| Merthyr Tramroad | |
|---|---|
 The Merthyr Tramroad, around 1910 | |
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | Penydarren Tramroad |
| Status | Ceased operation |
| Service | |
| Type | Single-track plateway |
| Rolling stock | Wood strapped with iron |
| History | |
| Commenced | 1800 |
| Completed | 1802 |
| Closed | After 1851 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 9.75 mi (15.69 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) |
The Merthyr Tramroad (sometimes referred to as the Penydarren Tramroad due to its use by Trevithick's locomotive, built at the ironworks) was a 9.75-mile-long (15.69 km) line that opened in 1802, connecting the private lines belonging to the Dowlais and Penydarren Ironworks with the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon, also serving the Plymouth Ironworks along the way. It is famous as the line, on which Richard Trevithick's experimental locomotive hauled the first train to carry a load (of 10 tons of iron). It was largely superseded when the Taff Vale Railway opened in 1841, and sections gradually went out of use over two decades, from about 1851.