This instalment of the Gorseddau Tramway saga starts from a handy access point, the farmyard at Cwrt Isaf (SH 53991 46403). There's a space to park a couple of cars and there used to be an honesty box- but lately I notice the farmhouse has been made into a holiday let; the farmyard had a desolate air. Anyway, we parked here recently and weren't challenged. The route up to Moel Hebog is also this way, over the ramshackle stile. The Afon Cwm-Llefrith runs to the right, but after striking up and over a few more dodgy stiles, an impressive bridge abutment signals the presence of the tramway. It's time to turn west. This must have been an imposing sight, with a short length of girder support spanning the gap. Next is a shallow, boggy cutting. The way here isn't strictly a footpath, but as it is on access land, I don't anticipate any trouble...we've been many times and haven't encountered any bother. The tramway curves north and begins it's steady progress towards the end of the cwm. There is much to see along the way; ruined cottages, beudys and consumption cairns, built to clear the land for agriculture. There are a few mediaeval house platforms, best found by consulting the Coflein maps. The careful construction of the tramway is evident all the way. There are some fine revetments, embankments and bridges... Thanks to my partner, Petra, for some of the above shots. Below are a selection of the relics along the way... I couldn't resist these two shots below, taken at vastly different times... Along the stretch from Cwrt Isaf, there is supposed to be a shaft from a mine to the west of the tramway. It will be a crown hole, nothing much will remain, but I've not seen it yet- it's probably grown over by vegetation. The tramway continues, over boggy waterlogged sections and dry causeways, keeping level for most of the way. Sometimes, incredibly, you can still see the depressions made by the sleepers in some places. Shortly after the beudy in the shot above, the tramway hooks a left and crosses a field, unusually an "improved" one. The line of the formation is almost lost, but it can be picked up again on the other side. Now things start to become impressive, with Moel Lefn beginning to soar above to the right. Impressive panoramas open up below and to the quarry at the end of the cwm. The tramway runs through a cutting before emerging into the mill area of the Prince of Wales quarry. To the east of the tramway, below Moel Lefn are a series of moraines. They are a stiff climb, but well worth the effort for the views they give. Below are a couple of shots on a winter's day, taken from the moraines, that emphasise the remoteness of the location... After the gate by the cutting, there is a bosky, small reservoir, shaded under trees. I don't know what the idea was, as the mill's power was from the reservoir in Cwm Trwsgl; perhaps water was so intermittent that the quarry builders needed to take every opportunity to keep the supply. Now the mill is reached. It's a fine structure with Brunellian arches and a large wheelpit. The incline to the Prince of Wales quarry goes up from this level. Of course, this was not the final destination of the tramway, that was Cwm Dwyfor, a little way further and higher. I have described this part of the route, and the quixotic mine that gave rise to it in my blog post here. Closure What of the fortunes of the tramway? Never illustrious and saddled with three ailing white elephant quarries throughout it's life, the tramway finally closed in around 1892. At some point, there had been a De Winton coffee pot locomotive ("Pert") used on parts of the line from 1874, but that was out of use by 1878 and most traffic on the tramway was horse (or man) hauled. "Pert" was sold on to a quarry in Nantlle Vale, probably Coedmadog. If you've managed this far, well that's about it for the Gorseddau Tramway. I'll leave you with some photos, and a note of the sources of information. BOYD, James I.C., Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire, vol.1, Oakwood, 1988, ISBN 0-85361-365-6, pp.6-46 RICHARDS, Alun John, A Gazeteer of the Welsh Slate Industry, Llanrwst: Carreg Gwalch, 1991, ISBN 0-86381-196-5, pp.93-104 Ben Fisher's excellent page about the tramway is here Some bonus pics:
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