Rhyddiaith – 'Back on Track'

'Back on Track'

My fond relationship with a Railway line by Hedley McCarthy

As a small boy I can remember travelling to Barry Island, Bristol Zoo and to my Great Aunt’s in Farrington Gurney, a Somerset village by train from Cwm. I can still recall the excitement, the gathering on the platform as the train came hissing and whistling into Cwm station. In those days there was a combination of old steam trains and the new diesel trains operating. It is the smell of the steam trains that I find most nostalgic, a mixture of sulphur, smoke, wood and leather. The leather was from a strap that opened and closed the window. My mother would say “ close the window or you’ll get smuts in your eye”. Our first stop would be Aberbeeg, then an important junction for the Ebbw and Western Valleys.

I remember arriving at Barry Island, children chattering and laughing, their mothers prepared for the worst in “state of the art” polythene macs. Another memory is changing at Newport for Bristol and arriving at what seemed to me the biggest Railway Station in the World, Temple Meads. Teeming with passengers going this way and that, moustachioed porters that looked like the ones in my Christmas Annual. The livery of the Great Western Railway as smart as paint, shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

On one journey to visit my Grandmother’s Sister who lived opposite the little, wicket gated station of Farrington Gurney my father promised to buy me a watch for my sixth birthday if I could learn to tell the time by the time we arrived, I had my watch and my parents had some peace and quiet.

So you can imagine the great pride I felt when 46 years later as Leader of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council I boarded the first train at 6.35am from the new Ebbw Vale Parkway to Cardiff Central Station 6th February 2008. Also on board was Ieuan Wyn Jones Wales’ Deputy First Minister and my friend the late Harry Andres Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Pride turned to pleasure in April we opened Llanhilleth Parkway in my own ward and I was again on the first train from that station. It was also inspiring the day we took a special train to Cardiff with schoolchildren from Aberbeeg, Brynithel, Llanhilleth and Swffryd to Cardiff and each child was presented with commemorative mugs and baseball caps. A dinner was also hosted in Ebbw Vale for retired railwaymen who had once worked on the line.

Passenger numbers exceeded all expectations and it is expected that the original aspiration to link to Abertillery and Newport will be achieved.

There are those who take credit for the rebirth of the Ebbw Valley Railway, but the truth is My name is Legion - for we are many.

Mae ‘The Reshaping of British Railways’ yn cael ei alw'n “The Beeching Report” (Adroddiad Beeching), a ysgrifennwyd gan Dr Richard Beeching, Cadeirydd y Rheilffyrdd Prydeinig. O ganlyniad i'r adroddiad, tynnwyd dros 4,000 milltir o gledrau o rwydwaith y Rheilffyrdd Prydeinig. Roedd gwasanaeth teithwyr Rheilffordd Cwm Ebwy, a fu'n gweithredu ers yr 1850au, yn rhan o'r toriadau a wnaed gan Ernest Marples, y Gweinidog dros Drafnidiaeth yn Llywodraeth Geidwadol Harold MacMillan yn 1962.

Ynglŷn â'r gwaith hwn

Dyma gofnod hyfryd o deithiau trên Hedley gyda chysylltiad uniongyrchol rhwng plentyndod ac oedolaeth.

Mae'r hanner cyntaf yn atgof hiraethus o'r math o daith y bydd llawer ohonom yn gyfarwydd ag ef. Mae Hedley'n cyfleu ei gyffro plentynnaidd wrth weld y trên yn agosáu gan ‘hissing and whistling’, gyda'i ddisgrifiadau synhwyraidd gwych o'r stêm, a'r strapiau lledr ar y ffenestri y gellid eu hagor go iawn. Mae llais rhybuddiol ei fam yn torri drwy'r darluniau, gan greu darlun byw ohonynt yn y cerbyd trên wrth iddynt agosáu at Aberbîg. Caiff y disgrifiadau sy'n dilyn o Ynys y Barri, Casnewydd a Bristol Temple Meads eu hadrodd o safbwynt plentynnaidd brwdfrydig, llawn hiwmor a rhyfeddod, gyda'r porthorion yn Llyfr Mawr y Nadolig Hedley yn ‘smart as paint’ yn eu lifrai ‘shipshape’. Caiff y stori am y watsh ei hadrodd â hiwmor cynnil ac mae'n cysylltu'n daclus â'i fywyd fel oedolyn, a gallwn deimlo ei falchder a'i bleser wrth weld y rheilffordd yn cael ei hadfer yn llwyddiannus.

Cyflawniad y dylai'r gymuned gyfan ymfalchïo ynddo – fel y mae Hedley yn ei gydnabod yn raslon ar ddiwedd y gerdd.

Mae'r dudalen hon yn rhan o arddangosfa ar-lein Blaenau Gwent REACH.

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