Radyr, Cardiff

Radyr is the northern terminus of the Cardiff City Line, and apparently is a very well used station today. It was built in 1863 by the Taff Vale Railway, originally named Penarth Junction. My first visit in 1990 revealed it to be a location still very much influenced by the past, with some splendid GWR signalling on display, although the signal box dated from 1957, and was therefore a relatively modern (and ugly!) structure. Nevertheless, the signals made great props to work into photos. Radyr yard was always about coal, and right up until closure in the 1990s was dispatching coal, including a weekly train to Exmouth Junction via the ex-Southern route from Yeovil to Exeter, a train I often observed. Today the semaphores have all gone, and the station is now a busy commuter hub with three platforms.