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[Pic 26] Allt Ddu Quarry - Village Branch Embankment III (Sept 2013)

Looking down the embankment with the Allt Ddu site as a backdrop. The current path curves far sharper to the left than the Village Branch rails did.

[Pic 27] Allt Ddu Quarry - Horse Tramway and Village Branch (Sept 2013)

At the top of the embankment is where the old Horse Tramway route converges on the Village Tramway - but nowadays it's hard to tell! The Horse Tramway actually came in from the left, then continued around the curve and along the more modern path route - the latter imitating an 1812 slate road into Dinorwig, along which the Horse Tramway also ran. The Village Branch climbed to this point and then continued along another embankment (located to the right of the slate wall and barbed wire fencing) which, from here on, runs parallel to the Horse Tramway. Unfortunately this route is now well overgrown and very hard to explore.

[Pic 28] Allt Ddu Quarry - A bit overgrown ! (Sept 2013)

Looking down, from the Horse Tramway, to the (later) Village Branch embankment. No train has run along here since official closure in early 1968. Note just how overgrown it is!.

[Pic 29] Allt Ddu Quarry - Slate Sleeper (Sept 2013)

Along the Horse Tramway route there can be found numerous examples of (broken) slate sleepers. Given that the original Dinorwic Railway was laid with these sleepers is it then reasonable to assume that the (later) Horse Tramway re-used these along its route? Or were they just used as rubble for the road? Either way they date back to at least the early to mid 1800s.