PENMAENMAWR - A spectacular narrow gauge line

[PGH]

In a recent topic a member queried whether there was anything left to see of the rail system at Penmaenmawr Quarries, to which I replied with what I knew of the current situation, although its about 30 years since I last made a comprehensive visit.  This set me thinking about what remained, was outside the current working area and could be accessed without too much effort (i.e. climbing !).  The result was a walk along the trackbed of the line which once ran round the Penmaenmawr Headland approximately halfway up to the summit, and if you like narrow gauge lines that cling to a mountainside on a narrow ledge there can't be many in the UK that equal this one.

 

First a few notes on the history of this particular line may be of interest.  Penmaenmawr Quarries were originally two separate concerns, Darbishires' Graiglwyd Quarry directly behind the town and Brundrit's Penmaen Quarries on the headland to the west.  The two concerns were amalgamated with the Welsh Granite Co., which had quarries on the Lleyn Peninsula, to form the Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co.Ltd. in 1911.  The Penmaen Quarries were started in the early 1830s with two separate workings on each side of the headland, both connected by inclines down to shipping piers.  The Chester & Holyhead Railway was constructed around the headland in 1845-8 and the quarry system on the east side was carried over it on a bridge.  However on the west, Llanfairfechan, side the C&H was constructed on a high sea wall at the base of the mountain which required removal of the existing West Quarry pier, so to replace it a line was built around the headland approximately at the 500 foot contour to enable stone from the West Quarry to be transported to the pier on the east side.

 

The line was originally worked by horses, then probably by the mysterious vertical boilered loco MONA, about which little is known.  Apparently MONA was traded in to DeWinton for their new loco PENMAEN built in 1878, which then worked the line.  The remains of PENMAEN are of course still at the quarry, two inclines up from this line.  In 1902 the inside cylinder 0-4-0ST TIGER was supplied by Hunslet and used on the line.  In the early 1930s mechanised loading into standard gauge wagons was introduced at the summit of the headland - the upper level of the Penmaen East Quarry - and most of the other quarry faces, including the Penmaen West Quarry and the line around the headland, closed at the same time.

 

 

 

An illustration from a Brundrit & Co.Ltd. publicity brochure of 1905 shows TIGER with a train of 12 wagons from Penmaen West Quarry.

 

 

 

A view of the same location today.  The parapet on top of the stone embankment has disappeared and there is more tree growth apparent.  The view is slightly different because the photographer in 1905 must have been standing right on the edge of a rock outcrop with a considerable drop below - I wasn't prepared to go that near the edge !

 

 

Next, more photos

 

 

[45669]

There are a couple of pictures of the de Winton WATKIN at Penmaenmawr in the 'Penrhyn, Dinorwic and Other North Wales Quarry Railways'  collection on my Flickr site :

 

R0719 de Winton  Penmaenmawr  Aug1961 by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

R0720  de Winton Penmaenmawr  Aug1961 by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

 

Another de Winton which I believe is called LLANFAIR has been rescued for preservation by a group of Welsh Highland Railway volunteers and is now at Dinas.  If I can find some pictures, I'll put them on the Internet.

[45669]

Further to my above message, I have found the pictures of the preserved de Winton at Dinas and they are now on Flickr :

 

RD4131.  De Winton at Dinas. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

RD4132.  De Winton at Dinas. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

As before, clicking on the pictures will enlarge them.

[PGH]

 

Working from east to west, the first item of interest is the remains of Brundrit's loco shed, which originally had a curved corrugated iron roof.

 

 

 

The line curves round the extremity of the headland and on the left is a drop of about 500 feet to the sea interrupted only by the A55 Road.

 

 

 

Looking west, below are respectively the old coast road (now a cycle track); the 1935 road viaduct (now the east bound lane of the A55) and the Chester to Holyhead line.

 

 

 

Parts of the narrow track formation were widened with timber, now mostly rotted away.

I doubt if the couple of planks attached to the vertical leg would have prevented much from going over the edge !

 

 

 

 

 

The gabions (wire mesh baskets filled with stone) are a recent addition to prevent loose material from above reaching the road below.

 

 

 

A view looking east from the stone embankment shown in Post #1

 

 

 

The concrete slab is a recent addition to maintain an access through on top of an old stone embankment, but the formation must have been particularly narrow here.

 

 

 

At the west end of the line two inclines led up to the bottom bank of Penmaen West Quarry, the remains of the first incline drumhouse are at top right.  The drumhouse in the foreground was a late addition, probably about 1920, which connected with a series of inclines down to an exchange siding with the Chester & Holyhead line. 

[Debs.]

One can`t fail to be impressed by the skill and fortitude of the early quarrymen; they weren`t put-off by height, danger or hard-work.

 

When I pass the Penmaen headland quarries; I always try and snatch a glimpse (from down on the A55) of their place of work..............even the scale of that (modern era) 'giant-clock' never fails to impress!

 

We clearly are not made of anything like the 'same stuff' as our able forebears!

[laurenceb]

A friend and former boss often sayes they where clever in those days, I think that sums these earthworks perfectly.

Laurence

[jcm@gwr]

 

 

When I pass the Penmaen headland quarries; I always try and snatch a glimpse (from down on the A55) of their place of work..............even the scale of that (modern era) 'giant-clock' never fails to impress!

 

 

I was going to ask if the clock was still there!

 

My sister and B-in-law had a house on the hill,

and you could see the clock from there,

(it was in the 80's, he had a contract at the

hospital in Llanfair')

 

Also, they could see Puffin Island from their

bedroom window.

 

I moved them up there, using a Luton bodied

Transit. 3 yrs later, I had to use a 3 tonner to

bring 'em back (all the way to Potters Bar!)

 

Jeff

[unravelled]

I posted a few photos, taken in the early 70s, of quarry equpment remains on this page:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/71151-north-welsh-coast-railway-welsh-dragon-rail/page-3

 

Btw is it possible to reuse photos uploaded to one thread in another (without uploading again)?

 

Thanks

 

Dave

[BG John]

Btw is it possible to reuse photos uploaded to one thread in another (without uploading again)?

 

Thanks

 

Dave

Open the other thread in a new window, and drag and drop the photos into the edit box. Like this:

 

[marc smith]

Some smashing photos
and such an inspiring location.....

Cheers

Marc

[RGSrr]

Great pictures. The stone revetment / retaining wall with railway clinging to the mountainside is as dramatic as anything in the rocky mountains.

 

Brundrit's Loco workshop would have been interesting in its heyday

 

Many thanks for sharing

 

Cheers

John