Dwr Oer Quarry - Blaenau Ffestiniog
Dwr Oer is an example of a disused quarry being reworked. A number of these workings opened after the end of World War 2. The driving forces behind them were men returning from active service and large numbers of cheap second hand vehicles and machinery. The quarry was situated on the top level of the closed Graig Ddu working above Manod village and it reworked the waste rock from the Graig Ddu tips. The quarry remained open from 1949 to 1974.
The crane from Dwr Oer now has pride of place in the National Slate Museum in Llanberis. The crane was built in 1937 by Thomas Smith & Sons (Rodley Ltd) in Leeds. During WWII it was used to clear the streets of London following air raids. It moved to Wrexham and then to Evans Bros. Dwr Oer Slates, Blaenau Ffestiniog, where it was used from 1949 to 1974. In 1982 the crane arrived at Llanberis, where it was fitted with a new body in McAlpines colours (yellow and green). The 3-cylinder Blackstone diesel engine is the original and it was rebuilt by Meurig Evans in 1949. The bucket has a capacity of half a cubic yard.
Next page: The Welsh Slate Museum, Llanberis