56040 Oystermouth leaves Tower Colliery on 21 October 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 'Faulty Tower' railtour. As can be guessed from the tour's name, this was the highlight of the day, with the train having been brought up the branch from Abercynon by 33116 & 33109. The train had started from Paddington. The loading terminal in the background marked the end of the line, although this formerly carried on to Neath. Tower Colliery was situated a little to the south, feeding the loading terminal by conveyor. When it closed in 2008, it was the last deep coal mine in South Wales. It could also claim to be the longest continuously worked coal mine in the UK. |