Found this today at Glynrhonwy:

🔗Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-004[linkphoto]Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-004[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-005[linkphoto]Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-005[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-003[linkphoto]Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-003[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-002[linkphoto]Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-002[/linkphoto][/link]

It seemed at first to be an odd studded rail, but on reflection we don't think you could roll a wheel on this. Yet it seems to be attached to a series of sleepers in much the same way rail is. Perhaps this metalwork merely held the sleepers together and rails went on top - or it held together a series of planks for a waggonway without rails.

Can anyone cast any light on this?

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The top picture looks as if it could be an iron strap that was round some timber, and the timber has rotted away.

In fact, if the item in the top picture is the same as that seen on the right in the third picture, I wonder if it was a hinged ramp of some sort?

Dave

the middle two pics look like the sleepers are inbetween the metal is this right,and what is below the drop dose it look like waste has been dumped over the edge,failing that it could be some kind of track for draging clog sleds along.

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It looks like the point blades in Smallcleugh - a single blade like that filled with timber in the centre - but it wouldn't be in that position!

Strange this is though, it's laid everywhere as shown in this pic (large version, easier to see) http://www.aditnow.co.uk/supersize/Glynrhonwy-Isaf-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-003/ 

So the whole surface of the 'rail' is studded and not raised from the timbers enough for a wheel flange.

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They could be some form of a 'drop set' of a certain length similar to bog mats that link together with a round bar through the loop at the end. They could have been used on the tips because they are easily moved. You can only tip so much material over the side before it fills up and the track has to be moved nearer the edge again. The track would probably have been laid on the top.

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Did you measure the "gauge" ? Maybe that could give a clue as to it's usage?

Also were there any marks on the sleepers between the studded "rails" whre more usable rails might have been ?

They look more and more to me like some sort of barrowing tip ends.

Grahami

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There didn't appear to be any trace of where rails may have been. The bit which vanishes over an edge is, I think, due to subsidence rather than being intentional.

The metal section seems to strap the 'sleepers' together although the ground conditions are not noticeably different to anywhere else I've seen.

I'm probably going to pop back up and have another look in the next couple of days as I've lost my penknife and I think I may have dropped it somewhere there - so I'll use the opportunity to have a closer look and measure the 'gauge'.

My suspicion would be that it was some form of base for carting (as has been suggested) rather than the remains of a tramway. There is a tunnel between the pits that has remains of this in as well as (I think) rails, so I'll see if I can get a decent picture of that too.

Having done a bit more reading last night, I think this may be Glynrhonwy Uchaf rather than Isaf - the description in the gazetteer suggests it is Uchaf, whereas the grid reference is more like Isaf!

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Just been reading "Secret Underground Cities" and I have a new theory. I have no idea where you found these boards, but following the collapse of the ammunitions dump at Glynrhonwy isaf, the remaining explosives were taken out of an adit used as an emergency exit, into the quarry itself where there was no vehicular access.

The explosives were lifted out by a "crane set on temporary footings at the edge of the quarry". Could these be something to do with the crane? The book states that the quarry was 80 feet deep at this point - does this tie in with what you saw Vanoord?

Not really :)

They seem to run into the tunnel between the pits, which would remove the possibility of them being related to a crane as it's the opposite end of the pit:

🔗Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-005[linkphoto]Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-005[/linkphoto][/link]

Here's a couple more pics:

🔗Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-006[linkphoto]Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-006[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-007[linkphoto]Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-007[/linkphoto][/link]

At some point we'll have to abseil into the pit - there is actually a bolted climbing route in the far side which might do to abseil down, but the way across is past a very smashed pillar and a lot of unpleasant-looking rubble.

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And a couple of comparison shots from a few weeks back - apologies for the quality of the one of the bridge as it was getting dark and I didn't have a tripod to stop the camera shake... 😞

🔗Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-008[linkphoto]Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-008[/linkphoto][/link]

[img]http://www.aditnow.co.uk/showimage?f=/community/Glynrhonnwy-Uchaf-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-009/[/img]

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speaking of odd rails have a look at the pics from
Cwm Ceunant. The rails still there are tubular



and


I guess this style is more common though I havent seen any like that before. The pics dont really show how pipe like the rail is. Any know if rails like this are used any where else ?

I guess this style is more common though I havent seen any like that before. The pics dont really show how pipe like the rail is. Any know if rails like this are used any where else ?

The Penrhyn Railroad (Bethesda - Port Penrhyn) was laid in oval rails when it opened in 1798. It was soon found that wagons with double flanged wheels running on round rails created a lot of friction.

Hughes Rail (a kind of sectional track) was also round in section. The ends of the rails were turned down and slotted into holes in the sleepers. I will try and find a photo when I come home from work.

There is a photo on the Penrhyn User Album of the point castings for Thomas Hughes rail.

🔗Penrhyn-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-068[linkphoto]Penrhyn-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-068[/linkphoto][/link]

Thanks for that. I was wondering what these are and how they worked. I think I understand.
I shall edit the picture's annotation. Gwyn. :thumbsup:

There are complete examples of TH rail points at Penrhyn Castle.

In the castings in your photo there would be a short bar (pointed at each end) that fitted between the raised sections of the castings. This would be moved by hand for each change of direction over a set of points. So, to "change" a set of points from one route to the other entailed moving 3 separate pieces of metal. One where each of the two conventional blades would be on a normal set of points, plus a third where the crossing (frog in modelling terms) would be normally.

Incidentally, that photo shows one "blades" casting and two "crossing" castings, just to confuse matters!

Thanks for that explanation, I get the idea.
I'm aware of the examples at Penrhyn, I think I saw such reference at Penmorfa. I've yet to go into Penrhyn Castle.
The examples in my picture came as a pleasant suprise and appear to be in a fairly safe place; they're also very heavy!

Incidentally, that photo shows one "blades" casting and two "crossing" castings, just to confuse matters!

Maybe it was a single slip!

Maybe it was a single slip!

I think a single slip would still need two "blades" castings though Merddin. :lol: