Maenofferen slate quarry in 1975
Graham Isherwood visited Maenofferen quarry above Blaenau Ffestiniog on a cold and wintry day in Easter 1975. The photos he took that day give a good impression of what bleak and inhospitable places the Welsh slate quarries could be. At that time the quarry, which had no road access, was still using the Rhiwbach No. 2 incline to take away the finished product. Most of the views depicted could have been taken a century or so earlier. Maenofferen finally closed in 1998. Photos of trains using some of these tracks can be viewed here.
A redundant locomotive and man rider car await disposal. The locomotive went for preservation.
The transhipment siding where the finished slates were loaded onto road transport
Crossover track at the bottom of Rhiwbach No. 2 incline - today's view is here
Looking up No. 2 incline
The view from halfway up
Trains reversed into the quarry using this headshunt
Rhibach No. 3 incline heads up into the mist on the left
Approaching the quarry buildings
This bridge was formerly used to access the main tipping area
A
view towards the bridge and quarry buildings
Next page: Various views from 1963 to 66