Volume Four - An Era of Change, Uncertainty, Depression & War - 1950 to early 1960's . . .

	The OS map published in 1955 with the sidings to the coal tips only partially indicated.

The catastrophic slump in the coal trade at Penarth was a fact and closure in 1936 confirmed this. Over at Cardiff only 1m tons was exported in 1946 in comparison with 10.7m tons in 1913. The second of our world wars was in fact the first oil war since the rush to oil, started by Churchill in 1911 had escalated both at home, and across the pond, throughout the "gas guzzling" States of America. The decline hit docks, transport, railways and right to the sources of the coal, the collieries and their communities who relied entirely upon the coal trade for their daily bread. The coal trade was dead in the 1930's at Penarth and within twenty years, the last shipment left Cardiff. It was all over.

	Some of the coal tips are still in use but they were all removed together with their associated sidings by 1955.
	A 1950 aerial view with the four masted "Passat" and "Pamir" at Penarth since the previous year. The sister ships represented the end of the era of sail since they were the last square-rigged commercial sailing ships in the World to sail the traditional routes via Cape Horn.