798 REPORT — 1895. 



6. The Snoicdon Mountain Tramroad. 

 By F. OswELL, Assoc. M.Inst.C.E. 



The idea of a railway up Snowdon was first suggested as long ago as 1871 

 -ft' lien the late Sir Richard Mood, at the opening of the Llanberis-Carnarvon Rail- 

 way, referred to the possibility of such an undertaking. Several attempts made 

 jsince that time to set it on foot have failed, but in November last year the neces- 

 sary arrangements were made with the landowner, and the works were begun in 

 the middle of December. 



The line is set out with a special regard to the tenants' interests, at the same 

 time to secure, wherever possible, the finest views for the passengers consistent 

 with easy gradients and light earthworks. 



Leaving the Llanberis Station, which stands on the main road, midway between 

 the L. & N.W. Station and the Victoria Hotel, the line follows the stream as far 

 <as Cae Esgob, where it crosses it in front of the old King's House, passes near the 

 Methodist Chapel (Hebron) on the left, and at two miles reaches and crosses the 

 bridle path by a bridge. The first half-way house is passed CO feet, and the second 

 180 feet below, the tramroad at this point arriving on the watershed which it 

 follows for half a mile, and crossing the bridle path again at 3| miles, 2,550 feet above 

 the sea, remains below it (at one point as much as L'OO feet below) until 4^ miles, 

 when path and tramroad run nearly side by side to the summit, terminating at the 

 site of the hotel that is to be built here, 3,500 feet above the sea, and 50 feet below 

 the plateau where the present huts stand. Here a fine view is obtained over the 

 Bwlch Main Watershed towards Beddgelert, as well as in other directions. 



The length of the line is 4| miles, the total rise 3,140 feet, the steepest gradient 

 1 : 5'5; the averasfe gradient 1 : 7"83. Two miles of the entire length are incurves, of 

 which there are thirty-four iu all, with radii of 4, 5, 10, 12, and 20 chains. There 

 are to be terminal stations at the top and bottom, three intermediate equidistant 

 passing places, and an additional station at the waterfall (Cenwant Mawv). 



The works consist chiefly of a viaduct 500 feet long, near the beginning of the 

 line, composed of fourteen brick arches 30 feet span carried on masonry pier a 

 second viaduct of four similar arches crossing the side of the Avaterfall ravine, an 

 arched bridge of 50 feet span over the stream, and five smaller bridges. 



The permanent way is all of steel, the rails being of the Indian State Railways 

 pattern, 415- lb. to the yard, 9 metres long, carried on rolled steel sleepers, to 

 which they are attached by clips and bolts. The sleepers are spaced throughout 

 0'90 metre apart, and the fish plates are 3 ft. 6 in. long, wi;h .slots in the ends 

 to admit the clip of adjacent sleepers, each pair carrying six fish bolts. 



The rack is of the ' Abt ' pattern and laid double throughout, the bars being 

 1-80 metre long, spanning two sleepers and breaking joint with each other. They 

 are f inch thick on grades of 1 : 10 or flatter, and 1 inch thick on all steeper 

 grades. They are carried on rolled and milled steel chairs, which are attached by 

 heavy bolts to the sleepers. 



The locomotives have been built at "Winterthur iu Switzerland with the object 

 of saving delay, and they contain all the latest improvements known for this class 

 of engine. They carry two double differentiating pinion wheels on the axles of 

 the ' driving ' wheels, which latter run free on the axles, so that the engine cannot 

 travel on adhesion rails alone. 



There are two cylinders 12 in. diameter by 24 in. stroke ; the rigid wheel 

 hase is 4 ft. 5 in. There is a third axle carrying trailing wheels under 

 the cab. 



There are eight break blocks, four to each pinion. These breaks may be 

 worked bv band, but are applied automatically by steam power if a certain fixed 

 rate of speed is exceeded. 



There is also an air-break, worked in conjunction with the hand-break in 

 descending, which retards or arrests the motion by forcing air into the backs of the 

 cylinders after steam has been cut off. 



All the permanent way material has been made by English firms. The 



