Greetings all.
Apologies for the slightly off-topic nature of this query, but I
think I can just about get away with it, as it covers many mines' transport. If it's off-topic, please move it to another board.
Some of you may know that I'm currently writing up the history of Festiniog Railway signalling for the FRSociety, particularly the disc signalling era. One of the major 'grey areas' is the Dinas Branch. Fortunately, I have copies of the 1869 plans for the doubling of the branch, so I can work out a suggestion about how Dinas was laid out as a passenger terminus with a pair of disc signals and a station semaphore in the middle - what I am fairly stumped on is the situation that is reflected in the Spooner Album. Those of you with copies of the book, please have a quick gander at plates 37 (Dinas Station) and 38 (the WSCo viaduct).
I suspect that after Dinas closed as a passenger station, the station semaphore was moved elsewhere, and the disc signal nearest the LNW tunnel was moved further out with another disc (the one that is visible in the picture of Dinas Station) with a small pointsmans bothy near the viaduct. The two disc signals controlled the approach of trains from the Llechwedd end (you can just see the disc hiding behind the telegraph pole in the centre) and the Portmadoc end would have held trains at Dinas.
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Personal-Album-6602/1887DinasSignals.pdf So - questions:
1. Are there any photographs around of the area underneath the WSCo viaduct, around the location of the Rhiwbryfdir incline junction, please? Dates are not important, as any photograph may give a clue.
2. Both these signals appear on the 1889 OS map - I have spent many hours looking at a huge scan of Dinas station building, and it's clear that by the time of the Spooner Album control of the disc signals wasn't at Dinas (unless you count the signal behind Bleasdale when he took the picture, if that signal was there). When did the little bothy appear at the position marked on the diagram - if anyone can give a date, please?
Apologies for it not being directly related to mine exploration, but I can't think of another forum where I might be able to tap into peoples knowledge about this sort of thing. The Dinas branch is a fascinating bit of railway working and Dinas Station kept its telephone and agent until the '30s, there was still plenty of traffic around on the branch.
If anyone can help with pictures or ideas, I'd be very grateful.