The tramway was constructed around 1870, following the opening of the Llangollen and Corwen Railway which passed through Glyndyfrdwy. The tramway initially ran from the Deeside Slate Works at Nant-y-Pandy to the Deeside quarry.[3]
The tramway was unusual in its use of wooden rails with iron sheaths on the running surfaces, a very early form of permanent way, and one that had almost entirely died out by this date.
In the late 1870s the tramway was extended in two directions to bring its total length to 3 miles (4.8 km). The line was extended north from the Deeside slate works along the east side of Nant-y-Pandy to the head of a long incline that dropped through Glyndyfrdwy to a transhipment wharf with the Llangollen and Corwen Railway. The line was extended south and west from Deeside Quarry, running up the west side of the quarry by a further incline, then looping westwards along the hillside to the foot of the exit incline of the Moel Fferna quarry. These extensions were laid with traditional iron rails, although the original section retained the wooden rails throughout its lifetime.
The line continued operating until just after the end of the Second World War, finally closing in 1947.[4]
Operationedit
Throughout its life the tramway was operated by gravity workings from the quarries to Glyndyfrdwy, with return trains hauled by horses.
The remains of the tramwayedit
Glyndyfrdwyedit
The remains of the incline running through the village
The remains of the trans-shipment wharf are on the east of the crossing keeper's box on the Llangollen Railway and are now part of a children's play area. The inclined plane runs approximately south up the hill. One modern house is built across the incline on the north side of the A5 road. Another house has been built across the formation on the south side of the A5, and the tunnel under the road was filled-in during the early 1960s
Glyndyfrdwy to Nant-y-Pandyedit
At the top of the incline the walls of the winding house still stand. From here a footpath follows the trackbed of the tramway. There are occasional sleepers and lengths of flat-bottomed rail along this section. There are several building remains at the Deeside Slate Works and explanatory signboards have been installed there. Running south is the shallow incline towards Deeside Slab Quarry. There are longitudinal wooden rails still in situ in many places, especially in the damp cuttings. Occasionally, a line of rusty metal marks where one of the tie bars that held the rails to gauge sat. In at least one location, a metal rail sheath is still visible over the wood of a rail.
Nant-y-Pandy to Deeside Slab Quarryedit
Above Nant-y-Pandy the route passes the site of the reservoir that provided water power to the mill's overshot waterwheel, before the formation is breached by the valley road. Above Ty'n y Wern the tramway formation reappears on the hillside above the road, past Tan-y-Graig, until the road climbs up and takes over the tramway route. From here until the Deeside quarry, the tramway formation is now a farm road. The formation crosses the head of the valley in a horseshoe curve and rounds the bluff to reach the quarry. At the south-west edge of the quarry an incline leads up to the route to Moel Fferna quarry.
^Sallery, Dave, "Quarry railways and Tramways", in The Slate Industry of North and Mid Wales, retrieved 26 April 2010
^Sallery, Dave, "Some remains and relics", in The Slate Industry of North and Mid Wales, retrieved 26 April 2010 See Deeside Tramway rail, Glyndyfrdwy, Denbighshire further down page.
^Richards, Alun John (2001). The Slate Railways of Wales. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. p. 182. ISBN0863816894.
Further readingedit
Boyd, JIC. On the Welsh Narrow Gauge. Bradford Barton (Truro). p. 38. ISBN085153340X.
Lawton, Paul. Glyndyfrdwy and its Railways. A Purely Local Publication.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deeside Tramway.
Website with photos of the tramway route
Historic photos of Moel Fferna mine
April 10, 2024
deeside, tramway, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, july, 2009, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, gr. This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations July 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Deeside Tramway was a gravity and horse worked 2 ft 6 in 762 mm narrow gauge industrial railway connecting the slate workings on the Dee valley with the main road at Glyndyfrdwy 1 2 and later the Great Western Railway s Ruabon Dolgellau railway It was one of the last tramways in regular use to use wooden rails covered in iron sheaths Deeside TramwayThe trackbed of the tramway east of Deeside quarryOverviewHeadquartersGlyndyfrdwyLocaleWalesDates of operation1870s 1947SuccessorAbandonedTechnicalTrack gauge2 ft 6 in 762 mm Length3 miles Contents 1 History 2 Operation 3 The remains of the tramway 3 1 Glyndyfrdwy 3 2 Glyndyfrdwy to Nant y Pandy 3 3 Nant y Pandy to Deeside Slab Quarry 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory editThe tramway was constructed around 1870 following the opening of the Llangollen and Corwen Railway which passed through Glyndyfrdwy The tramway initially ran from the Deeside Slate Works at Nant y Pandy to the Deeside quarry 3 The tramway was unusual in its use of wooden rails with iron sheaths on the running surfaces a very early form of permanent way and one that had almost entirely died out by this date In the late 1870s the tramway was extended in two directions to bring its total length to 3 miles 4 8 km The line was extended north from the Deeside slate works along the east side of Nant y Pandy to the head of a long incline that dropped through Glyndyfrdwy to a transhipment wharf with the Llangollen and Corwen Railway The line was extended south and west from Deeside Quarry running up the west side of the quarry by a further incline then looping westwards along the hillside to the foot of the exit incline of the Moel Fferna quarry These extensions were laid with traditional iron rails although the original section retained the wooden rails throughout its lifetime The line continued operating until just after the end of the Second World War finally closing in 1947 4 Operation editThroughout its life the tramway was operated by gravity workings from the quarries to Glyndyfrdwy with return trains hauled by horses The remains of the tramway editGlyndyfrdwy edit nbsp The remains of the incline running through the villageThe remains of the trans shipment wharf are on the east of the crossing keeper s box on the Llangollen Railway and are now part of a children s play area The inclined plane runs approximately south up the hill One modern house is built across the incline on the north side of the A5 road Another house has been built across the formation on the south side of the A5 and the tunnel under the road was filled in during the early 1960s Glyndyfrdwy to Nant y Pandy edit At the top of the incline the walls of the winding house still stand From here a footpath follows the trackbed of the tramway There are occasional sleepers and lengths of flat bottomed rail along this section There are several building remains at the Deeside Slate Works and explanatory signboards have been installed there Running south is the shallow incline towards Deeside Slab Quarry There are longitudinal wooden rails still in situ in many places especially in the damp cuttings Occasionally a line of rusty metal marks where one of the tie bars that held the rails to gauge sat In at least one location a metal rail sheath is still visible over the wood of a rail Nant y Pandy to Deeside Slab Quarry edit Above Nant y Pandy the route passes the site of the reservoir that provided water power to the mill s overshot waterwheel before the formation is breached by the valley road Above Ty n y Wern the tramway formation reappears on the hillside above the road past Tan y Graig until the road climbs up and takes over the tramway route From here until the Deeside quarry the tramway formation is now a farm road The formation crosses the head of the valley in a horseshoe curve and rounds the bluff to reach the quarry At the south west edge of the quarry an incline leads up to the route to Moel Fferna quarry See also editBritish narrow gauge slate railwaysReferences edit Sallery Dave Quarry railways and Tramways in The Slate Industry of North and Mid Wales retrieved 26 April 2010 Sallery Dave Some remains and relics in The Slate Industry of North and Mid Wales retrieved 26 April 2010 See Deeside Tramway rail Glyndyfrdwy Denbighshire further down page Merionethshire XVI NE Map Ordnance Survey 1899 Richards Alun John 2001 The Slate Railways of Wales Gwasg Carreg Gwalch p 182 ISBN 0863816894 Further reading editBoyd JIC On the Welsh Narrow Gauge Bradford Barton Truro p 38 ISBN 085153340X Lawton Paul Glyndyfrdwy and its Railways A Purely Local Publication External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deeside Tramway Website with photos of the tramway route Historic photos of Moel Fferna mine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Deeside Tramway amp oldid 1059077378, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
