National Slate Museum

Down the road from Llanberis at Gilfach Ddu is the National Slate Museum, free entry with very interesting and impressive displays, and also a very good railway collection! I didn't realise until my return home that Penrhyn Castle not too far away has the 1842 'Fire Queen' locomotive which used to work from the Dinorwic Quarry which overlooks the original site, built as the main engineering workshops for the quarry



'Una', Quarry Hunslet of 1905 which has occasional trips onto the adjoining Llanberis Lake Railway







'Ceir Gwyllt' railway velocipede - another 'Ceir Gwyllt' which is at the museum but sadly didn't spot is this even more interesting form of rail travel! http://www.penmorfa.com/Slate/ceir gwyllt.html







Back in her home in the railway workshops



Smith & Rodley steam crane, circa 1910 (Beamish and NRM Locomotion at Shildon also have examples)







Quarry Hunslet boiler

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Slate train, with guards van - protected against falling slate?

 

1917 Brush battery locomotive



Unknown locomotive

 

The picture labelled "unknown locomotive" shows two powered rail vehicles - Ruston diesel loco 175414 of 1936 (originally at Cilgwyn Slate Quarries) on the right and on the left (not wholly in view) a vintage motorbike converted at Oakeley Slate Quarry to run on rails.