Good afternoon,

I'm after a little bit of information about Moelwyn Slate Mine, especially the working periods during the 1860s/1870s.

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Personal-Album-6602/Buarth-Melyn-pre-1888.pdf  is based on the 1888 25"/mile OS map and there are still some sidings at Buarth Melyn - I've made an educated guess at what the signalling of the layout would be, but if anyone knows what the working periods between October 1864 and October 1888 (although I suspect the map was surveyed during 1885/6) it would help in sorting out a few more of the details.

Thanks!

Slightly off topic - but regarding the OS survey dates the equivalent map showing Llechwedd Quarry (i.e. 1888-89) is surveyed MUCH later than 1884 as there is a Lease Plan of that date which shows differenet features - i.e. the main incline worked by waterwheel not steam engine etc.

So I would say the survey date of 1888 is not off by much more than a year or 2 max.

Cheers

Grahami

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The Nantlle area 1889 (published) OS map was surveyed in 1887, according to a note on the lower margin of the printed sheet. It is possible that there was generally a year's delay fro survey to print, as in the 1899 Nantlle survey 1900 print 2nd edition, though the 1913 survey was not published until 1916, probably due to obvious reasons! I'll look up my old paper files for you to look for Moelwyn dates; there might be something in them!

I'll look up my old paper files for you to look for Moelwyn dates; there might be something in them!

Thank-you, I look forward to hearing from you. 🙂

Got a bit of information which may help, largely from the Mining Journal, Reports of Inspectors of Mines & Mineral Statistics. Full details not to hand but if necessary I can provide these with references in a few weeks time. The following details are from memory:

Great Moelwyn Co. in 1860's, there was a very detailed sale notice in MJ I think in 1871. Then worked by the Union Slate & Slab Co. into the late 1870's. About 1886 reopened but very small scale & lasted less than a year; reopened c 1890 but again production levels very low.

Thank-you; that is a help. Would it have been worked continuously between the 1860s and the late 1870s? That's the impression I'm getting from what you've written.

Which means...

There is far more evidence here for an intermediate [1] siding with point indicator [2] than Catherine and Jane Consols.

Much pondering now - those dates tend to fit in with an era in the Festiniog when the railway was settled and maturing into the 'classic' FR when money was no object and the signalling is only partially recorded by OS Maps and the diagrams in the FR Archives. To a certain extent you need to work backwards from both to try and work it all out - there are tantalising clues in the Spooner Album too which just adds another layer of complications.

Admittedly this isn't directly related to mine exploration, but it gives a picture of which way the traffic was flowing and what would be provided in the valley below. Thank-you very much indeed, it would take me a lot of digging through the MJ to get this sort of information.

I'm pretty happy with the dates that you've given, so don't go digging around unnecessarily further - the big thing is that it would have been working aroundabout 1872 which is when there were significant changes with the operating of the FR.

[1] in the Tunnel North - Tanygrisiau section; I've got plenty of ancillary evidence for Cwmorthin Junction and Nidd-y-Gigfran in the next block section up (as well as Tanygrisiau Foundry, Wrysgan) and in later ages Cefn Bychan Junction.

[2] rather than a signal 'signal' IYGWIM.

Might I ask what/where Cefn Bychan Junction was?

Might I ask what/where Cefn Bychan Junction was?

Groby.

Ah, I see, thanks.

http://www.festipedia.org.uk/w/images/9/9d/Princegroby1927.jpg 

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Personal-Album-6602/Cefn-Bychan-for-egroup.pdf 

Moving back to the original topic, I now have a copy of an 1868 map for the doubling of the FR (unfortunately it isn't mine, so I can't replicate it) that shews the Moelwyn Branch in all its glory - well insofar as it can be shewn at 2"/mile.

Thanks for that. It was the name of the junction that meant nothing to me.

I remember walking the branch before much of it was obliterated by a land reclaimation scheme. The whole branch was something of a "switch back"!

In the last section (approaching the quarry) of the former route there is still at least one section of rail (it seemes quite heavy section) extant.

Thanks for that. It was the name of the junction that meant nothing to me.

Apparently it was the 'official' name in dealing with the Ministry when it was inspected.

Moving back to the original topic, I now have a copy of an 1868 map for the doubling of the FR (unfortunately it isn't mine, so I can't replicate it) that shews the Moelwyn Branch in all its glory - well insofar as it can be shewn at 2"/mile.

Does this plan by any chance show the land ownerships around GlanyPwll and the Dinas Branch ? I ask because I am trying to make head or tail of when the land changed from "Trustees of Richard Parry (Deceased)" to "Col. Francis Haygarth" and then to William Haygarth before finally being purchased by W.E. Oakeley in the 1890s and early 1900s.

Thanks

Grahami

PS this is all to do with the development of Llechwedd Quarry

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Does this plan by any chance show the land ownerships around GlanyPwll and the Dinas Branch ? I ask because I am trying to make head or tail of when the land changed from "Trustees of Richard Parry (Deceased)" to "Col. Francis Haygarth" and then to William Haygarth before finally being purchased by W.E. Oakeley in the 1890s and early 1900s.

PS this is all to do with the development of Llechwedd Quarry

Sadly not - guessed that was the purpose. I might be able to give you some clues out of the FR Archives as there are (I think) several mentions of Parry and the Haygarths. If we're lucky there may be a little snippet of gen that helps you.

Would you like me to do some grepping?

Thankyou - that would be most helpful. I've had a good dig at the DRO and the online catalogues, as well as untangling the (variably accurate) genealogy material online, so I've a fair idea but any more threads of enquiry would be most useful.

Cheers

Grahami

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It will be sometime early next week when I've got chance to get to grips with the greppage (busy renovating other half's other house) - do you want to send me a PM and I can email the results to you?