Cathays Railway Works

Cathays railways works was a railway engineering development by the Taff Vale Railway to provide its main carriage and wagon works, as well as its main railway depot for the entire TVR system, located in the Cathays suburb of Cardiff, South Wales. Taken over by the Great Western Railway, after nationalisation under British Railways they sold off the carriage and wagon works to the Pullman Company Ltd. Today, both the site of the railway depot and the carriage and wagon works have been redeveloped, mainly with buildings and commercial activities associated with the University of Cardiff. HistoryThe original locomotive works and drawing offices of the TVR were located in the West Yard of Cardiff Docks, co-located there so that use could be made of the local boiler makers skills. However, the TVR towards the end of the 19th century found it commercially advantageous to outsource the heavy industrialised work of building locomotives. Hence the West Yard facility became a heavy overhaul shop, something which the GWR on inheriting the TVR didn't change, as they had access to the Caerphilly railway works of the former-Rhymney Railway. The last locomotive to be built at West Yard was the power unit for No. 1 steam railcar, in 1903.

Cathays railways works was a railway engineering development by the Taff Vale Railway to provide its main carriage and wagon works, as well as its main railway depot for the entire TVR system, located in the Cathays suburb of Cardiff, South Wales. Taken over by the Great Western Railway, after nationalisation under British Railways they sold off the carriage and wagon works to the Pullman Company Ltd. Today, both the site of the railway depot and the carriage and wagon works have been redeveloped, mainly with buildings and commercial activities associated with the University of Cardiff. HistoryThe original locomotive works and drawing offices of the TVR were located in the West Yard of Cardiff Docks, co-located there so that use could be made of the local boiler makers skills. However, the TVR towards the end of the 19th century found it commercially advantageous to outsource the heavy industrialised work of building locomotives. Hence the West Yard facility became a heavy overhaul shop, something which the GWR on inheriting the TVR didn't change, as they had access to the Caerphilly railway works of the former-Rhymney Railway. The last locomotive to be built at West Yard was the power unit for No. 1 steam railcar, in 1903.