Popularity of The Line

In 1893, the Mumbles Railway was extended to Southend. Previously the terminus was at Oystermouth. The extension to the Mumbles was completed in 1898. This made the Mumbles railway very popular with day trippers and tourists who visited Mumbles Pier.

Did you know that the Mumbles Pier was originally going to be made from stone? It was to carry a railway track so that the Mumbles Train could run to the end of the pier. The plan was never carried out.

The popularity of the Mumbles Railway at the turn of the century can clearly be seen from these pictures. On the left is a picture taken in 1900 near the Bay View Hotel at St. Helen's. The picture on the right shows the train at Southend sometime between 1893 and 1898.

Notice the fashions, the telegraphs posts, the railway signals, the signal box, the advertisements and the early car!

Did you know that cartoons were published that showed just how popular the Mumbles Train really was? Sometimes they were so full that passengers had to hold on to the sides of the carriages.

The train arriving at the Mumbles Pier (on the left below) apparently carried a record number of passengers. It was estimated that as many as 1,800 people were carried on this train in a single journey!

On the right below can be seen large crowds arriving at the Mumbles Pier during the Edwardian Era (1901-1910). Notice the Pier Hotel and the glass pavilion in the background.

Did you know that on Monday, 2nd August 1913, the railway carried 48,000 passengers?
Could this be a local record?

This was the scene at the Mumbles Pier during the Edwardian Era. The picture on the left shows a concert being held at the bandstand at the end of the pier. The picture on the right illustrates the architecture and fashions of the period.

Did you know that many types of entertainment could be seen during a visit to the Mumbles Pier?
Perhaps the most unusual was the 'aquatic display by Thomason, the one legged diver and W. Doharty, the accomplished ornamental swimmer'.