2 Ton Yard Crane

To assist with the loading and unloading of wagons at each end of the line, the Glyn Valley Tramway purchased two yard cranes of 2 ton lift capacity from the firm of H & J Ellis of Salford in 1874.

The one originally sited at Glyn Ceiriog adjacent the goods shed opposite the Glyn Valley Hotel is a unique survivor. It languished out of use after the tramway had closed but, instead of going for scrap, in 1940 it was purchased by the local Nantyr Estate and re-located for forestry use on the estate.

Fast-forwards seventy-two years and the crane, still extant but now fitted with a utility pole jib, was kindly donated back to the 'Tramway' for preservation.

The crane was carefully disassembled and transported to our site in Glyn Ceiriog where, after a period in storage, it was restored with a new timber jib made to the original design pattern.

The series of captioned photos below show installation and re-assembly of the crane in its new position at the entrance of our museum visitor centre site at Glyn Ceiriog.