- Gorseddau Tramway
Infobox rail
railroad_name=Gorseddau Tramway
gauge=RailGauge|36
start_year=1857
end_year=1872
hq_city=Porthmadog
locale=Wales
successor_line=Gorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railway The Gorseddau Tramway was a RailGauge|36 gauge railway built in 1856 to link the slate quarries around Gorseddau with the wharves at
Porthmadog . It was an early forerunner of theGorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railway and subsequently theWelsh Highland Railway .Tremadoc Tramway
The Tremadoc tramway (sometimes known as the "Llidiartyspytty Railway") was built by William Maddocks sometime before 1842, and possibly as early as the 1830s. It connected the ironstone mine at Llidiart Yspytty to the harbour at Porthmadog. Little is known about the operation of the railway, though it is believed to have been horse worked with similar track and rolling stock to the nearby
Nantlle Railway . The ironstone mine was not successful and the tramway was extended to serve a nearby slate quarry owned by the "Bangor & Portmadoc Slate & Slab Co. Ltd."In 1856 the Bangor & Portmadoc Slate & Slab company requested tenders to extend the line 2¼ miles to the Gorseddau Quarry at Glan Bwll ["The North Wales Chronicle" 12th. April 1856] . The extended railway, completed in 1857, was known as the Gorseddau Tramway.
Route and operation
From the wharves at Porthmadog harbor the line curved through the town and ran alongside the "Y Cyt" canal to Tremadoc. From there a reversing neck marked the beginning of the extension towards Gorseddau. The route headed east through the town of
Penmorfa where it passed under the main road in a short tunnel. Along this stretch gradients reached a maximum of 1 in 23. At Henefail the line turned north past Ynys-y-Pandy and on to Gorseddau where a short incline lead into the quarry. The line ran a total distance of just over 8 miles and rose 900 feet in that distance.The line was horse operated using wagons and a passenger carriage supplied by the
Boston Lodge works of theFfestiniog Railway .Takeover
In 1863 the
Croesor Tramway was built, connecting the slate quarries of the Croesor valley with Porthmadog. This RailGauge|24 gauge tramway crossed the Gorseddau on the level on the edge of Porthmadog and served the same wharves.In 1871 notice was given by the owners of the Gorseddau Tramway that they intended to replace the tramway with a new railway between Gorseddau and Porthmadog of RailGauge|24 gauge. This would allow common rolling stock to be used between the Croesor and Gorseddau tramways and the Ffestiniog railway, all of which delivered slate to Porthmadog harbor. An
Act of Parliament was authorized on 25th. July 1872 and theGorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railway was created, replacing the Gorseddau Tramway.References
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External links
* [http://local.live.com/?v=2&cid=230D1A79E4437B66!329 Interactive Map at Live.com]
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