Here's another view of the cutting at Tanygrisiau looking in the opposite direction. Prince is hauling the slate waggons back downgrade to Porthmadog. In the distance, above the train, is one of the Blaenau Ffestiniog slate mountains. Unused slate rubble covers the left side of the rock face. Llechwedd quarry is the major slate quarry in Blaenau. At its peak in 1884 it produced 23,788 tons of finished slate per year with 513 employees. Today it produces a limited amount of slate but is primarily a tourist attraction known as the Llechwedd Slate Caverns offering trips underground on the miner's tramway to view an original slate gallery. There is also a steep (30 degrees) funicular railway leading down to a large flooded lower chamber lit with coloured lights. A visit to Llechwedd will open your eyes to the hard life of an 1884 Welsh slate miner.
