Narrow-gauge railways were used extensively in the slate industry of Great Britain, especially in Wales. Many quarries had internal tramways, some using many dozens of miles of track. Others had private lines that stretched from the quarry to transhipment points on local railways, rivers, roads or coastal ports.
| Name | Opened | Closed | Gauge | Location | Image | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abereiddi Tramway[1] | 1851 | 1906 | Porthgain | 2 mile long horse-drawn tramway linking St. Bride's Slate Quarry with Porthgain | |||
| Aberllefenni quarry tramway | 1859 | 2002 | Aberllefenni | Underground slate mine and short line to the village mill. Connected to the Corris Railway until it closed in 1948. | |||
| Alexandra quarry[2] | 1861 | 1934 | Moel Tryfan | Steam locomotive worked quarry feeder tramway connected to the Bryngwyn branch of the Welsh Highland Railway. | |||
| Arthog Tramway[3] | 1858 | 1868 | Arthog | Incline and horse-worked tramway | |||
| Blaen-y-Cae quarry tramway | 1870 | 1931 | and | Talysarn | Nantlle Vale quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway | ||
| Blaen y Cwm quarry | 1974 | Blaenau Ffestiniog | Internal quarry tramway system, connected to the Rhiwbach Tramway via a short uphaul incline. | ||||
| Braich quarry tramway | before 1877 | 1932 | Moel Tryfan | Connected to the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways at Bryngwyn | |||
| Braich-Rhydd quarry tramway | before 1873 | 1915 | Y Fron | Connected to the Nantlle Railway | |||
| Bryn Glas Tramway | 1900s early | ? | (?) | Bethesda | Short-lived horse-worked tramway built during the 1900-1903 strike at Penrhyn quarry | ||
| Bryn-y-Fferam quarry tramway | 1860s | 1886 | ? | Moel Tryfan | Isolated quarry with two pits connected by a tunnel. | ||
| Cardigan Slate Works | ? | about 1910 | Glandyfi | -long tramway serving a quarry on the south bank of the Afon Dyfi | |||
| Carnarvonshire Slate Quarries Railway[4] | 1850s | 1915 | Nantlle | Horse-worked feeder tramway from the Tan-yr-allt slate quarry to the Nantlle Railway | |||
| Cedryn quarry tramway | 1861 | 1888 | Llanrwst | 4 mile long horse-powered tramway serving the Cedryn quarry by Llyn Eigiau; partly relaid in 1917 as part of the Eigiau Tramway | |||
| Chwarel Fedw tramway | 1840s (?) | 1880s | Dolwyddelan | NaNmiles long tramway connecting Chwarel Fedw across the Lledr Valley to Prince Llewellyn quarry mill. | |||
| Cilgwyn quarry tramway | before 1861 | 1956 | and | Cilgwyn quarry | Nantlle Vale quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway. Two steam locomotives survive in preservation. | ||
| Coed Madoc quarry tramway | before 1864 | 1927 | Tal-y-Sarn | Steam locomotive worked quarry tramway. Inclines connected to a standard-gauge branch from Tal-y-sarn. | |||
| Cornwall quarry tramway | 1867 | 1937 | Tal-y-sarn | Nantlle Vale quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway. | |||
| Croesor Tramway | 1864 | about 1944[5] | Porthmadog | Horse-powered tramway serving the slate quarries of the Croesor valley | |||
| Cwm Ebol Tramway | 1868 | 1906[6] | later | Pennal | 1½ mile long tramway with two self-acting inclines. The last Welsh slate quarry connected only to a shipping point instead of a railway. | ||
| Cwmorthin Tramway | 1864 | 1939 | Tanygrisiau | 1.8 mile long tramway connecting the quarries of Cwm Orthin to the Ffestiniog Railway. | |||
| Cwt y Bugail quarry[7] | 1974 | Blaenau Ffestiniog | Internal locomotive-worked quarry tramway system, connected to the Rhiwbach Tramway. It was the last user of the section of the Trmaway above No. 3 incline | ||||
| Deeside Tramway | 1870 by | 1947 | Glyndyfrdwy | Horse-powered tramway serving the Moel Fferna slate quarry. Mostly laid with wooden rails sheathed in iron. | |||
| Dorothea quarry tramway | before 1873 | 1970 | and | Tal-y-sarn | Major Nantlle Vale quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway. | ||
| Eigiau Tramway[8] | 1863 | 1888 | Llanrwst | Tramway connecting the Eigiau mine 6 miles to the shipping point on the River Conwy | |||
| Foel Gron Tramway | 1860 | about 1900 | (?) | Llan Ffestiniog | Horse-powered tramway. | ||
| Friog tramway | ? | ? | Fairbourne | -long tramway connecting the Henddol slate quarry via tramways to the Afon Mawddach | |||
| Fron quarry tramway[9] | 1864 | 1950 | and | Fron | Quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway and the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways via separate inclines. | ||
| Fron-heulog quarry tramway | 1854 | 1913 | Nantlle | Quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway. | |||
| Gallt-y-Fedw quarry tramway | 1857 | 1901 | and | Fron | Quarry connected to the Nantlle Railway. | ||
| Gorseddau Tramway/Tremadoc Tramway | 1855 | 1872 | Porthmadog | Horse-powered tramway serving the remote slate quarries of the Cwmystradllyn valley. | |||
| Gorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railways | 1872 | 1887 | Porthmadog | Regauged and extended Gorseddau Tramway. | |||
| Hendre-Ddu Tramway | 1877 | 1949 | Aberangell | Network of branch lines serving slate quarries and timber forests west of the Dyfi valley. | |||
| John Robinson Tramway | 1868 | c. 1875 | Nantlle Valley | Horse worked tramway connecting Fron quarry with the Nantlle Railway | |||
| Llechwedd quarry[10] | 1860s? | 1980s? | Blaenau Ffestiniog | Extensive slate mine, once supported by nearly 100 miles of internal railway. Commercial railway use has now ceased but a tourist incline railway is operated. | |||
| Maenofferen quarry[11] | 1860s? | 1999 | Blaenau Ffestiniog | The last slate mine in Blaenau Ffestiniog to use an internal quarry tramway and incline | |||
| Moel Siabod tramways | 1863 | 1901 | Capel Curig | A pair of remote quarries served by a short tramway to a wharf for transshipment onto the Capel Curig road. | |||
| Nant Col quarry | ? | ? | (?) | Llanbedr | Internal slate quarry tramway. | ||
| 1828 | 1963 | Penygroes | Horse-hauled slate tramway serving the quarries of the Nantlle vale. | ||||
| Oakeley quarry | 1814 by | ? | Blaenau Ffestiniog | One of the largest slate mines in Wales, a major source of the Festiniog Railway's traffic. | |||
| Oernant Tramway | 1852 | 1897 | Llangollen | Six mile long tramway connecting the Moel-y-faen and Clogau quarries with the Llangollen Canal and slate works | |||
| Padarn Railway | 1843 | 1961 | Llanberis | Slate hauler serving the Dinorwic quarry which itself had an extensive narrow-gauge rail system. | |||
| Pantdreiniog quarry | 1903 | 1911 | Bethesda | Quarry set up by striking Penrhyn quarry miners during the historic lock-outs. | |||
| Penarth quarry | Corwen | _long tramway that passed in a tunnel under the main road and to a siding near Bonwm Halt railway station on the Ruabon–Barmouth line. | |||||
| Penrhyn Railway | 1874 | 1962 | Bethesda | Slate hauler serving the Penrhyn Quarry which itself had an extensive narrow-gauge rail system. | |||
| Pen-yr-Orsedd quarry tramways | 1862 | 1979 | and | Nantlle | Internal quarry system feeding the Nantlle Tramway. | ||
| Porthgain Railway | 1880 slate | 1931 | Porthgain | Locomotive worked railway connecting the Pen Clegyr and St Bride's quarries to Porthgain harbour. Built over part of the route of the earlier horse-worked Abereiddi Tramway. | |||
| Prince Llewellyn quarry[12] | 1820 | 1934 | Dolwyddelan | Internal tramways and inclines within the quarry, and a 0.5miles-long tramway across the bottom of the Lledr valley connecting to Chwarel Fedw.[13] | |||
| Ratgoed Tramway | 1860s | 1950s | Aberllefenni | Horse and gravity worked light tramway connecting the Cymerau and Ratgoed quarries with the Corris Railway | |||
| Rhiwbach Tramway | 1863 | 1961 | Blaenau Ffestiniog | Locomotive and incline worked tramway connecting the remote quarries around Cwt y Bugail to the Ffestiniog Railway | |||
| South Snowdon Tramway | 1868 | 1880s | Hafod y Llan | Series of inclines and tramways connecting the quarries above Hafod y Llan to the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways | |||
| Tyddyn Sieffre Tramway | 1858 | 1900 | Barmouth | Self acting incline and mile-long horse-drawn tramway | |||
| Upper Corris Tramway | 1859 | 1930 | Corris | Horse-drawn tramway connecting the quarries around Corris Uchaf with the Corris Railway at Maespoeth Junction |
| Name | Opened | Closed | Gauge | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberfoyle Slate Quarries | ? | By 1954 | ? | Trossachs, Scotland | Tramway serving this successful quarry |
| Ballachulish Slate Quarry | ? | By 1955.[14] | ? | Ballachulish, Scotland | Internal quarry system with well-built inclines. |
| Balvicar Slate Quarry[15] | ? | By early 1960s.[16] | ? | Balvicar, Scotland | Quarry on a southern Hebridean Island with hand-worked railway. |
| Burlington Slate Quarries[17] | ? | Around 1971 | Elterwater, England | Internal quarry system serving this Lake District quarry. The railway was originally horse worked, but later used battery-electric and diesel locomotives. The quarry is still in production. | |
| ? | ? | Delabole, Cornwall | Extensive narrow-gauge system serving the Delabole quarry. Used steam, and later, internal combustion locomotives. | ||
| ? | By 1911[18] | ? | Easdale, Scotland | Deep pits extending below sea level on this Hebridean island, with a locomotive-worked narrow-gauge railway moving stone from the pits to the harbour. The flooded pits are still a prominent feature of the island, and the locomotive shed still stands. | |
| ? | ? | Elterwater, England | Internal quarry system serving this Lake District quarry. | ||
| Honister Slate Mine[19] | ? | Present | Elterwater, England | Internal quarry system serving this Lake District quarry. Due to the location of the mine at the head of the Honister Pass, the railway featured long inclines as well as locomotive haulage. In 1997 the mine re-opened with a newly built narrow-gauge railway to support the operations. | |
| Seil Slate Quarry | ? | By World War I | ? | Seil, Scotland | Extensive slate quarries on this Hebridean Island, served by a network of hand-worked narrow-gauge railways. |
| Tir na Oig Slate Quarry | ? | Late 1930s | ? | Luing, Scotland | Slate quarry on this Hebridean Island, served by a hand-worked narrow-gauge tramway connecting to a jetty. Remains of the tramway, including track and wagons remained in 1999. |
| Toberonochy Slate Quarry | ? | ? | ? | Luing, Scotland | Slate quarry on this Hebridean Island, served by a hand-worked narrow-gauge tramway. |