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Photographs by Maurice Blencowe. Maurice and his wife, Hilary, have members of Railway Ramblers from the earliest days, with Maurice serving as a former North Western Area Organiser, and both of them serving for several years as joint editors of the club's quarterly magazine. They live up on Deeside which gives them easy access to the North West and North Wales, from where Maurice has supplied the following selection of photographs. The Webmaster is grateful to Chris Parker for help with the captions to the quarry tramway photographs taken around Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Above: The causeway once built by the railway across Rampside to reach Roa Island now accommodates the C class road seen here. This is the former Furness Railway branch line from the still-open Roose station to Piel Harbour, which closed as long ago as 6th July 1936; its early closure no doubt owed much to the Great Depression, which claimed a number of other interesting and out-of-the way railways, such as the Selsey Tramway and the Leek & Manifold Light Railway. Click on the photograph for a larger view. 12th November 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)

 
Above: Cynghordy Viaduct is situated on the still-open Mid Wales line, which links Craven Arms with Llanelli. It shouldn't really feature in these pages because because it is an operational viaduct rather than a disused one, but the abundance of scaffolding seen here in autumn 2016 made it noteworthy – as well as meaning that it might be here in another 50 years, still carry trains! Click on the photograph for a larger view. 22nd October 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)
 
Above: The Rhiwbach Tramway was a 1 ft 11½in narrow gauge line which connected remote slate quarries east of Blaenau Ffestiniog with the Ffestiniog Railway; its main route and branches survive as footpaths or easily-traced tracks in the other-worldly landscape which will be found east of the town. This is the view down the incline from the top quarry; the trackbed can be made out in the centre. Overall, the line had four inclines, three of which took it up from Blaenau to the summit level, followed by this one which descends to Rhiwbach Quarry. 21st September 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)
 
Above: An unusual survivor at the top of the second incline ascending from Blaenau is this winding drum, complete with cables. The town of Blaenau Ffestiniog can be seen in the distance, with the evidence of local quarrying laid out before it. The Rhiwbach Tramway remained in operation over its full length from the 1850s until the closures started in 1953. Even then, the final section was not closed until 1976 after a new quarry road had been built to connect the upper levels of Llechwedd with the mills at Maenofferen. 21st September 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)
 

Above: Another incline top, another winding drum. This photograph was taken at a lower level than the one above and depicts the first Votty & Bowydd quarry incline, which ascended directly from the eastern terminus of the Ffestiniog Railway at Duffws. There were no roads up here, so the only viable means of accessing the lucrative slate was to construct tramways. 21st September 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)
 
Above: There is some fine walking along the trackbed on the summit level of the Rhiwbach Tramway, seen here passing Llyn Bowydd (grid reference SH 725467). The water here is a long way up! The summit level was after the two inclines up from Blaenau, but before the descending one to Rhiwbach Quarry. 21st September 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)
 
Above: Another view of the trackbed alongside Llyn Bowydd. Note the sheer-sided cutting which the navvies had to cut to get the tramway through the rocky outcrop in the left distance; if you can't see it, just hover over the picture. 21st September 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)
 
Above: On the top of Graig Ddu mountain will be found this trio of TV relay transmitters.Our photographer remarks: 'The hi-tech Calvary was a surprise to find atop a mountain but the mind boggles as to why anyone would want to lug a dead telly up a 1500 ft mountain.' Perhaps they wanted a better reception? 21st September 2016. (Maurice Blencowe)