The old railway and mining tunnels of Blaenau Ffestiniog
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2022
- Blaenau Ffestiniog is the heart of slate country. A quarrying and mining settlement in North Wales, there are dozens of individual open-air and underground quarries littering the area. Some remain working but most became disused in the early 20th century, leaving behind traces of the old industry behind. In this video, I want to look for the Old Moelwyn Tunnel, a disused railway tunnel on the Ffestiniog Railway that was flooded when they built a nearby reservoir. Then a curious climb up an old cart incline leads to a tunnel and a small slate quarry high up that hides a deep secret.
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Wales does have such incredible mountains, hills and beautiful scenery. Impressive background. 🤩
Was up here during the Bank Holiday to do the nearby Zip World zip-wire.
Every time I see all those hills and slate though, I cannot help but picture the Doctor running around being chased by some bug eyed plasticine alien, just reminds me of the kind of locations they’d film Classic Doctor Who in all the time! 😂
Great video mate.
Those days of Dr Who on a budget. The Brigadier would turn up in his Landy. Strange how on a 500 quid budget, somehow the episodes were better than they can do today.
The Hand of Fear. And Sarah gets buried during a quarry explosion. Then there was the one with Jo Grant where some company is dumping chemicals in old mines and huge fluorescent green worms develop. 👍👍
Amazing part of the word. I remember years back going up on that train from Porthmadog, half way up hit a micro climate with a tiny thunderstorm.
That entire area of North Wales has some of the most stunning scenery in the UK.. spent a year living near Barmouth and it's a great place to be or visit.
A classic "One Man One Camera" video and unscripted, spoken from the heart.... How many slate roofs around the world had their slate come from that mine? A well make slate roof will lost almost forever. Thanks Ollie for another great watch.
Think the power station is a pumped storage system, i.e. Water is pumped up into the lake using off peak electricity usually at night, then discharged through the turbines to generate electricity at times of peak load.
Absolutely correct. At least you have done your homework 😉
If your description is correct, then it is Dinorwic power station. Water is held at high level on the mountain, and in times of high demand is let down to the turbines in the mountain. when demand is off peak, the water is pumped back to the top resevoir, ready for next high demand
I agree,think it was built before Dinorwig, to prove the theory perhaps.
@@chrisevans2686 It's Ffestiniog Hydro power station not Dinorwic.The station, commissioned in 1963, was the first major pumped storage system in the UK. The upper reservoir is Llyn Stwlan which discharges 27 cubic metres per second (950 cu ft/s) of water to the turbine generators at the power station on the bank of Tanygrishau reservoir.
Dinorwic was built later and opened in 1984. I used to work on the submersible pumps from the Blaenau Ffestiniog power station as an Apprentice Electrical engineer back in the late 70s.
@@stephenjones9153 We learn more of the depth and breadth of your wide-ranging interests and knowledge Stephen. Many thanks to Ollie for these videos also as a repeat of the several visits to this intriguing landscape is no longer possible. Regrets also that I never took the chance to explore an old railway tunnel piercing the Great Dividing Range within a 15 minute drive of the home I was born into. Ancient legs and 1000 miles of Australian bush preclude the chance now.
Ah, Blaenau- it doesn't always rain!
Mine police warning! Please don't go into such places without a hard hat or proper caving hat. The last person to die in a neighbouring mine was killed by a rock fragment the size of a coin falling from the roof.
I visited the incline about forty years ago. I was amazed by the skill and sheer determination of the miners. If you have ever lifted a piece of slate it is heavy stuff. One advantage the miners had was that they made extensive use of gravity. The incline had two tracks side by side. Wire ropes were attached to each. The ropes were wound onto two drums that were on the same axle. One drum was round clockwise the other anticlockwise. The result was that as one rope paid out and the other paid in. Attaching a loaded cart to one rope caused the empty cart to ascend. To control the rate of descent a large brake was fitted to the axle. Workmen could slow of increase the rate of descent by adjusting the brake. So it was gravity that did the work. I admire all those who worked in this industry but my goodness what tougth life it was.
Great vlog as always. Fabulous views. Thanks 😊 👍👍👍
Thank you!
Before they opened the old railway tunnel, they has a series of inclines over the hill.
That track you show going down to the old embankment next to the new line was one of them - so you did an extra incline that day !
A real brilliant video Ollie. There's millions of tons of slate been taken out of that area for many years. Blaenau Ffestiniog is a totally amazing part of Wales and the British Isles in general. The people that worked those mines and quarries were certainly a tough lot indeed, and certainly and deservedly earned their wages in those conditions. Many thanks for the video, mate.
Yes I love it there. So many stories. Thanks Ffranc!
We stayed in Tanygrisiau a few years back and could see that incline leading up to the tunnel. Unfortunately it was way too hot to climb up to it so thanks for showing me what I missed! We did see the old route of the Ffestiniog, however.
I'm also amazed by mining. This could have something to do with the fact there was a coal mine practically at the end of my road when I was little, or I could just be fascinated by the engineering and innovation aspect. It's just a shame they were hotbeds of unsafe practices and exploitation of the workers. "They will not dream of us poor lads lost in the ground." (Wilfred Owen - "Miners")
Superb video Ollie! That derelict winding engine must have felt so rewarding after that climb! Thanks for getting off the beaten track again
Made me smile because you did the exact same thing I did in 2019. Climbed up that incline because the tunnel at the top was too enticing, went into that cavern and down the same tunnel, but we weren't kitted out with lights or anything so put it on the "we'll come back" list! Glad to see you enjoyed it. Beautiful area and a lovely railway to travel on.
Really enjoyed the video Olli. Very interesting stuff and having north Welsh forefathers made it special for me... all the best and looking forward to next coastal vid.
Grand video. If ever you get the chance, have a look at the Dinorwig quarry in Llanberis. A lot of the machinery in still intact, and if you get to the top level there is a shed with a jacket or two and some old boots still as they were left.
Thanks very much! Actually I went to Dinorwig the next day to have a look so stay tuned!
I wondered what they looked like thank you for the amazing video!
Another great watch. 👍
I commend your adventurous spirit! I've been on the Ffestiniog Railway but never strayed off the safe tourist friendly paths😄
Danke!
Love that part of the world, great video 😎
Have seen that incline many times from rail level and wondered what was the other side of the tunnel at the top. Now you've answered that question for me .. fascinating many thanks.
Great video!
Amazing new inspiration to go visit. Nice one
I enjoyed that! The quarry you visited at the end, is one I've wanted to visit myself for quite sometime. It's fantastic that the winding mechanism for the incline is kinda still there. Great stuff!
Cheers thanks!
Great video. Never been that part of the Wales. Only the far south (castles around the Cardiff hinterland) and around Wrexham.
"Not rained much recently" has very little to do with the water level.- It is the bottom half of a pumped storage system. The level of the reservoir depends upon how long the power station has been generating for peak periods as opposed to pumping the water back up to the top half during off peak periods.
Fascintaing fact.The cafe at the Northern end of the reservoir has Swordfish (amongst others) on the menu!
The metal mechanisms have been sitting there in same positions for decades. Glad to see they all still in place.
Down in the mountain gap to the side of where you are are the ruins of an old chapel.
Nice one gulliver
Was on an organised 'caving' trip back in 1999 that started by going up that incline and then down through the 'mine' in the middle of the mountain, we came out somewhere part way down on the opposite side if I remember rightly, we were in there for long time! Good to see it looks in the same condition I remember and hasn't been a victim of graffiti, rubbish, or vandalism.
My parents took me there over 40 years ago for a holiday. A beautiful area.
Really interesting Ollie. You were wise to leave the cave when you did!😉
Thanks OS! Yeah it went on for a very long time and I definitely got the heebie jeebies!
Nice one Ollie...ha ha...yeah, lord of the rings country for sure.
Yeah plenty enough to explore on them hills, well maybe not with the torch you had though, good interesting video
Very interesting
the quarry / mine distinction is one we mess up quite often ourselves here, especially since Blaenau was a underground quarry (that just sounds wrong)
Great video and I love that you dont edit out mumblings.
Thanks 😂
I did get to visit Moelwyn Old Tunnel about twenty years ago. Then it was an easy walk from Dduallt Station to the downhill portal. I could go a inside for a few metres, but the way is blocked by a blockwork wall almost to the tunnel roof. I am told that this is a weir to catch water to flush the toilets at Dduallt Station.
The plug to seal the tunnel to retain the reservoir water is close to the uphill end. Basically, the further up it is the less water pressure it has to resist, so the cheaper it was to build. It is probably in the highest place the engineers could trust the bedrock.
We did the Zip World line a few months back, and the tour guide taking us up the side of the workings told us about a cave nearby that the government used to store antiques in ww2 and was still being used in the 90s to store stuff, he said the main way in was locked but you could find ways in to see what was or still is being stored there.
Yeah I've heard that but I have no idea how id get access to it. It's a fascinating story though!
Very interesting video, I would be up for exploring places like that too . There is a large slate Quarry near me at Ballachulish that roofed the buildings of Edinburgh and was also shipped all over the world . No tunnel’s though .
Is there still a ferry at Ballachulish? Remember holidaying as a teenager, crossing on the ferry and being startled out of our skins when a couple of phantom jets roared down the loch. Seemed like they where using the ferry as a mock target. Was amazing to witness. Beautiful part of the world though I envy you.( apart from the midges oh god the midges 😂)
@@psyjayne no , a bridge was build in the late 70,s . I vaguely remember the ferry as a kid myself.
Did you take some slate as a memento? You’ve saved me a 6 hour car trip to walk the old track bed by the tunnel. Great video.
Haha no I should have. I could sell some slate to posh restaurants and make a big pile of cash!
@@BeeHereNowuk Good idea, never thought of that.😁👍 Could be worth humphing a few slabs down to London. Posh restaurants have plenty money, especially if you have the footage of you "extracting" the slates.
I remember about 5 or 6 of us trying to light up that mine with head torches and thinking sod that! The step down the incline tunnel was far worse at the end of the day than what I imagine it would be going up it at the begining of the day...
no steam locos at the beginning just horses to draw the wagons up the line and when loaded with slate Gravity all the way down to the coast with the Horses riding the Train
It just doesn't come across on video just how hard this was to produce. I've been up to the old miners village many a time and I can agree its definitely a lot harder and steeper than it looks.
Very well done.Ollie.👍👍👍👍
Thanks 😊
The quarry buildings would have been top quality slate roofed. When the mine closed the salvage gang would have removed the slates to sell them.
One caveat about exploring mines, if you go into one without the relevant preparations, it will more likely than not kill you.
had axiety just watching that, having grown up in the area having everyone tell me since i was a child, if you cant see the end of the cave, you don't go in.
i understand that prince pulled the last train through the old tunnel
Fait play for climbing up the incline rather than walking the much longer public footpath to get there.
The resivoir water level raises and lowers throuoght the day, you were just there at the wrong time.
You could have called in for a brew.
Where's your hard hat?
Miner Details. Punny man
Haven't read all the comments but has anyone mentioned the cuckoo from about 4.10?
Nice spot! Yes I heard quite a few cuckoos that whole weekend I was there.
Can you stop saying yeh yes,it's made up and annoying .talk proper.
Oh, the irony. Don't you mean "Talk properly?"