Trefor Quarry railway
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Llanaelhaearn |
| Locale | Wales |
| Dates of operation | 1864–1962 |
| Successor | Abandoned |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) |
| Length | 1 mile |
The Trefor Quarry railway was an industrial, 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) narrow-gauge railway connecting the Trefor granite quarry with the pier at Llanaelhaearn on the Llŷn Peninsula.
History
The Trefor granite quarry (also known as the Yr Eifl quarry) opened in 1850. In 1855 the quarry applied to build a jetty on the coast to ship granite products. The pier was not built, but the application was renewed in 1867, the pier being built by 1870 and a railway was constructed connecting the quarry with the pier. There had been horse-worked internal quarry tramways as early as 1865.
In 1873 steam locomotives were introduced to work in the quarry and along the ½ mile long section from the foot of the quarry incline to the pier. One incline was particularly steep with one section at a gradient of 1 in 1¾, said to be the steepest incline in any granite quarry in Britain.[citation needed]
A short branch line served the village of Trefor at the foot of the incline. This branch was lifted before 1920. From 1951 onwards the railway was gradually replaced by road transport. The main incline was abandoned in 1959 and the railway finally closed in 1962.
Locomotives
| Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Winton | 0-4-0VB | 1873 | Scrapped by 1914 | |||
| De Winton | 0-4-0VB | 1875 | Scrapped by 1914 | |||
| Isabel | W.G. Bagnall | 0-4-0ST | 1900 | 1614 | Scrapped 1930 | |
| Betty | Hunslet | 0-4-0ST | 1912 | 1101 | To Brymbo Steel Co., Hook Norton in 1942; scrapped in 1949 | |
| Redstone | Darbishire's | 0-4-0VB | 1905 | Only briefly ran at Trefor in 1921 | ||
| Michael | Kerr Stuart | 0-4-2ST | 1917 | 2494 | Withdrawn in 1932; subsequently scrapped | |
| Mark | Kerr Stuart | 4-6-0T | 1920 | 4213 | ex-War Department Light Railways; scrapped by 1938 | |
| Motor Rail | 4wPM | 1918 | 1378 | ex-War Department Light Railways; sold | ||
| Motor Rail | 4wPM | 1925 | 3736 | Rebuilt ex-War Department Light Railways locomotive; scrapped | ||
| Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1930 | 5513 | To Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co. | ||
| 1 | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1931 | 5609 | sold. Now at the Chasewater Railway[1] | |
| 2 | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1918 | 1078 | Rebuilt ex-War Department Light Railways locomotive; scrapped by 1954 | |
| 2 | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1937 | 5949 | Sold or scrapped | |
| 3 | Motor Rail | 4wPM | Sold or scrapped by 1954 | |||
| 3 | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1938 | 7221 | Sold | |
| 4 (ex-6) | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1929 | 5025 | Sold | |
| 5 | Motor Rail | 4wPM | Sold or scrapped | |||
| 5 | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1941 | 2207 | Sold in 1965 to Rich Morris. Moved to Gloddfa Ganol in 1977. Put on display at Duffws station in 1979.[2] | |
| 6 | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1941 | 2208 | Withdrawn by 1962 | |
| 7 | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1938 | 189953 | Sold | |
| 8 | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1940 | 8570 | Sold or scrapped 1954 | |
| 9 | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1940 | 2024 | ex-Forestry Commission. Sold in 1962 to the Cwt-y-Bugail quarry. Now preserved at the Bala Lake Railway.[3] | |
| 10 | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1940 | 2025 | ex-Forestry Commission; withdrawn by 1961 | |
| 11 | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1940 | Sold | ||
| 12 | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1940 | 200480 | Scrapped c. 1960 |
See also
References
- ^ "Stock List: DECEMBER 2010" (PDF). Chasewater Railway. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ Bradley, Vic (1992). Industrial Locomotives of North Wales. London: Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 0-9010-9672-5.
- ^ "Hunslet No. 2024". Bala Lake Railway.
- Boyd, James I.C. (1990) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in North Caernarvonshire, Volume 1: The West. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-273-5. OCLC 650247345.
52°59′02″N 4°24′43″W / 52.984°N 4.412°W