Bryn Oer Tramroad

Gauge: 3ft 6in (1.06m)

The Bryn Oer Tramroad was constructed between September 1814 and April 1815 to connect the Bryn Oer coal patches and Trefil limestone quarries in the Brecon Beacons with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal at Talybont on Usk, about eight miles away. The tramroad ceased operating in 1865.

The Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal was built by iron masters and coal owners. The canal was constructed to carry goods from numerous ironworks and coal mines in the two counties.

The Bryn Oer Tramroad (sometimes Anglicised to Brinore) was constructed between September 1814 and April 1815 to connect the Bryn Oer coal patches and Trefil limestone quarries in the Brecon Beacons with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal at Talybont on Usk, about eight miles away. The Engineer (and a joint lessee) was George Overton of Llanelly near Crickhowell. He was also a partner in various coal and iron-ore mines.

The route of the Tramroad passes through the dramatic and scenic valleys of Talybont and Dyffryn Crawnon where in places the tramway was cut into sheer cliff faces. Horse-drawn wagons were pulled along a track which was secured to large stone sleeper-blocks. Many of these are still visible along sections of the tramway.

The Tramroad carried a variety of materials, but primarily coal from the Rhymney Valley into mid-Wales, and limestone from the southern quarries for agricultural improvement.

The usefulness of both the canal and tramroad lessened as the railway system spread. They began to go into decline in the 1830s and the tramroad ceased operating in 1865.