decauville1126
Active Member
Phil - re:Manod pm sent
Prototype PhilH's Industrial Railway Photos
- Thread starter PhilH
- Start date
Be interesting to see how well Dapol manage this livery ?
PhilH
Western Thunderer
The Oakeley Slate Quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog was claimed to be the largest slate mine in the world, and in terms of slate production the third largest producer after Penrhyn and Dinorwic. At the turn of the 20th Century it produced over 3,500 tons per month. However by the 1950s this had declined to only 5,500 tons per year and it continued declining through the 1960s when the following photos were taken. Underground mining ceased in 1969 and the quarry closed completely shortly after. It was subsequently reopened and worked for a time as an opencast quarry but without the use of rail transport.
View of the main office level from the top of the incline up to the next level. This was a powered incline on which waste was up-hauled on the left hand track for tipping, the right hand track being reserved for man riding. In the top left hand corner of the photo the main road from Blaenau Ffestiniog can be seen climbing up to the Crimea Pass.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.177598, a 27/32 hp loco built in 1935 and obtained from R&H in 1937. Presumably R&H had used it as a demonstrator and it was on display at the Royal Agricultural Show in Cairo, Egypt in February-March 1936.
Ruston locos were quite popular with slate quarries. They were fitted with a constant mesh gearbox so that one lever both selected and engaged the required gear. This meant that they could be operated by the driver standing alongside, useful when shunting or coupling up to wagons. In this view the top of the gear lever is just visible on the left of the cab opening, the handbrake is to the right and the lever on the inside of the cab front selects forward, neutral or reverse.
The man riding car at the bottom of the incline up to the second level. Behind are two rubbish wagons loaded with slate waste to be taken up the incline and on to the waste tip.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.182137 a 20hp loco supplied new to the quarry in 1936 on the second level with a train of loaded slate waste. The end of the incline winding house is in the left background.
View of the main office level from the top of the incline up to the next level. This was a powered incline on which waste was up-hauled on the left hand track for tipping, the right hand track being reserved for man riding. In the top left hand corner of the photo the main road from Blaenau Ffestiniog can be seen climbing up to the Crimea Pass.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.177598, a 27/32 hp loco built in 1935 and obtained from R&H in 1937. Presumably R&H had used it as a demonstrator and it was on display at the Royal Agricultural Show in Cairo, Egypt in February-March 1936.
Ruston locos were quite popular with slate quarries. They were fitted with a constant mesh gearbox so that one lever both selected and engaged the required gear. This meant that they could be operated by the driver standing alongside, useful when shunting or coupling up to wagons. In this view the top of the gear lever is just visible on the left of the cab opening, the handbrake is to the right and the lever on the inside of the cab front selects forward, neutral or reverse.
The man riding car at the bottom of the incline up to the second level. Behind are two rubbish wagons loaded with slate waste to be taken up the incline and on to the waste tip.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.182137 a 20hp loco supplied new to the quarry in 1936 on the second level with a train of loaded slate waste. The end of the incline winding house is in the left background.
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PhilH
Western Thunderer
View down the incline from the office level into the pit known as 'Sinc Fawr'. The level at the bottom of this incline was known as Level D and from here two inclines dropped down into the underground workings. To the right of the photo is the top of a table incline dropping into the opening in the rock face. The headframe at the top of this incline carried the operating cables over the landing to the winding house in the lower centre of the photo. Out of view to the right another incline descended into the mine on a slightly shallower gradient laid with narrow gauge track. The roof of the winding house is just visible in the bottom right hand corner of the photo.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.264252, a type 13DL 13hp loco built in 1952 on Level D. It was originally supplied through a dealer to the company's Votty & Bowydd Slate Quarry and transferred to Oakeley after the closure of that quarry in 1962.
A view of the summits of the two inclines into the underground workings. On the table incline in the foreground the wagons are carried on a horizontal platform running on rails of approx. 6ft. gauge. The operation of the incline is controlled from the cabin on the far side of the headframe. Beyond to the left is the conventional railed incline with three tracks, each track serving a different level. The chimney alongside the winding house is a reminder that the winding machinery was originally steam driven, but in 1906 the quarry was electrified with a power line over the mountain from the newly opened Cwm Dyli Power Station in Nant Gwynant.
A closer view of the table incline headframe
In April 1967 a friend arranged a trip underground at Oakeley, and during the course of the trip I did attempt a few photographs underground. Not surprisingly considering the use of a fairly basic camera and flash gun the results were fairly poor and I think only two are worth posting here.
The inclines followed the slope of the slate vein and the track on each level was carried over the inclines on a bridge. This is Level L with a connection off the far incline track connecting with the level track on a turntable. A couple of rubbish wagons are in the tunnel beyond. Along each level chambers would be opened out in the slate vein with pillars of unworked slate between to support the roof.
This is Level M with one incline track terminating on the level, the other incline tracks continue down under the bridge in the left foreground. A loaded slab wagon is prepared to ascend the incline and note the slab marked with the level letter and chamber number. Empty wagons arrive on the higher level track behind.
Horses were originally used for haulage on the level tracks underground, but only on the upper levels. Later for a period two diesel locos were used, but by 1967 individual wagons were propelled by hand.
PhilH
Western Thunderer
The view from above the tunnel mouth of the BR Conwy Valley Line at Blaenau Ffestiniog in March 1965. Prominent is the Oakeley Quarry viaduct which accessed a large tip on the left. The viaduct was built by the Welsh Slate Company, one of the three constituents of the Oakeley Quarry, when they had run out of available land on their side of the Afon Barlwyd for waste tipping. A slate mill was later built on top of the tip. The BR line passes under one span of the viaduct on a bridge over the Afon Barlwyd, while the former course of the Festiniog Railway passed under the other span, then continued to pass under the BR line to the bottom left hand corner of the photo to join an incline from Llechwedd Quarry. The siding off the BR line to the left served the Llechwedd Quarry wharf where slate was loaded into BR wagons or road transport. In the centre of the photo is the site of the sidings which once served the Oakeley Quarry, the entry point being partly within the tunnel. In 1933 Oakeley Quarry built a new narrow gauge line directly into the Blaenau Ffestiniog North Station goods yard, and the sidings at the tunnel mouth were lifted in June 1941. The new line crossed the viaduct then ran along the top of the tip to an incline on the far side, the drumhouse is just visible in the distance above the left hand end of the viaduct. From the foot of the incline the new line paralleled the BR line into the North Station goods yard. The viaduct and tip were removed in a landscaping scheme in the 1970s.
LNWR siding diagram showing the arrangements at the tunnel mouth
View on top of the viaduct looking back towards the quarry. In the centre of the photo is a line of empty slate wagons at the foot of the incline up to the main office level of the quarry. Just to the right of the incline foot is a small locomotive shed. Straight ahead in line with the viaduct is the entrance to a tunnel which emerged at the other end on the quarry's D Level in Sinc Fawr.
View on top of the tip towards the incline drumhouse with a 'half stub' point in the foreground. The BR line is just visible on the right.
The foot of the incline with the loco shed on the right.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.174139, a 27/32 hp loco supplied new to the quarry in 1935, photographed in the North Station goods yard in March 1965.
Braked and unbraked examples of the slate wagons built by the LNWR for their unsuccessful attempt to divert traffic carried by the Festiniog for shipment from Portmadoc to a new wharf built by the LNWR at Deganwy. The wagons were intended to be loaded in the quarries and then carried on standard gauge 'host' wagons to Deganwy where they could be unloaded directly into ships. A total of 250 were built of which 100 were fitted with brakes. They are similar to the Festiniog 2 ton slate wagons but the axleboxes carry the wording "LNW EARLESTOWN" and the solebars carry LMS number plates. The two lugs in the centre of the solebar were part of the arrangement for securing them on the host wagons.
Oakeley Quarry coal wagon no.3 in North Station yard in 1964. Its since been restored and is now on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Towyn. Shapeways do a 3D printed version of this wagon in 7mm scale.
PhilH
Western Thunderer
Mike,
While I recorded all manner of odd things unfortunately I didn't make a note of the wagon numbers. In the photo, which is the only real close up I've got of the LNWR wagons, the only numbers I can make out on the braked version are - 28??8 and the last possibly an 0.
On the unbraked version I think its 284288, but I'm not sure about the 4th number as it doesn't look like the first '2', so it may be a 3 or a 9 ?
The axleboxes are dated 1887, but there is another plate on the solebar with the middle word "Earlestown" and 188(9?) underneath, possibly the actual build date.
I didn't start developing my own b&w films until 1973, so the earlier ones were done commercially and tend to be a bit grainy so its not always possible to pick out the details. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Philip
PhilH
Western Thunderer
This is probably one of the most memorable photos I've ever taken, not so much for the content of the photo itself but more for the effort in getting up to where I actually took it from. A wistful reminder of the days when I had a pair of legs that worked reasonably well and enough stamina to spend a full day walking in the mountains of North Wales with all its up and downs, and believe me when you're exploring slate quarry railways there's an awful lot of ups and downs. The view is of the Croesor Valley taken from above the Rhosydd Quarry incline brake drum.
The route of the Croesor Tramway is marked by the light coloured line along the valley floor, now a rough vehicular track, leading to the small building which is the Blaenycwm hydroelectric power station. From there the tramway ascended the Blaenycwm incline towards the right edge of the photo with the remains of the drumhouse visible as the small triangular black shadow. The line then ran along a ledge hidden from view until it reached the 'Y' junction in the centre of the photo. Inclines then ascended up the hillside on the left to the Croesor Quarry and directly towards the camera to serve the Rhosydd Quarry. The edge of the landing at the top of the Rhosydd Incline is marked by the dark coloured grass and a small section of the trackbed can be seen to the left of the left hand buttress, this was 55 feet below the brakedrum. The band brake on the right hand end of the drum was worked by a lever connected by wire ropes to a wheel, like a ships wheel, on the landing worked by the brakeman.
Panoramic view of the incline with the 'Y' junction at the bottom left hand corner. The incline ascends in a curve following the contour of the hillside with the steepest gradient approaching the summit estimated at 1 in 0.97. The location of the brakedrum is marked with the yellow arrow. From the incline head the tramway ran on a ledge off the photo to the right towards the quarry.
View looking up at the brakedrum from the incline top landing. The unusual siting of the drum was due to the steepness of the incline at its summit and the narrow ledge which formed the landing. On the landing the two incline tracks joined at a turntable where wagons were turned through 90 degrees, then entered a loop to cater for full and empty wagons before continuing along the mountainside to the quarry.
View along the trackbed looking towards the incline. The trackbed was formed on a ledge cut out of the mountainside on one side and supported partly on dry stone walls on the other. Apart for a short section which has subsided near the incline head its still in excellent condition. The incline and tramway were designed by C.E.Spooner, engineer to the Festiniog Railway.
Leaving the end of Cwm Croesor the tramway crosses the saddle between Cwm Croesor and Cwmorthin on low stone embankments in a long sweeping S curve towards the quarry, just off the photo to the right. Motive power along this section of the tramway was always a horse.
Rhosydd Quarry was situated above the end of Cwmorthin and quarry output was originally carried by pack horse down to the Festiniog Railway at Tan-y-Grisiau. Cwmorthin would have been the logical route for a tramway connection to the quarry but this was opposed by the Cwmorthin Quarry which owned the land at the entrance to the valley. So instead the quarry built the tramway over the saddle between Cwmorthin and Cwm Croesor and connected to the newly laid Croesor Tramway in 1864.
PhilH
Western Thunderer
Approaching the quarry along the trackbed. The ruined buildings in the centre of the photo were the workshops and stores, the main adit giving access to the underground workings is out of view behind. To the left are the barracks where the men stayed during the working week and the open area nearer the camera was occupied by the large slate mill. After the quarry was abandoned some small scale working was carried out on the surface from 1949 to 1954, producing slates from slabs extracted from the walls of the main mill and resulting in the destruction of what remained of the mill building.
A closer view of the barracks with a few remaining items that the scrapmen missed - a waste wagon body and set of wheels, and of course the inevitable sheep.
This unremarkable looking hole in the ground was actually the main adit - Level 9, some 740 yards long through which most of the slate produced by the quarry emerged from the underground workings. Wagons were hauled through the adit on a 3 rail track system by an endless rope driven by a waterwheel outside the entrance. Halfway along the tunnel widened to accommodate a passing loop with 4 rails. Trains of about 12 wagons were assembled at each end of the line and attached to the rope by a special wagon with a clamp underneath to grip the rope known as a 'Megryn'. The rope was set in motion and after all the slack had been taken out of the couplings a second Megryn at the rear of the train was then clamped to the cable to avoid any runaways. The trains then ran unattended through the adit passing each other midway at the passing loop. A reconstructed Megryn is on display at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway's museum in Portmadoc. The incline alongside served the earlier upper levels of the quarry which were abandoned after the underground workings continued below Level 9.
The upturned remains of a slab wagon, known locally as a 'sled'.
Unusually for a slate quarry, single flanged wheels were used for the internal wagons at Rhosydd. Maybe the 3 rail system with its passing loop in Adit 9 ruled out the usual double flanged wheels.
The quarry closed for production in 1930 but was kept on a care and maintenance basis in case of possible reopening until 1948. During that period the incline and tramway were used only to bring in fuel oil for the pumps draining the underground workings, the wagons loaded with oil being balanced on the incline going up with wagons loaded with waste slate going down. This lasted until 1944 and for the last few years the fuel oil was brought in by road transport via Cwmorthin. In 1948 the pumps were switched off, the underground workings abandoned and most of the track removed.
Rhosydd is well known today by cave explorers with a through route through the underground workings from Croesor Quarry, involving along the way a trip across flooded quarry chambers in a rubber dinghy - I did enjoy exploring old quarry workings, but I think I'd pass on that one !
A detailed history of the quarry by M.J.T.Lewis and J.H.Denton was published by the Cottage Press of Shrewsbury in 1974.
Nigel Cliffe
Western Thunderer
Thanks for posting the photos of "THE ECLIPSE". I've a N/2mm body example I built a while ago from an N-Brass etch, along with a couple of wagons. The photos have given me ideas for a tiny static display diorama, and clarity on how the loco ought to be lined out (whether I can line one that small is another matter...).
- Nigel
- Nigel
Rob R
Western Thunderer
Phil,
Thanks for posting the Rhosydd photos, they bring back many memeories.
The incline is very steep indeed (whether you are climbing up or scrambling down - neither is recommended!) and 9 Adit is very cold wet and long but well worth it if kitted out properly with a party of experienced mine expolorers.
Rob
michael mott
Western Thunderer
Phil, what a treasure trove of history these photographs depict thank you for sharing them. It is also interesting to see the volume of "waste" that was discarded, and how in such a short time Nature is recovering the slopes with vegetation.
Michael
Michael
PhilH
Western Thunderer
Not all quarry visits were on glorious sunny summer days, some were in the midst of winter. I must have been a bit more enthusiastic in those days, climbing up to a slate quarry in the snow just to take a few photos, today I wouldn't leave the house if there was a hint of snow in the weather forecast !
Ruston & Hornsby works no.171902, a 10hp loco built in 1934 at the Votty & Bowydd Slate Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog in December 1963. The loco was supplied new to the Rhos Slate Quarry at Capel Curig and bought by Votty from a dealer c1958 after the closure of Rhos Quarry. Votty & Bowydd itself had been closed for production in 1962 and when photographed the loco was engaged in demolition work, being scrapped in August 1964. Some of these early Rustons like this one had a water tank for cooling instead of a radiator.
Motor Rail Simplex works no.20073, a 28hp loco built in 1950 at the Maenofferen Slate Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog in December 1963. The loco was supplied new to Birmingham Corporation Water Department and acquired by Maenofferen in December 1961 via Motor Rail Ltd. It was working the tip line which was a fairly long exposed trip for a cabless loco in the middle of winter, hardy souls these Welsh quarrymen !
I believe the loco is now at the Devon Railway Centre, Cadleigh Station, Tiverton.
Another snowy scene this time at Dinorwic Quarry with HOLY WAR on 25th March 1966
Mist or low cloud was another problem occasionally on the higher quarry levels, here at Dinorwic in 1961. In the gloom the loco is BERNSTEIN. In the background you can just make out a rubbish wagon suspended from a Blondin.
On the same occasion on a lower level clear of mist MICHAEL was on a waste train.
Ruston & Hornsby works no.171902, a 10hp loco built in 1934 at the Votty & Bowydd Slate Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog in December 1963. The loco was supplied new to the Rhos Slate Quarry at Capel Curig and bought by Votty from a dealer c1958 after the closure of Rhos Quarry. Votty & Bowydd itself had been closed for production in 1962 and when photographed the loco was engaged in demolition work, being scrapped in August 1964. Some of these early Rustons like this one had a water tank for cooling instead of a radiator.
Motor Rail Simplex works no.20073, a 28hp loco built in 1950 at the Maenofferen Slate Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog in December 1963. The loco was supplied new to Birmingham Corporation Water Department and acquired by Maenofferen in December 1961 via Motor Rail Ltd. It was working the tip line which was a fairly long exposed trip for a cabless loco in the middle of winter, hardy souls these Welsh quarrymen !
I believe the loco is now at the Devon Railway Centre, Cadleigh Station, Tiverton.
Another snowy scene this time at Dinorwic Quarry with HOLY WAR on 25th March 1966
Mist or low cloud was another problem occasionally on the higher quarry levels, here at Dinorwic in 1961. In the gloom the loco is BERNSTEIN. In the background you can just make out a rubbish wagon suspended from a Blondin.
On the same occasion on a lower level clear of mist MICHAEL was on a waste train.
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PhilH
Western Thunderer
Thanks Larry, I suppose it does have a certain atmospheric 'appeal' (I hesitate to use the word 'quality'). It was on only the 4th film I'd put through a new 35mm camera with rather basic exposure controls of 'bright sun', 'hazy sun', 'cloudy bright' and 'cloudy dull', so heaven knows what I set it on, but certainly with not enough exposure. Results at that time were very much hit and miss. It was only by editing in Photoshop that what I was taking appeared out of the gloom, previously I'd just regarded it as "cr*p" !
Its interesting to note that on that visit which must have been a fairly comprehensive tour of Dinorwic I only took 3 photos, the two in the post and one of the 4ft gauge loco at Gilfach Ddu, quarry terminus of the Padarn Railway. I suppose at the time being a schoolboy with only limited pocket money and having to spend money actually getting there by bus or train left little to spend on photography, and of course you didn't realise then that what you were seeing would all be gone in a few years time.
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PhilH
Western Thunderer
The last gravity worked slate quarry incline was at Maenofferen Slate Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog, which was operated for the final time about 1980. It was the second in a series of 3 inclines that originally led from the Festiniog Railway's Duffws Station to the tramway over the mountain above Blaenau to the Rhiwbach Slate Quarry.
View at the bottom of the incline in August 1976 with plenty of slate wagons in evidence and slates stacked ready for loading into road transport. In the trees on the left of the incline are the ruins of 'Quarrybank' the Votty & Bowydd Quarry managers house. To the right of the incline the long single storey building is the Maenofferen Quarry office and above nearer the incline are the remains of a row of cottages. Just past halfway up the incline and running across the photo is the course of a long abandoned Votty & Bowydd Quarry tip line. From the right it runs across a slate embankment with a bridge over a water channel, then passes under the incline in a curved tunnel, rounding a rock outcrop to the start of the tip on the left edge of the photo.
At the summit of the incline the line turned to the right along a ledge in the hillside to reach Maenofferen Quarry itself. Just above it another line ran parallel to it then past the incline to the Maenofferen Quarry tip at the top left of the photo, this tip later covering most of the earlier Votty tip.
Festiniog and LNWR 2 ton slate wagons, from the left - FR, LNWR, FR, LNWR and 2 x FR. The only noticeable difference is the axleboxes and the lugs in the centre of the LNWR wagons as mentioned earlier.
A GWR braked 2 ton slate wagon. It appears that the brake lever may have been broken off above the curved ratchet to prevent the brakes being used as the similar wagon next to it also has the top part of the brake handle missing. These had different axleboxes and 10 spoke wheels instead of the 6 spoke wheels in the FR and LNWR wagons.
View from the summit of the incline also taken in August 1976. Top right in the far distance is the Tan-y-Grisiau Reservoir, which flooded the original route of the Festiniog Railway. Lower down across the photo are the roof tops of Blaenau Ffestiniog, then towards the centre of the photo the ruins of two of the Votty & Bowydd Quarry slate mills. Votty's later waste tip is on the left and to access this wagons were up hauled directly from underground. On the upper right of the photo is a new roadway from Llechwedd Quarry, Llechwedd having taken over Maenofferen in 1975. Just above where it enters the photo the course of part of the 1st Rhiwbach Incline can be seen dropping down the hillside to the FR at Duffws.
Empty wagons arriving at the summit in March 1965. At this time the incline brake was operated from a lever next to a small shelter at the summit. Just above the drumhouse roof is the tip line on its way to the large waste tip in the distance.
By August 1976 the operating lever had been moved to a small platform nearer the brake drum with a special (!) seat for the brakeman. The sheeting over part of the front opening was provided to keep the brake band round the end of the drum dry, otherwise braking could be unpredictable with a wet brake.
In July 1978 I managed to arrange a visit when the incline was operating, as by that time it was only used intermittently. Two loaded wagons are ready to descend, brought from the mill area by Ruston & Hornsby no.175127 of 1935 on the right.
View at the bottom of the incline in August 1976 with plenty of slate wagons in evidence and slates stacked ready for loading into road transport. In the trees on the left of the incline are the ruins of 'Quarrybank' the Votty & Bowydd Quarry managers house. To the right of the incline the long single storey building is the Maenofferen Quarry office and above nearer the incline are the remains of a row of cottages. Just past halfway up the incline and running across the photo is the course of a long abandoned Votty & Bowydd Quarry tip line. From the right it runs across a slate embankment with a bridge over a water channel, then passes under the incline in a curved tunnel, rounding a rock outcrop to the start of the tip on the left edge of the photo.
At the summit of the incline the line turned to the right along a ledge in the hillside to reach Maenofferen Quarry itself. Just above it another line ran parallel to it then past the incline to the Maenofferen Quarry tip at the top left of the photo, this tip later covering most of the earlier Votty tip.
Festiniog and LNWR 2 ton slate wagons, from the left - FR, LNWR, FR, LNWR and 2 x FR. The only noticeable difference is the axleboxes and the lugs in the centre of the LNWR wagons as mentioned earlier.
A GWR braked 2 ton slate wagon. It appears that the brake lever may have been broken off above the curved ratchet to prevent the brakes being used as the similar wagon next to it also has the top part of the brake handle missing. These had different axleboxes and 10 spoke wheels instead of the 6 spoke wheels in the FR and LNWR wagons.
View from the summit of the incline also taken in August 1976. Top right in the far distance is the Tan-y-Grisiau Reservoir, which flooded the original route of the Festiniog Railway. Lower down across the photo are the roof tops of Blaenau Ffestiniog, then towards the centre of the photo the ruins of two of the Votty & Bowydd Quarry slate mills. Votty's later waste tip is on the left and to access this wagons were up hauled directly from underground. On the upper right of the photo is a new roadway from Llechwedd Quarry, Llechwedd having taken over Maenofferen in 1975. Just above where it enters the photo the course of part of the 1st Rhiwbach Incline can be seen dropping down the hillside to the FR at Duffws.
Empty wagons arriving at the summit in March 1965. At this time the incline brake was operated from a lever next to a small shelter at the summit. Just above the drumhouse roof is the tip line on its way to the large waste tip in the distance.
By August 1976 the operating lever had been moved to a small platform nearer the brake drum with a special (!) seat for the brakeman. The sheeting over part of the front opening was provided to keep the brake band round the end of the drum dry, otherwise braking could be unpredictable with a wet brake.
In July 1978 I managed to arrange a visit when the incline was operating, as by that time it was only used intermittently. Two loaded wagons are ready to descend, brought from the mill area by Ruston & Hornsby no.175127 of 1935 on the right.