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 * Inclines 04 - Remains Of The Welsh slate Industry *  * Inclines 04 *
* [Pic 16] Fridd Incline, Glynrhonwy (1986) *

[Pic 16] Fridd Incline, Glynrhonwy (1986)

Located on the summit of a ridge, at Pen-y-Bwlch, is the head of the Fridd No. 4 Incline - The uppermost of 4 inclines that descended through the Glynrhonwy complex of quarries to sidings on the LNWR's standard gauge Llanberis line. Beyond the drumhouse a tramway headed almost south west before curving round to meet the upper reaches of Chwarel Fawr quarry, with another connection branching off to the Bryn Mawr quarry. At the inclines base (Cefn Ddu quarry level) was a short tramway to the head of the No. 3 incline, with a connection coming in from the Cefn Ddu mill. After Chwarel Fawr had a tunnel connection (from the base of their pit) to the Cefn Ddu working, this incline was little used and became abandoned long before the rest of the Ffridd system. Note the raised incline head and the distance from the crimp to the drumhouse. Dominating the background, and basking in a late summers evening sun, is Moel Elio.
* [Pic 17] Bryn Eglwys Slate Quarry (1987) *

[Pic 17] Bryn Eglwys Slate Quarry (2012)

Connecting the Bryn Eglwys workings with the Talyllyn Railway was a tramway that incorporated two inclines to overcome the difference in height. Cantrybedd was the upper incline and this one, Alltwyllt, was the lower. The tramway between the two ran along a narrow ledge cut into the steep sided Gwernol gorge, which meant at the Alltwyllt head there was little room for a conventional drum. So they built it high up on a rock ledge with extra long rods for the brakemans lever - which are still in situ today! Also still in place are the rails at this point. The tramway leads off left of camera, then turns right and the runs south east to the foot of Cantrybedd incline. Alltwyllt and the tramway now form part of the NRWs Quarryman's Trail, a 4 mile waymarked walk from Nant Gwernol (or Abergynolwyn Station) up through Bryn Eglwys and back - Easilly expandable via other paths and forest roads, this is a well recommended walk.
* [Pic 18] Abercwmeiddaw Slate Quarry (1988) *

[Pic 18] Abercwmeiddaw Slate Quarry (1987)

A view up the Abercwmeiddaw exit incline showing the large retaining walls needed to hold back the waste tips. By the time this incline was built these tips were already large and the incline bed descended them to form a connection with the Upper Corris Tramway (an extention of the Corris Railway) by means of a short tramway. Leading to the summit was a tramway from the mill, while another tramway crossed the incline close to the summit - the abutments for its bridge are clearly visible. Despite the 1990 landscaping of the site this incline route is still visible.
* [Pic 19] Dinorwic Slate Quarry (1982) *

[Pic 19] Dinorwic Slate Quarry (2013)

Back to Dinorwic and the long C4 incline with its huge slab walling that was needed to carry the incline bed over two intermediate levels, each of these having its own passage through the embankment. This was one in a series of 10 inclines, beginning at lake level with C1, that climbed high up the south western slopes of Elidir Fach, within the Braich section of the quarry. The C4 incline was twin tracked and the drumhouse (Bonc Roller level) is still intact except for its roof.
* [Pic 20] Aberllefenni Slate Quarries (1987) *

[Pic 20] Aberllefenni Slate Quarries Pt I (1987)

Seen here is the Foel Grochan water balanced transporter incline that was used purely to uphaul waste to a tip which had engulfed the valley floor and was higher than the main adit level. Even by 1987 this incline was still relatively intact, with the rails still in place on the incline bed, plus the wooden boarding that protected the drum from the weather. The roof, however, had gone by then.
* [Pic 21] Aberllefenni Slate Quarries (1990) *

[Pic 21] Aberllefenni Slate Quarries Pt II (2012)

Twenty five years after Pic 20 and the same incline hasn't faired well during that time. With the waste tips being worked for hardcore, the valley floor has changed leaving just the incline sticking pround. To the left the tip has gone along with the landing stage for the transporter, plus the incline bed has degraded and the drumhouse is a ruin.
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