This was the year i began work at the quarry,i brings back so many memories.I remember all the men in the film,apart from one,they have all left us.I remember the loco very well,when in the mill it would belch out dirty black smoke.It is claimed that the last ‘crewling’,the quarry terminology for sending the wagons down a incline,was in 1976.But thanks to this film it cancels out that claim.We carried on using the incline for another2 years(if my memory serves me right)🤔The only thing i don’t remember is,what kind of signaling we used.On a foggy and windy day you would certainly not seen or heard either top or bottom gang to issue instructions.
Superb and thanks. As a Talyllyn Railway volunteer in the 1960/70s we explored surrounding sites. I wish we had explored further and witnessed this. Wonderful archive.
Quarrying was a hard life before modern equipment really took over. The men of Wales were a special breed, you couldn't get anyone to do this as they did nowadays. My family partly came from a quarrying world too, in Derbyshire. I have the greatest respect for these men.
My grandfather George Guest worked here and his daughter Margaret (my aunt) because the local J.P. I spent many a happy year in Blaenau during the school holidays - Happy Days.
It is now July '22, bearing in mind there is now heritage status for this area, I wonder if scenes like these could be recreated,what an educational tool it could become,possibly even resulting in employment.
Amazing, this is the first moving picture I have seen of a railway with double-flange wheels and the unique track switches that they used. I've read that this system had wheels that rotated on the axles so the wheels could shift laterally to accommodate gauge variances. I had no idea this type of system had lasted as late as 1978.
Brilliant, I've seen old footage of Fotty and Oakeleys, but not Maenofferen. I could watch these all day. Amazing footage. I'll share it on my group Mineshaft if it's OK, they'll enjoy it as much as me 👌
Loved it. Interesting that Dafydd Jones thought the gravity incline (from about 5 mins) closed in 1976, I read it had closed in 1974. In any event it was the last working gravity incline in the Welsh slate industry.
I have grown to love the railroads and funny engines of the UK, so much I have even bought some British milk wagons and cauldrons to put on my American model railroad. There are lots of photos of this place on Flickr. I was surprised its all still there, just left there like everyone left on Friday and never came back
This was the year i began work at the quarry,i brings back so many memories.I remember all the men in the film,apart from one,they have all left us.I remember the loco very well,when in the mill it would belch out dirty black smoke.It is claimed that the last ‘crewling’,the quarry terminology for sending the wagons down a incline,was in 1976.But thanks to this film it cancels out that claim.We carried on using the incline for another2 years(if my memory serves me right)🤔The only thing i don’t remember is,what kind of signaling we used.On a foggy and windy day you would certainly not seen or heard either top or bottom gang to issue instructions.
This is priceless. A look into how the quarries that roofed the world worked at its finest.
Gwych! How the ordinary, over time, becomes absolutely invaluable.
Superb and thanks. As a Talyllyn Railway volunteer in the 1960/70s we explored surrounding sites. I wish we had explored further and witnessed this. Wonderful archive.
Great to see such good footage of the inclines working. There's so few films of them working.
Mesmerising . That was chunks of slate, real lives, a way of life. Lost forever. Pure Gold . 👏
It's wonderful that this film exists.
Quarrying was a hard life before modern equipment really took over. The men of Wales were a special breed, you couldn't get anyone to do this as they did nowadays. My family partly came from a quarrying world too, in Derbyshire. I have the greatest respect for these men.
I was 14 when this was filmed. 3 years later I was volunteering on the WHR (what is now the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway). Great footage.
My grandfather George Guest worked here and his daughter Margaret (my aunt) because the local J.P. I spent many a happy year in Blaenau during the school holidays - Happy Days.
the little railway on season 4 of Thomas & Friends.
It is now July '22, bearing in mind there is now heritage status for this area, I wonder if scenes like these could be recreated,what an educational tool it could become,possibly even resulting in employment.
That, sadly, is not the Welsh grant-funded way of things. Some desk fliers will get a nice title and a pay rise, but little else.
Outstanding footage of an unfortunately vanished world. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing, this is the first moving picture I have seen of a railway with double-flange wheels and the unique track switches that they used. I've read that this system had wheels that rotated on the axles so the wheels could shift laterally to accommodate gauge variances. I had no idea this type of system had lasted as late as 1978.
Brilliant, I've seen old footage of Fotty and Oakeleys, but not Maenofferen. I could watch these all day. Amazing footage. I'll share it on my group Mineshaft if it's OK, they'll enjoy it as much as me 👌
Aye up Chris....
Just superb
Fascinating. I recognise quite a lot of it after walking around the site this weekend.
Thanks very much, it is really great to see this.
A look at how they moved slate from point a-b…
Does this link to FR anywhere?
Even though this is only 1978 (not that long ago for me as I was 13 at the time) it looks like it should have been something from the early 1900s…
Fascinating industrial history. And rare evidence of sunshine in Blaenau.
Best thing I've ever seen on UA-cam.
Brilliant to see it being worked
Priceless historical industrial footage ❤👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I bet it was a bastard in winter
Incline no2
Thank you!
Fascinating footage, thanks for sharing 😊
Fantastic being able to see the mine working. Thx!
Excellent footage, thank for sharing JP
Stunning bit of history.
What a fascinating (and historic) record of this industry. Thanks for sharing.
Loved it. Interesting that Dafydd Jones thought the gravity incline (from about 5 mins) closed in 1976, I read it had closed in 1974. In any event it was the last working gravity incline in the Welsh slate industry.
I have grown to love the railroads and funny engines of the UK, so much I have even bought some British milk wagons and cauldrons to put on my American model railroad. There are lots of photos of this place on Flickr. I was surprised its all still there, just left there like everyone left on Friday and never came back
I love exploring quarries, particularly slate quarries. So seeing this is great insight into how they worked.
Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice
❤
wow.