Civil's Week 2001

One major task was the replacement of two points leading into the loco shed. These points had seen heavy use (daily loco movements) and were no longer up to the job.

After No.8 Road point had been removed, work commenced on building the replacement point in 75lb/yd rail. Here some of the sleepers have been roughly laid out and everyone seems to have stopped to talk!

Rick Beton

376x442, 42KiB

The new No.8 Road point is nearly complete. Work has started on the further point (No. 5 Road).

Rick Beton

380x573, 48KiB

Another task for the gang was to move some rubble up to Pen-y-Mount. Russell is seen propelling two wagons, loaded up at Pont Hoppe (by Gelert's Farm Halt), towards Pen-y-Mount.

Safety note: siting on the sides of moving wagons is unsafe and therefore not allowed. I will be pointing this out to anyone I see doing it again!

Rick Beton

594x389, 75KiB

The rubble was brought up to Pen-y-Mount and used to increase the toe weight on the small embankment over the field on the west. Russell has brought the works train to site, and pauses in the platform road in preparation to moving the wagons down the siding (forground point).

Rick Beton

589x386, 64KiB (large file: 892x584, 140KiB )

Rather than take Russell around the siding's tight curves, the weight of the rubble in the wagons was used to take them down the gently falling siding to where the rubble was unloaded.

Behind, Pen-y-Mount station is seen in its exposed location raised above the flatlands of the Porthmadog estuary. This land was reclaimed from the sea some two centuries ago and is wide-open and flat, embraced by two arms of the Cambrian mountains that reach down to the sea further north (in the Criccieth area) and further south (between Boston Lodge and Portmeirion).

Rick Beton

894x330, 55KiB

Some of the gang are seen lined up at the gates at Pen-y-Mount, gazing wistfully northwards along the derelict trackbed. The Extension Project had just got underway, with fencing being one of the activities that the gang had been doing.
Left-to-right: Mark, Nigel, Pete, James, Alan, Andy

Rick Beton

440x296, 47KiB

Also gazing wistfully northwards along the derelict trackbed, Russell stands at the buffers of the headshunt. This is the place at which a point will be installed so that trains coming south from Beddgelert can be directed left and south-eastwards through Porthmadog town to the FR Harbour Station, or be directed right and south-westward to the WHR Ltd terminus.

Rick Beton

388x480, 59KiB (large file: 581x775, 140KiB )