
|
|
|
|
|
|
On this website, which has now had over 100,000 visitors, you can read an outline history of the Welsh slate industry, discover details of quarrying methods, follow the routes of old railways and tramways, find out how inclines worked, see examples of remains and relics and read an overview of the industry as it is today. The website also contains over 450 photographs of recent and historical views. The latest additions to the site are over 60 photos taken in the 1960's.
This site originally went online over seven years ago as the North Wales railway archive. It's now been completely overhauled with over 400 photos. Some of the themes covered so far are Classes 08, 20, 25, 33, 37, 40, 45 and 47, Freightliners, Crewe test trains, Amlwch branch, Point of Ayr colliery, flask trains, Speedlink 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.
Old
Bricks - history at your feet
For many years I have been fascinated by the old bricks one sees which have the maker's name stamped on. This website is a gallery of some of those i've come across or been sent. These humble relics provide possibly the only link to often long forgotten local industries. There are now over 400 images on the site, which is only a tiny fraction of the named bricks produced. The website is still under construction as in many cases I have no knowledge of the history of the bricks depicted. If you can help, or if you have a photo of a brick you would like to see on the site, please get in touch.
The Conwy Valley line - Lein Dyffryn Conwy
The Conwy Valley railway is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain. It is a pleasure to ride at any time of the year and offers 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 previous 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. Recently updated with larger scans and some new images
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.
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. Now enlarged with newly scanned colour images.
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.
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.
Porth
Wen - An abandoned brickworks on Anglesey
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 porcelain works, Cemaes Bay brickworks and the navigation markers at Carmel Head.
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.
Any
comments, thoughts or opinions to David &
Maureen
Sallery
Prestatyn,
Gogledd Cymru.