davel
  • davel
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5 years ago
"davel" wrote:

... Ghosts of Aberglaslyn: The Porthmadog, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway John Manners with Michael Bishop, Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Group, 2016


Unfortunately, I've discovered this book is now out of print and, according to the Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Group online bookshop, is "sadly out of stock, reprint unlikely".

However, for people resident in north Wales, Gwynedd libraries have two copies shown in their catalogue.

Dave
grahami
5 years ago
I thought I'd created a site for Maentwrog Power Station which had the Distribution Map for the NWP Co on it, but I can't find it, so I will later tonight 'cos it's tea-time now!

Graham I

Edit:
Ok, site posted and images in process of uploading.

G
The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.
grahami
5 years ago
Regarding the PBSSR Locos the "Ghosts of Aberglaslyn" - there was an article of the same name in "The Narrow Gauge" Issue 91 (I think) by Rodney Weaver, which might be available as a back issue from the NGRS.

Meanwhile here are three rather ancient copies of the original drawings : Many details were sadly missing. Enjoy

Grahami

[photo]18412[/photo]
[photo]18411[/photo]
[photo]18410[/photo]


The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.
grahami
5 years ago
And here is the North Wales Power Co.'s Distribution Plan which was drawn (etched?) and coloured on aluminium tiles mounted on the inside wall of Maentwrog Power Station. As well as this there were the original drawings of the pelton units, all on display. At the time the manager showed me three (I think) volumes of photographs taken during the construction of the station, pipeline and reservoir. I don't know what happened to any of them. He was quite sad that the station could only draw down 5ft of the reservoir at max because the level had to be kept for the Trawsfynydd Nuclear station which used the same reservoir. Now Traws has gone (mostly) but Maentwrog soldiers on.
Grahami


🔗120513[linkphoto]120513[/linkphoto][/link]
The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.
TheBogieman
5 years ago
To add to Graham's drawings of the PB&SSR's Ganz electric locos, if you think of some of the electric winders on the slate quarry inclines, speed control was the same - 3 tanks of brine in the cab with plates raised or lowered. Would have been interesting being the driver in the cramped cab hauling trains up the 1 in 28 gradients with the brine boiling and gassing off!! Thankfully, although some were completed, they were never used as the PB&SSR went bust...
Explorans ad inferos
grahami
5 years ago
Hi Dave,

Both diagrams give the wrong idea, the second "map" in the "electrician" article shows the correct route from LLanberis over to Quellyn Lake then via Rhydd Du to Nantlle.

Grahami

"davel" wrote:

To add to the information about Cwm Dyli power station and the Marconi radio station ...

The first diagram shows the Cwm Dyli as planned (from The Electrician 1906. As can be seen there were planned connections to the Dinorwig, Ffestiniog, Glyn Rhonwy and Nantlle quarries. The route to Glyn Rhonwy appears to have continued alongside the lake from Llanberis and the route to Dyfryn Nantlle appears to go via Betws Garmon and Rhos Tryfan or Bryngwyn.

🔗120413[linkphoto]120413[/linkphoto][/link]

The second diagram shows the later development of the network with connections to the radio station and Penrhyn quarry, plus interconnectors to Dolgarog and Maentwrog power stations and a supply to Porthmadog.

The link to Glyn Rhonwy now goes from the south west of Llanberis, and the route to Nantlle goes via Drws y Coed, where a connection is shown. (I wonder if this was in anticipation of electric copper refining at the mines there.)

🔗120414[linkphoto]120414[/linkphoto][/link]

The railway in both diagrams is the Porthmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway, which was intended to use electric locos, hence the inclusion of 'Traction' in the NWEP&T Co. company name. (But that's another story. 🙂 )

Dave


The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.
davel
  • davel
  • 50.2% (Neutral)
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5 years ago
Hi Graham

"grahami" wrote:

Both diagrams give the wrong idea, the second "map" in the "electrician" article shows the correct route from LLanberis over to Quellyn Lake then via Rhydd Du to Nantlle.


I think you mean the third map (Fig. 3) in the article. (The second map Fig. 2 shows Llyn Llydaw and the route of the pipline to the power station.)

My first diagram was based on Fig. 14 in The Electrician and the second diagram was based on the Fig. 3 map. However, I can't immediately see anything wrong with my second diagram – I'm happy to be corrected but can you be more specific?

Dave
grahami
5 years ago
Apologies for the wrong figure reference, typed without looking, should have said the map figure 3, both diagrams esp. fig.14 (the second one you posted) appear to show the feeder once over the SNowdon ridge going roughly NW towards Bettws Garmon, whereas the map correctly shows it going roughly SW towards Rhydd Du and the Drws y Coed pass, before taking the RHS of that valley to curve round behind Nantlle village and approach Pen Yr Orsedd from the East and North.

I hope that makes sense!

Edit2: Just re-read your post - I had not appreciated you hade backwards engineered the firts sketch. All makes sense now, but my comment holds.

PM sent.

Grahami
The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.

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