The Cedryn Quarry Tramway (later largely used as the route of the Eigiau Tramway) was an

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

narrow gauge railway that connected the slate quarries at Cedryn and Cwm Eigiau to the quays at

Dolgarrog Dolgarrog is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales, situated between Llanrwst and Conwy, very close to the Conwy River. The village is well known for its industrial history since the 18th century and the Eigiau ...

in the

Conwy valley , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...

History

The Cedryn quarry is first recorded in 1827. The output of this remote site was initially taken by horse pack to the quays on the

River Conwy , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pus ...

. A 5 mile long tramway was constructed in the period 1861–1863. The gauge was approximately

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

and was built using wrought iron T section rails. Some time before 1866 this tramway was extended a further mile to Cwm Eigiau Quarry, and the name "Cwm Eigiau Tramway" largely became synonymous with that of the Cedryn Tramway. The Caedryn icSlate Quarry Co. Ltd of 1863 became in 1874 the Caedryn ic& Cwm Eigiau Slate Co. Ltd, but was dissolved just 11 years later, the slate being of a poor quality. By 1907, when the route was used for a new tramway to assist in the building of the dam at

Llyn Eigiau Llyn Eigiau is a lake on the edge of the Carneddau range of mountains in Snowdonia, Conwy, Wales. The name ''Eigiau'' is thought to refer to the shoals of fish which once lived here. Early maps refer to it as ''Llynyga''. It is thought that ...

, all rails had been removed. This new tramway, the Eigiau Tramway, was initially built to the wider standard gauge, and used steam engines. It followed the route of the Cedryn Tramway except that the small incline above Coedty was by-passed to the north.

Route

The tramway started at the foot of the quarry exit incline and passed over the Afon Eigiau on a wooden trestle. It crossed the Eigiau again at Bont-y-Cedryn and then skirted the site of what is now the Eigiau Reservoir. Passing the col at Hafod-y-Rhiw the line ran along a series of low stone embankments to the top of a short incline above Coedty. Below Coedty, and just before the top of the Dolgarrog inclines, the line passed the point where the Cowlyd Tramway was later to branch off. The line continued to the top of the Dolgarrog

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

which it descended via three steep inclines. These were later used as locomotive access by the Eigiau and Cowlyd Tramways, and are today utilized by the two large pipes which carry water to the aluminum works. The lowest incline passed through a short tunnel under the main road at Tyddyn Isaf, and this former incline and tunnel can be seen today adjacent to the former (wooden) community centre. From here the tramway continued across the marshland to the edge of the River Conwy at Porth Llwyd wharf. The lowest incline was later abandoned in favour of a new incline built slightly to the north, and today the pipelines take this newer route.

References

* * {{Welsh Slate Quarries 2 ft gauge railways in Wales Railway lines opened in 1863 Horse-drawn railways Railway inclines in Wales

History

Route

See also

References