Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Some broken records and repairs . . .

	The numerous coal trucks belonging to the various colliery and railway companies were built and maintained by a number of engineering concerns locally. However, it seems that the trucks were sometimes subject to abuse as this image shows! I bet the tipper had a roasting over this mishap.

Grandfather, Frederick Riden was the engineer owner of the Taff Wagon Company Limited of Ferry Road, Cardiff and the company specialised in the repair and manufacture of rolling stock to meet the growing export demand for coal.

Just before the 1914–18 war, the South Wales ports handled 45 to 50 million tons of traffic per year, of which, nearly 40 million tons was coal. The only practical way to transport 40 million tons from the collieries to the quaysides was using purpose designed railway trucks; in total there were an amazing number of trucks to manufacture and maintain considering that the average truck capacity was 10 tons; so that would require about four million return journeys!

	Above and left are two almost identical postcard views from around the zenith of the coal trade in 1913 with a number of enlargements to show in greater detail the activity at the Penarth Dock at the time.