelve persons and is constructed chiefly of iron, its four wheels run on an iron railway by the aid of one horse, and the whole carriage is an easy and light vehicle.” (Rogers, 2000)
In 1825 a road was built along the shoreline and people lost interest in the Mumbles Train. The horse-drawn service stopped but was resumed again in 1855 by George Byng Morris. By this time the habit of taking a day trip to the coast was firmly established and open top carriages were available. Groups of teachers and policemen would take a carriage and enjoy the journey as well a day at the beach.
Steam Powered Mumbles Trains
When the idea of the railway was first conceived, steam power was being used for industrial purposes but was not thought suitable for locomotive use. However, the far-sighted investors in the Mumbles railway had included the employment of mechanical power in their application for permission to build the five-mile railway. At one point French tried attaching a sail to the carriage to take advantage of the winds blowing from the sea.
In 1877 the first steam locomotive appeared on the Mumbles line, at first scaring both people and horses, and by 1896 the horse drawn train had gone for good. In 1902 a battery powered tram was tried but there was not enough power to make the journey on the crude batteries of the time.
The line continued, with technology increasing steadily and, by 1929, 104 electric tram cars with overhead power cables were running on the Mumbles Railway. In 1954 there was a celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of the first passenger railway, but in 1960 the Mumbles line had its last run and the railway was closed down. The tracks were torn up, and railway enthusiasts mourn its passing to this day.
Sources
- Rogers, P., (2000), The Mumbles Train - World's first railway service:
- The Mumbles Train Remembered, Swansea Library:
Sally Anne Lewis - Sally has master's degrees in science and journalism, is fascinated to a degree in most things. Always something to learn.
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