Horse Drawn Trains

There were two types of passenger carriage used on horse drawn trains. The picture on the left shows a service coach in the 1870's which was full.

The picture below right shows a long open coach. Notice the top-hats which were worn by many of the passengers.

The speeds of these trains were recorded as 4 mph (miles per hour). Horse drawn trains remained on the Mumbles Railway until 1896.

Did you know that Mr. Arthur Jones was knocked down by a horse drawn Mumbles Train in 1864? He claimed not to have heard neither the 'clatter of the train nor the shouts of the driver'. Unfortunately, he later died from his injuries.

The change from horse-drawn to steam trains did cause anxiety. It was thought that the idea of a noisy, speeding steam locomotive through the streets would frighten people and horses.

This cartoon appeared in the weekly 'Swansea Boy'. It shows three important people, Mr. L.L. Dillwyn, M.P., Mr. H.H. Vivian, M.P. and the Mayor, Dr. Rogers, obstructing the proposed steam locomotives.

Did you know that on Saturday, July 22nd, 1826, Simon Llewellyn placed an advert in 'The Cambrian' newspaper advertising the following prices for travelling on his 'Tram-Road Car' ?
The charges were displayed as follows:

To and from the Mumbles......1s 9d (about 9p)
To or from the Mumbles.........0s 9d (about 4p)

This was a reduction in charges in an attempt to make the passenger service more popular.