SEPARATE ‘JELLICOE’ WAYS

Rob Langham’s article on the ‘Jellicoe Specials’ (SR486) covered much previously unexplored ground. He quite rightly confirms the pivotal role of Pontypool Road as the despatch point for the trains of the Welsh coal which the Royal Navy so desperately needed. Some coal found its way over the Merthyr-Brecon line, thence to Shrewsbury and beyond.

However, when I lived near Swansea some 50 years ago, local people were strongly of the opinion that the ‘Specials’ also traversed the Neath-Brecon line.

The reason for the movement of coal from the western part of the coalfield was that the Navy also used anthracite. This seems unusual, as anthracite is not known as a steam coal, but it burns hot, it’s dust-free and it’s smokeless. Excessive smoke was always a problem for the Navy.

Nevertheless, both lines were steeply graded using small locomotives and it’s likely that quantities of coal would have been low; they would have been phased out when oil became the fuel of choice. Michael Jones, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire