This would be gravity worked, I presume? Does anyone know what was conveyed, slate waste?

Ive had a look at this... I think the angle of the sheave wheel is quite interesting as well. I guess it would have been to either dump waste at a higher/lower point (though there seems to be very little tipping ) or take waste from the tiny (what appears to be a quarry???) used as a kind of carpark on the road to the surge-pond.

---

I have always assumed it was used to take slabs of slate to the dressing areas lower down, any waste would remain at that level. There are no other buildings nearby. Quite how much use it got is debatable as, in Dinorwic terms, there are only a few tiny workings up there.

Regarding the Claughton Brickworks ropeway, I was invited in to watch its operation by the workmen a couple of years ago. There were two of them on duty and each worked for thirty minutes at a time. After thirty minutes of guiding the loaded tubs in and easing the empty ones out you would need a break 🙂

I have always assumed it was used to take slabs of slate to the dressing areas lower down, any waste would remain at that level. There are no other buildings nearby. Quite how much use it got is debatable as, in Dinorwic terms, there are only a few tiny workings up there.

The "tiny workings" would at this point have had effort put into them, so this ropeway was clearly installed to help with transporting the produce to a lower level. Though I havent seen anything on this in any of the books.

---

I have looked at that oddity at the top of Dinorwic quite a few times myself. The whole thing doesn't make sense to me! The angle of the "rope wheel" looks all wrong, and I cannot work out where it would have ended up. Also, as has already been said, there isn't much work up there anyway (I have seen photos before the CEGB road was constructed too).

The use of wire rope prior to circa.1895 was rarely popular because of, in part, its lack of friction. It was also made of iron, rather than steel. Blondins were developed in the 1870's in the freestone quarries of Aberdeen. In 1886 only two off these quarries were so equiped. The introduction of steel, wire rope in about 1895 saw the wide spread adoption of the system, including in Wales. The Cwm Bychan example was probably part of a fraudulent mis-representation of the enterprise's worth.
See ISBN 1-86077-432-6

I have looked at that oddity at the top of Dinorwic quite a few times myself. The whole thing doesn't make sense to me! The angle of the "rope wheel" looks all wrong, and I cannot work out where it would have ended up. Also, as has already been said, there isn't much work up there anyway (I have seen photos before the CEGB road was constructed too).

exactly what I thought, the wheel seems to be completely horizontal, therefore the other ropeway terminal(s) would have to be either at that same level or on an especially built tower. Maybe they were never even constructed.

---

exactly what I thought, the wheel seems to be completely horizontal, therefore the other ropeway terminal(s) would have to be either at that same level or on an especially built tower. Maybe they were never even constructed.

Yes, the wheel is exactly horizontal, that is what is so odd, and no sign of a roller mounted in front of it to take the downward thrust. All there is in front of it is a large open space going down at least 100 feet. I have just checked on an aerial photo dated 1962, there is nothing at all It just doesn't have anything that lines up with it, and I would say it is more than 100 feet of bare mountain in front of/below it.

I have now uploaded an extract from an aerial photo taken in 1962 showing the area of Dinorwic that has the "mystery object".

🔗Dinorwig-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-046[linkphoto]Dinorwig-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-046[/linkphoto][/link]

It is just visible above a level that leads to a small tip. There is another (unrelated) building to left of it and below it on the level. As can be seen, there is nothing below the object until the head of the A9 incline head (the incline is barely visible in grass and obviously was long out of use). Dinorwic galleries are normally 60 to 70 feet apart. As, looking across from side to side) there are the equivilent of two galleries visible and the object is a few feet above the one with the small tip, that means there is between 140 and 160 vertical feet between it and A9T. Most odd! As LAP has already suggested, maybe it was never completed (as was the case with 2 inclines). Although if that was the case, I am surprised they installed machinery there before even starting on building the lower terminus.

I 2nd that about the equipment being installed before the other end of the ropeway was constructed (if even decided upon?)
A bit off topic, but which inclines werent completed?
regards

linden

---

A bit off topic, but which inclines werent completed?
regards

linden

This was discussed (and you provided a photo) on a thread before. C10 (becoming a combined extended C9?), and the transporter incline near another transporter incline that has two transporter frames at it's foot.

A bit off topic, but which inclines werent completed?
regards

linden

This was discussed (and you provided a photo) on a thread before. C10 (becoming a combined extended C9?), and the transporter incline near another transporter incline that has two transporter frames at it's foot.

oh ye sorry my mistake;

---