On a recent trip into Braich Goch the oportunity was taken to examine a pile of very interesting rail. The rail in question was identified as rolled, wrought iron, fish bellied "t -bulb". I suggested that this was Losh and Stephenson rail as used on the Nantlle Railway. Post trip Dave Linton queried my identification, suggesting that the rail was infact Birkinshaw rail.

Having done a bit of research I can confirm that Dave's suggestion is correct and that the rail is Birkinshaw pattern and not Losh & Stephenson (mea culpa). 😞

Losh & Stephenson rails are in fact cast not rolled. Those used on the Stockton & Darlington were 4 feet long weighing 65 lb.

I am still of the opinion the the rail may be ex Nantlle. A rather nice sketch of the Nantlle rail and chairs may be found in page 24 of JIC Boyd's narrow Gauge railways in North Caerns. vol. 1. I also recall (5 or 6 years ago) a full length with five fishbellies in situ as part of a fence on the Nantlle Railway between Dorothea and Pen Yr Orsedd.

Here is a pic of some of the fish belly that we sat on a chair when we were there last 🔗Braich-goch-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-42313[linkphoto]Braich-goch-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-42313[/linkphoto][/link] see the Braich gallery for more pics

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I agree that the rails could well be from the original Nantlle railway.

This was converted from 3' 6" gauge to standard gauge in 1868, presumably using more modern rail, and so it is likely that a considerable amount of second-hand wrought-iron rail would have been available at that time.

Richards in Slate Quarrying at Corris (p. 45) suggests that the rails at Gaewern came from the Upper Corris tramway. However, Boyd in Narrow Gauge Railways in Mid-Wales (p. 39) states that the branch was laid in bridge rail.

Of interest to me is that there is a length of similar rail at Cilcwychwyn manganese mine. This mine was working in the early 1890s. It had already been suggested that this rail might have come from (in order of decreasing probability) the Ffestiniog or Nantlle railways, Gaewern Quarry in Corris or Glynrhonwy. It's starting to look as if it could have found use at several of these enterprises before finding a home (in a very worn state) as a gatepost in Cwm Nantcol.

Anyway, thanks to Tamarmole to drawing my atention to Losh (who I'd not heard of before) and Stephenson and which led me on to Birkinshaw and his wrought-iron rail.

Dave

There were lengths of this rail in the chamber that formed the (now closed) link between Gaewern and Braich Goch. I think they had been thrown down the roofing shaft where they had been used as a fence on the surface, I had always been led to believe they came from the Corris railway, perhaps pre steam days. There are more rails still on the surface.

Martin