Bonc Injan Newydd (New Engine Bank)

It is the back of the tip that you see, a busy place in the old days. Here stood the "New Engine".

This is a picture of "Injan Newydd" as it was on the bank, which is now empty as illustrated by the above picture. There were six tables producing slate in the shed.

Injan Newydd (New Engine)

Sledges

A "sled" consisted of a truck loaded very carefully with stones from the mountain so that they could be transported safely to the mill.

The Quarry workings used to extend under the Quarry road in the direction of Rhos Goch. They were not worked for too long because the rock proved to be too poor and too hard. They then changed direction, towards the Terrace, where there were many adits. The dining hut was a very strange one - an old adit roofed over and made into a sort of canteen. There was a fireplace in the centre for boiling water for the tea, but no chimney for the smoke to escape through. The last adit to be worked was under Glan Aber Terrace on the edge of Rhiwbach Quarry. In some of the adits at "Twll Dwr", they came upon some very good rock which yielded excellent slates.

Twll Dwr (The Water Hole)

In the light of this information, they pressed onwards towards Terrace. However, one night, disaster befell the Quarry as there was a rockfall which closed off the entrance totally. It was a great loss to Cwm and to the Quarrymen who were in good "bargains" there, some 11 tables were lost which had provided excellent slates. The decision of the Management was to re-open the adit and clearing work was started. However, no machines were used, just picks, shovels and muscle power. Fortunately it was summertime and the weather was exceptionally good; in a few weeks the entrance was dug out. After a survey, it was seen that the interior was secure. All was completed before the weather broke and everyone could restart, the lads in the mill happy to be producing top quality slates once again.

Penrhiw River

Here we are ascending Penrhiw River. Years ago there were many fish here, but everyone complained that they tasted of peat!

An old picture of Penrhiw River

Penrhiw River runs down behind the tips at the top of Rhiw Machno Quarry and then disappears behind the tips before re-emerging to join the River Machno in Swch. The water from the river was used to turn the machinery in the Quarry. In later years pipes were installed to carry water from Penrhiw Lake to the water wheel

Penrhiw River in the 1960s

Penrhiw River runs down to Penrhiw Lake which is approximately 2 miles from Cwm Penmachno. This picture was taken at the end of the 1960's. Cwt y Bugail Quarry is in the background.

This is a picture of Penrhiw Lake with the wall of the dam still intact. This picture was taken in the 1950's. At one time, families from Cwm Penmachno used to come here to fish for trout.

Penrhiw Lake

This is the wall of the dam before it disintegrated in the 1960's. Old age had caught up with the wall since no one had been looking after it since the close of the Quarry in 1962.

Dam Wall

Now we see a sad sight in that the wall has now broken and the majority of the water has flowed down the side of the mountain. The pressure of the water against the wall must have been too much. When the dam burst, a lot of the water reached Penmachno, whose inhabitants had no idea what was happening.

Demolition!

Rhiwbach Village

By following the river we come to Rhiwbach Quarry, but first we see Rhiwbach Village, where families used to dwell in the old days. At one stage a library was even built in the village.

The teacher in the picture used to walk to the school from Blaenau Ffestiniog every day, a journey of around 3 miles.

Rhiwbach's School Children, 1909