North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
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| North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Wales |
| Dates of operation | 1877 – 1916 |
| Successor line | Welsh Highland Railway |
| Track gauge | 1 ft 111⁄2 in (597 mm) |
| Length | 12½ miles |
| Headquarters | |
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (Moel Tryfan Undertaking) (to give it its full name) was a 1 ft 111⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge railway running from Dinas to Bryngwyn, Wales, which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872. The same act authorised a branch from Tryfan Junction to South Snowdon. Subsequently the railway chose to regard the line from Tryfan Junction to Bryngwyn as the branch.
Contents |
[edit] Route built
Main line: Dinas - Tryfan Junction - Waenfawr - Bettws Garmon - Snowdon Ranger - South Snowdon/Rhyd Ddu (approx. 9 miles).
Branch line: Tryfan Junction - Rhostryfan - Bryngwyn (approx. 2 miles). From Bryngwyn, an incline (owned by the railway company) lead (via quarry owned lines) to a number of slate quarries around Moel Tryfan mountain.
[edit] Routes planned
Dinas - Rhyd Ddu, as built. Much later an Act of Parliament 1885 authorised an extension northwards to Caernarfon and a Light Railway Order 1900 authorised an extension southwards to Beddgelert but these were not, in the event, built by that company but much later by the Welsh Highland Railway.
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (General Undertaking) from Porthmadog to Beddgelert and Betws y Coed was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872 but officially abandoned 1876 - The line from Porthmadog to Beddgelert eventually completed by the Welsh Highland Railway was the later Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway.
There are two locations which have been called South Snowdon. One is Rhyd Ddu and the other is the South Snowdon Quarry in the Nant Gwynant Pass and this was the original intended destination of the Portmadoc Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway. That company later applied for and received a light railway order to build from Beddgelert to Rhyd Ddu and commenced construction on that section.
[edit] History
Opened from Dinas to Tryfan Junction and Bryngwyn 1877 to Snowdon Ranger in 1878 and to South Snowdon (Rhyd Ddu) in 1881. Closed to passenger traffic in 1916. Goods service continued running on an 'as required' basis until about 1922 when the railway became part of the Welsh Highland Railway (additional Welsh Highland trackage from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog opened in 1923).
[edit] Locomotives
| Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowdon Ranger | Vulcan Foundry | 0-6-4T | 1875 | 739 | Single Fairlie locomotive. Scrapped 1917; major components used to repair Moel Tryfan |
| Moel Tryfan | Vulcan Foundry | 0-6-4T | 1875 | 738 | Single Fairlie locomotive. Transferred to the Welsh Highland Railway in 1922; scrapped by the Ffestiniog Railway in 1954 |
| Beddgelert | Hunslet | 1878 | 0-6-4ST | 206 | Mainly worked the Bryngwyn branch. Scrapped 1906 |
| Russell | Hunslet | 1906 | 2-6-2T | Built for the Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway, loaned to the NWNGR and became part of the Welsh Highland Railway stock | |
| Gowrie | Hunslet | 1908 | 0-6-4T | 979 | Single Fairlie locomotive; sold around 1915 for contractor work; scrapped after 1928 |
[edit] Reference
- Boyd, James I.C. (1988). Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire: Volume One. The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-365-6.
