Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - 1906 - A Visit to Penarth Dock. (Taff Vale Railway) . . .

While the luncheon was in progress rain commenced to fall heavily, but at the conclusion of the speech-making the visitors, in spite of the adverse weather, migrated by means of the dock subway to a spot where a large vessel was being loaded by four of the moveable coal tips, simultaneously, and many remained for a considerable time, braving the elements, interested spectators of the operations. It will be remembered that illustrated particulars of the methods employed in loading coal at Penarth Dock appeared in the Railway Magazine for July, 1904.

The history of Penarth Dock, which is leased to the Taff Vale Railway, is not without interest. The first dock constructed in the Port of Cardiff was what is now known as the West Dock. Parliamentary sanction for its construction was obtained by the then Marquis of Bute in 1830 ; but it was not opened until 1840. In the meantime (1836), the Taff Vale Railway was incorporated, and obtained power to construct a railway from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff, with a branch to Cogan Pill, on the river Ely, the exact site of the present Penarth Dock. The construction of Lord Bute's dock and the Taff Vale Railway's main line to Cardiff, proceeded simultaneously, and were completed about the same time ; but the branch to Cogan Pill was never made, and in 1846 an arrangement was come to with Lord Bute, under which the Taff Vale Railway agreed to abandon it altogether in consideration of getting access to his dock at Cardiff. Lord Bute's object in entering into this arrangement was to secure that all coal brought to the port from his mineral property, would be shipped at his own dock ; the advantage to be gained by the Taff Vale Railway was not so clear.

They undertook (1), to construct a branch line to Lord Bute's new dock ; (2), to take a lease, at a heavy rental of a large part of the east side of the dock ; (3), to construct thereon staiths and other coal shipping appliances ; (4), to abandon their own powers to construct a line to Cogan Pill, where coal could have been shipped as readily as at Cardiff ; and (5), to cause and procure all shipment traffic carried over their railway to be " shipped or unshipped " at Lord Bute's dock, or in default to pay the dues as if such traffic actually used the dock.

Probably the Railway's advisers thought they were securing the exclusive right to ship coal at Cardiff, seeing that Lord Bute had not himself constructed any coal shipping appliances whatever. They were soon undeceived. . . .