the valley from the Rhymney Railway's equivalent. Passenger stations on the B&MR section of this route were now Rhymney, New Tredegar, Bargoed, Pengam, Maesycwmmer, Bedwas, Machen, Church Road, Rhiwderin, and Bassaleg. This part of the B&MR was detached by ten miles from the section towards Brecon, running down the east side of the Rhymney River, opposite the Rhymney Railway itself on the west side. Financial danger The company's trains were being worked by Thomas Savin and John Ward, who paid the proprietors 5% on their capital, but early in 1866 [or 1865] the contractor failed. Suddenly the B&MR was unable to deal with its own financial commitments and it starting to miss debenture payments, and the Company went into administration. This meant that it was unable to complete the Merthyr branch, and the restrictive clauses in its Acts meant that it oriented from opening the line through to Newport. In 1868 and again in 1870 financial arrangements were made with creditors, which enabled the company to carry on; debentures were converted to debenture stock and the company was enabled to continue. Completing to Merthyr, Dowlais and Newport Finishing the line to Merthyr was the obvious priority, and Alexander Sutherland was commissioned to find a means to do so. The obstruction hitherto had been the objection of the Crawshay Estate to the line coming through the grounds of Cyfarthfa Castle. Sutherland redesigned the route further west avoiding the Estate. This was at the expense of much difficulty of engineering, and of operation later. The line was opened in part, from Pontsticill to Cefn, on 1 August 1867. The new line joined the Vale of Neath Railway line at Rhydycar Junction, immediately south of Merthyr station, opening on 1 August 1868. The VoNR station at Merthyr was used. This now released the legal obstruction to the opening to Newport; the part of this from Pant to Dowlais Top had opened on 1 August 1867, and from Dowlais Top to Pengam was opened on 1 September 1868. Three trains ran daily from Brecon to Newport Dock Street. This section from Dowlais to Pengam ran through the Bargoed Rhymney Valley. Both the B&MR and the Rhymney Railway had wished to build a line through this, but the defile near Bargoed made that physically impossible and at length a compromise was reached: the Rhymney Railway would build up from Bargoed to Deri Junction, and the