Brecon and Merthyr Railway - Tunnels

Tunnels

To develop routes into and through the rugged South Wales landscape, it was forced to construct two tunnels:

• The Torpantau tunnel through the Beacons was 666 yards (609 m) long, and reached by a three mile (5 km) ascent. Exiting from the tunnel, the line descended along the side of Glyn Collwyn (now flooded to form a reservoir) to the River Usk at Talybont, and thence to Brecon. At an elevation of 1313ft, it was the highest above sea level anywhere in Britain.

• A second tunnel was situated at Talyllyn located about 5 miles (8.0 km) to the east of Brecon, just after Talyllyn Junction, (with the Cambrian railway). This tunnel is 674 yards (616 m) long, and was originally built in 1816 for the Hay Railway (see above); it survived long enough to become the oldest in regular use on Britain's railways.