North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways

North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
Map of the NWNGRs
Locale	Wales
Dates of operation	1877–1916
Successor	Welsh Highland Railway
Track gauge	1 ft 11 1⁄2 in (597 mm)
Length	12+1⁄2 miles (20.1 km)

The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (Moel Tryfan Undertaking) (to give it its full name) was a 1 ft 11 ¹⁄₂ in (597 mm) gauge railway running from Dinas to Bryngwyn, Wales, which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872. The same act authorised a branch from Tryfan Junction to South Snowdon. Subsequently the railway chose to regard the line from Tryfan Junction to Bryngwyn as the branch.

Route built

Although, as originally planned (1872), the line to Bryngwyn was the nominated main line, very early on a decision was made for the South Snowdon line to become the main line. By the time commercial operations started, it had been reclassified a branch

Main line: Dinas - Tryfan Junction - Waunfawr - Bettws Garmon - Snowdon Ranger - South Snowdon/Rhyd Ddu (approx. 9 miles).

Branch line: Tryfan Junction - Rhostryfan - Bryngwyn (approx. 2 miles). From Bryngwyn, an incline (owned by the railway company) led (via quarry owned lines) to a number of slate quarries around Moel Tryfan mountain.

Routes planned

The line from Dinas to Rhyd Ddu was built and operated, but this was just a small part of the grand scheme for a network of narrow gauge railways spanning much of north Wales. An Act of Parliament in 1885 authorised an extension northwards to Caernarfon and a Light Railway Order of 1900 authorised an extension southwards to Beddgelert.

A further part of the scheme was the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (General Undertaking) which planned a route from Porthmadog to Beddgelert, where it would meet the Rhyd Ddu-Beddgelert extension. From there the line would travel via Capel Curig to Betws-y-Coed. A further branch would have extended the line from Betws y Coed to Cerrig-y-Drudion where the railway would meet the planned Ruthin and Cerrig-y-Drudion Railway.

The General Undertaking was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1872 but officially abandoned in 1876. The section from Porthmadog to Beddgelert was eventually completed by the Welsh Highland Railway as part of its construction, and utilised parts of the Croesor Tramway and the aborted PBSSR works.

South Snowdon

There are two locations which have been called South Snowdon. One is Rhyd Ddu and the other is the South Snowdon Quarry in the Nant Gwynant Pass and this was the original intended destination of the Portmadoc Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway. That company later applied for and received a light railway order to build from Beddgelert to Rhyd Ddu and commenced construction on that section.

History

Opened from Dinas to Tryfan Junction and Bryngwyn 1877 to Snowdon Ranger in 1878 and to South Snowdon (Rhyd Ddu) in 1881. Closed to passenger traffic in 1916. Goods service continued running on an 'as required' basis until about 1922 when the railway became part of the Welsh Highland Railway (additional Welsh Highland trackage from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog opened in 1923).

Locomotives

Name	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes
Snowdon Ranger	Vulcan Foundry	0-6-4T	1875	739	Single Fairlie locomotive. Scrapped 1917; major components used to repair Moel Tryfan
Moel Tryfan	Vulcan Foundry	0-6-4T	1875	738	Single Fairlie locomotive. Transferred to the Welsh Highland Railway in 1922; scrapped by the Ffestiniog Railway in 1954
Beddgelert	Hunslet	0-6-4ST	1878	206	Mainly worked the Bryngwyn branch. Scrapped 1906
Russell	Hunslet	2-6-2T	1906	901	Ordered by the Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway, paid for by the North Wales Power & Traction Co Ltd, for the NWNGR and became part of the Welsh Highland Railway stock
Gowrie	Hunslet	0-6-4T	1908	979	Single Fairlie locomotive; sold around 1915 for contractor work; scrapped after 1928

See also

• British narrow gauge railways
• British narrow gauge slate railways
• Slate operations on the WHR

References

Further reading

Boyd, James I.C. (1988). Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 1. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1365-6. OCLC 20417464.