On this website you can read an outline history of the Welsh slate industry, discover details of quarrying methods, follow the routes of old railways and tramways, discover how inclines worked, see examples of remains and relics and read an overview of the industry as it is today.  The website also contains nine photo gallery pages of recent views and six photo gallery pages of historical views.

This site originally went online over five years ago as the North Wales railway archive.  It's now been completely overhauled with many new scans and lots of the original scans now larger and with better detail.  Some of the themes covered so far are Classes 25, 37, 40, 45 and 47, Freightliners, Crewe test trains, Amlwch branch, Point of Ayr colliery and many more.

The Wrexham - Bidston line has always been one of my favourites.   The line is one of contrasts and has a fascinating history.  It has always been a bit of a backwater, almost isolated from the rest of the national network.  My interest remains strong to this day - not least because it is the only railway in North Wales to have any significant freight traffic.  The passenger service has been relaunched as the Borderlands line and a trip on the line is highly recommended.

The former state of Yugoslavia had a vast network of narrow gauge railway lines, most of which were laid to 76cm gauge, the same as the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway in the U.K.  The origins of this huge network lay in the Austrian occupation in the 1870's and it reached its greatest extent in the 1930's.  Much of the mountainous western side of the country was only accessible by the 76cm gauge railways particularly in Bosnia and Hercegovina.  This website has accounts and photographs from several enthusiasts who ventured to Yugoslavia in the 1960's, 1970's and more recently to savour the last of the legendary Yugoslav narrow gauge.  It has recently been enlarged and now contains over 300 photos of these wonderful railways plus timetables and other details.

The Conwy Valley railway is surely one of the most scenic lines in Britain. It is a pleasure to ride on at any time of the year offering superb views of estuary, mountain and moorland.  In Blaenau Ffestiniog can be seen an industrial landscape of a unique quality while the views in the Lledr Valley surpass any from the nearby road.   In this site I have tried to bring out the quality of the landscape whilst giving some idea of the variety of trains that the line has witnessed.  The continuation to Trawsfynydd is featured as well as an armchair guide to the route.  The website also contains a section which details what remains today of the former Great Western Railway line from Trawsfynydd through to Bala.

A selection of photographs taken at this legendary South Wales scrapyard, in both
colour and black & white.  The results of two visits made in the 1960's.

Rhosydd was by no means the largest of the Ffestiniog quarries, neither was it one of the smallest.  It had a working life, as a major quarry, of approximately 80 years and its demise came about through the drop in demand for slate.  The output of the quarry has been estimated at 220 million slates and its waste tips contain over 2 million tons of rock.  What sets Rhosydd apart from most of the other quarries is its remoteness, its surface remains and its transport arrangements,  added to which is its setting in superlative scenery.

Rhiwbach Quarry is situated about 3 miles East of Blaenau Ffestiniog in North West Wales.  The tramway, which was built to link it to the Ffestiniog Railway, also served three other quarries.  This site is intended to give an impression of what remains of the quarries and tramway today.  The Rhiwbach Tramway was the longest feeder line in the industry and runs across bleak uninhabited moorland. Rhiwbach itself was so remote that it had its own schoolhouse.  The whole undertaking gives some idea of just how important the Slate Industry was to this part of the world.  This website has now been updated with expanded coverage of Manod quarry which closed in September 2007.

Steam power on British Railways ended in 1968.  In the years leading up to this, I was trying to photograph what I could of the steam railway scene.  This site is a random selection of some of the photos I took.

The circular trip of North Wales by rail - travelling on the North Wales coast line, Conwy Valley, Ffestiniog Railway, and Cambrian line is one of Wales's best kept secrets.  On this website you will find timetable details, fare information and a route guide.  So if you have ever contemplated doing the trip but were put off by its complexity, have a look at the site -  Its much easier and cheaper than you may have thought!  Be sure to read the comments page to get more out of your journey. Now updated for 2008 season.

My wife is a better poet than she admits to and this is her contribution to cyberspace.  Over 50 poems cover a number of topics but few are about pretty views or the world as seen through rose tinted spectacles.

Cwm Ciprwth is surely one of the industrial archaeology gems of North Wales.  This little known location is hidden away in a side valley above Cwm Pennant in Snowdonia.  This website gives directions to Cwm Ciprwth, a brief history of the mine and a selection of photographs.

On the north coast of Anglesey, a few miles west of Amlwch, are the remains of a brickworks.  It was opened at the turn of the last century to make bricks for the steel industry.  The bricks were exported by sea from its own wharf.  The works closed down at the start of the first world war and most of it has slowly rusted away ever since.

This website now has additional features on Llanlleiana copper works, Cemaes Bay
brickworks and the navigation markers at Carmel Head.

Since acquiring a digital camera I have been snapping madly away at those things I was unable to snap at before.  These pages are a sample of what I have achieved (?) so far - observations welcome.

This is my local club where I have been a member for over 20 years (and, for my sins, have now been appointed webmaster!).  Take a look at the site and, if you are local, why not consider membership?  We are always looking for keen modellers to join our ranks.

Penmaenmawr Granite

This website features a selection of photographs depicting the disused granite quarries between Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan on the North Wales coast.  To view the site you require the Adobe flash player and a high speed broadband connection.  The show runs for about eight minutes and features a soundtrack.  Feedback on this feature would be welcome.

  This website features the tram system of Blackpool and Fleetwood during July 2007.  The site uses the Adobe flash player and has background music.  A high speed broadband connection is required to view it.