Dinorwic Quarry

The Dinorwic Quarry (English Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Welsh Chwarel Dinorwig ) in the north of Wales was the second largest slate quarry in the world, surpassed only by the Penrhyn quarry a few kilometers away. The degradation began at the end of the 18th century and was discontinued in 1969.

Location and extent

The quarry is located in Gwynedd County on the northeastern shore of Llyn Peris opposite the village of Llanberis. The area of the quarry including overburden dumps extends for about 2 km along the slope and 1.5 km from the sea up the slope, the height difference between the 100 m high altitude lake and the upper quarry level is about 500 m.

About a kilometer north is located on almost 500 feet above sea level started only in the 1930s Marchlyn quarry.

The eponymous village Dinorwig is located northwest of the main quarry in elevation of 300 meters.

History

Slate was first quarried in this area in 1787, the land was first leased by the owner, Thomas Assheton Smith I. The degradation was initially inhibited by transport problems and the war with France. After the expiration of the leases in 1809 Smith himself took the initiative and joined the then four existing quarries on its territory to a company under his leadership.

The transport problems were solved with the 1824 opened Dinorvic Railway, a horse tramway between the quarry and a private port in Y Felinheli, called Port Dinorwic. 1826 already 800 men worked in the quarry and produced 20,000 tons per year - although one must consider that the per ton of usable shale overburden resulting amount was at least ten times as large as a rule.

The capacity of the horse-drawn railway, which contained more inclined elevators (English inclines ) to bridge the difference in height to the sea, soon proved to be insufficient, so that in 1848 a new railway line, which was taken Padarn Railway in operation.

At the peak of production in the late 19th century Dinorwic quarry were employed over 3,000 men, 1920, there were still 2000. During this phase, there were already problems with carefree landscaped spoil heaps that hindered the degradation, and was in the 1930s the slightly outlying Marchlyn quarry opened, however proved to be a bad investment. During and after the Second World War, demand for slate back on.

In 1966, the operation after a rock fall in the upper part of the quarry to a virtual standstill. After the construction of a passable for truck access road to the fallen masses of rock was trying to gain from these still usable slate, but this was not very successful, and in 1969 the business was finally closed.

Material handling

The Dinorwic Quarry has has an extensive rail network, which was divided into various sub- systems which have been procured for the Lokomotiv also different constructions.

The majority of locomotives was on the 20 levels of the step-like landscaped quarry in use, where rails were laid in a track width of 578 mm. This unusual measure, which was also used in the Penrhyn Quarry, has probably result from a gauge of two feet, but were measured between the rail centers.

The locomotives used on the quarry galleries - the first came in 1870 for use - were very small, weighing only a few tons and could also temporarily relocated rails traveled with tight radii. First built by De Winton locomotives were used with vertical boiler, but they were soon complemented by the powerful so-called Quarry Hunslets and eventually displaced. Of the three locomotives from Hunslet the 13 specimens were from the 1868 Alice procured class best known, especially since they have been preserved without exception.

The main task of these locomotives was to promote the funded slate to inclined elevators and the non-usable material to the slag heaps. They drove normally without heater, but most of the drivers was supported by a boy whose job it was to set the course - and to be as fast as possible, that the driver of the train did not have to stop.

In general, a locomotive ministered at a certain level and left this except for major repairs and not because the moving of the locomotives was relatively expensive on the inclined lifts. Therefore, there was at these levels, smaller workshops and roundhouse; one of them, located at 567 m above sea level, was the highest in the UK.

Most inclined elevators or funiculars use the principle of gravity ( engl. gravity incline ): This in shale mining in North Wales widespread system consisted of two parallel tracks and a large cable drum at the top. The loaded wagons covered with its greater weight, the unladen up, the speeds were regulated by a band brake on the cable drum. In a variant of this method, the trams were pushed on platforms, in turn, ran on ( wider ) rails ( see picture).

The 1824 opened connecting train to the port was called and still operated exclusively with horses Dinorwic Railway. It began around the middle slopes, passed the village Dinorwig and contained in the further course of several inclined lifts. Your track width was 578 mm, the same as in the quarry itself

As the capacity of the railway was no longer sufficient and because they ran over foreign land, for which rent had to be paid, after all, a completely new route along the Llyn Padarn was built, which had its starting point at the lowest level of the quarry. This Padarn Railway -called track was built in the rare gauge of 4 feet ( 1219 mm) and opened in 1842 - 1848 were steam engines used. Four of the little car with slates were doing loaded on a dolly. First took two very unusually shaped two-axle locomotives to operate (see Fire Queen and Jenny Lind ), from 1882 they were replaced by three three-axle tank locomotives.

The height difference between the terminus of the Padarn Railway and the port was overcome with an inclined elevator, and in the harbor itself there was again a railway network with 578 mm gauge, where steam locomotives were used for shunting, which differed in some respects from the gallery locomotives (eg the so-called Port Class ).

About halfway up the main quarry was located the developed around the turn of the century for steam locomotives Allt Ddu Tramway, which led to some small side quarries and followed it about the beginning of the old Dinorwic Railway. Unlike the largely flat sections in the galleries of this piece contained some strong gradients of 1:30 and steeper. In this section, the normal gallery locomotives were used, but preferably those with steam dome, because this reduced the risk of water tearing in the slopes.

The main workshops for sawing of the slate, the so-called Mills ( Mills ), were at the lowest level on the lakeshore. From there was a 1.5 km long link, called the quarry short Tram Road ( in the above map Padarn Peris Tramway ) to the workshops at Gilfach Ddu and Umladebahnhof to Padarn Railway. In this section slightly larger locomotives were used as in the galleries, for example, the so-called Mills class.

Today's state

The lower part of the actual quarry on the lakeshore was changed dramatically in the wake of the construction of Dinorwig hydroelectric power plant, but the higher galleries and numerous connecting ramps are still largely preserved, with most tracks have been dismantled, however. The walls of many buildings at the various levels Gallery are still available.

In the former main workshops in Gilfach Ddu is now the National Slate Museum housed. In one corner of the building complex ( left) is the roundhouse of the Llanberis Lake Railway, an independently operated by the museum train whose tracks ( track width 597 mm ) are laid on the route of the former Padarn Railway. The steam locomotives of the railway locomotives are former Dinorvic quarry.

Also numerous other locomotives of the quarry have been preserved, but of the five locomotives of the Padarn Railway just one. It is at Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum.

The port in Y Felinheli 's stayed the same, he now serves as a marina.