Y Pandy yn y dyddiau fu Anodd iawn yw i ni heddiw ddychmygu pentref Llanuwchllyn cyn dyfodiad y rheilffordd, yn enwedig y pen dwyreiniol, neu’r Pandy fel y mae’n cael ei alw. Mae rheswm da pam mai’r Pandy yr oedd yn cael ei alw gan mai’r Pandy oedd un o’r prif adeiladau yno. Heblaw’r Pandy, y Felin a thanerdy John Jones Plas Deon ar ei gaeau, dim ond ychydig o dai oedd yn y rhan hon o’r pentref. Tai fel y rhai sydd i’w gweld yn y cerdyn post enwog o Sally Jones.

Pandy Imagining Llanuwchllyn before the arrival of the railway is not easy today, especially the eastern end of the village, or Pandy as it is called. There is good reason why it was given the name Pandy (the Welsh word for fulling-mill) as the fulling-mill was one of the most prominent buildings there. In addition to the fulling-mill, the mill and tannery at that time, there were only a very few houses in this part of the village. Those houses were similar to the one on the famous postcard of Sally Jones.

Fe welir dwy hen odyn a’r felin yn y llun hwn hefyd yn y rhan o’r pentref sydd agosaf at y bont dros Afon Twrch. Os edrychwch chi ar fapiau’r degwm yn y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol mae hynny hefyd yn rhoi syniad i chi o natur y pentref yn yr 1840au, er nad oes dim o diroedd Syr Watkin Williams Wynn wedi eu cynnwys. Newid mawr Mae’r cyfrifiad yn cadarnhau bod rhywbeth mawr wedi digwydd i’r rhan hon o’r pentref rhwng 1861 ac 1871. Yn 1861 roedd 31 o dai yn yr hyn y byddem yn ei alw yn ‘Bandy’ ond erbyn 1871 roedd hynny wedi cynyddu i 42 o dai. Gan gynnwys y rhes o dai oedd yn cael eu galw yn Tynddôl yng nghyfrifiad 1871 ond yn ‘Station Road’ erbyn 1881.

On the postcard you can see two old kilns and the mill in the easternmost part of the village, close to Afon Twrch. The tithe apportionment maps at the National Library of Wales give an indication of the village in the 1840s, although the lands of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, the main landowner, are not shown. The village revitalised Census returns confirm that this part of the village went through some fundamental changes between 1861 and 1871. In 1861 there were 31 houses in what we now call ‘Pandy’ but by 1871 their number had increased to 42. Including the terrace of houses that were called Tynddôl in the 1871 census, but ‘Station Road’ by 1881.

A dyna’r gwahaniaeth mawr ar 4 Awst 1868 agorwyd y rheilffordd o’r Bala i Ddolgellau ac fe newidiwyd y rhan hon o’r pentref, a’r ardal gyfan yn wir, yn llwyr. Un cymal oedd y rheilffordd hon yn y lein a redai bob cam a Riwabon i’r Bermo a thrwy hynny yn cysylltu â’r lein ar hyd yr arfordir, y lein oedd yn rhedeg i Ffestiniog pan agorodd honno yn 1882 ac wrth gwrs y rhwydwaith i gyd o Riwabon ymlaen. Dechrau ar y gwaith Nid mater bach oedd adeiladu’r rhan hon o’r lein, y Garneddwen yw’r pwynt uchaf ar hyd y llwybr i gyd a daeth llu o weithwyr i’r ardal i weithio arni gan godi pontydd di-ri, llawer ohonynt yn dal i sefyll heddiw. Yn drist iawn bu un o’r gweithwyr hynny farw yn fuan iawn ar ôl i’r rheilffordd agor, ac mae wedi ei gladdu ym mynwent Eglwys Llanuwchllyn.

And this explains the sudden expansion of the village: on 4 August 1868 the railway between Bala and Dolgellau was opened and this part of the village, and indeed, the whole area, was changed completely. This railway line was just one section of the line that connected Ruabon to the east with Barmouth in the west, connecting with the line along the coast in Barmouth (the Cambrian Coast these days) another line to Ffestiniog when it opened in 1882 and in Ruabon it connected to the main railway network. Work begins Engineering this part of the line was no mean feat: Garneddwen, between Llanuwchllyn and Dolgellau is the highest point along the whole track and a hoard of workers arrived, building numerous bridges, many of them still standing today. Unfortunately, one of the navvies died very soon after the railway opened, and his gravestone can be seen in Llanuwchllyn Churchyard.

Yn ei draethawd ar hanes yr Orsaf yn Llên y Llannau mae Evan Roberts yn sôn am y gwaith mawr a fu ar y Garneddwen: “torri cytin dyfn drwy fawnog wlyb….Gan fod y ddaear mor wlyb a’r cytin mor ddyfn (rhwng ugain troedfedd a phum troedfedd ar hugain ar y cychwyn) yr oedd y gweithwyr yn torri ar lefelau gwahanol fel grisiau, a’r rhai oedd yn torri ar y lefel isaf yn gorfod codi dros ei hysgwydd ac yn wlyb at eu crwyn cyn pen hanner awr, ac yn cael dimai yr awr yn rhagor o gyflog. Roedd lein fach gul yn cael ei gosod yn y cytin yma a thryciau i gludo y mawndir allan. Yn ôl yr hanes yr oedd tri ar ddeg o dryciau a thri dyn i lwytho pob tryc, ac yr oedd disgwyl iddynt gludo tri ar ddeg o drenau y dydd….Nid rhyfedd mewn lle mor ddyfn a gwlyb oedd i’r tir lithro a chau y cytin fel na allai dim ond berfa olwyn fynd i gyrraedd y mawndir yr ail dro a’i whilio allan i’r caeau o bobtu’r lein.” Gorsaf Llanuwchllyn Ar ôl adeiladu’r lein ei hun, rhaid oedd cael gorsaf, wrth gwrs, fel y dywed Evan Roberts eto: “fe wnaed gorsaf helaeth yn Llanuwchllyn gyda rheilffordd ddwbwl fel y gallai dau drên fod yno ar unwaith, a dau blatfform saith ugain llath o hyd, un o bobtu’r trac fel y gallai teithwyr fynd i mewn ac allan o’r trenau…Yr adeiladau ar y stesion oedd, swyddfa’r Gorsaf Feistr (booking Office) dwy ystafell aros, un i’r merched ac un i’r dynion ar un ochr, ac un ystafell aros ar yr ochr arall, ystordy bychan a thoiledau, a’r lle pwysicaf a’r mwyaf diddorol mae’n siŵr oedd y bocs signals. Hefyd yr oedd dau biler dŵr i ddisychedu y peiriannau stêm. Yr oedd y seidin ymron i gant a hanner o lathenni o hyd gyda chorlan i lwytho a dadlwytho anifeiliaid, a byddai treneidiau o wartheg, defaid a cheffylau yn mynd ar y trên yn bur rheolaidd wedi i’r prynwyr fod ar eu taith borthmonol. Ymlaen yn y seidin yr oedd y wharffiau glo a thanwydd o wahanol fathau, a dwy storfa helaeth, un at wasanaeth y lein a’r llall i’r Coop, a chraen trwm sefydlog i lwytho a dadlwytho celfi trymion. Yr oedd hwn yn cael ei ddefnyddio yn bur rheolaidd pan oedd gweithdy Glynllifon yn ei fri. Hefyd byddai rhes o wagenni glo yn aros i’w dadlwytho, a faniau caeedig oedd yn cludo y gwahanol wrteithiau, blawdiau a’r amrywiol farsiandïaeth oedd yn cael eu cludo ar y lein. Yr oedd clorian fawr (weighbridge) hefyd i lwytho y troliau wrth fynd a dod gyda’u llwythi. Yr oedd prysurdeb mawr yn y seidin yn ei ddydd, y gweddoedd a’r troliau yn mynd a dod yn gyson drwy’r dyddiau.” Roedd aml i ‘halt’ ar hyd y lein yn yr ardal – Garneddwen, wrth ymyl Pant Gwyn, Llys Crossing a’r un mwyaf gwahanol sef y ‘Flag Station’ er mwyn i Syr Watkin Williams Wynne a’i deulu a gwesteion gael croesi mewn cwch i Lan-llyn. Cysylltiadau newydd Pan gyrhaeddodd y trên ei hun agorwyd y drysau led y pen. Gellid teithio i’r fan a fynnech a phan oedd y rheilffordd yn ei hanterth roedd cymaint â phedwar trên y gallech deithio arnynt, newid yn Rhiwabon a chyrraedd Llundain ymhen ychydig oriau. Ar y trên y deuai’r post i’r ardal ac ar y trên hefyd y teithiai ymwelwyr fel y naturiaethwr George Bolam i Lanuwchllyn i astudio’r bywyd gwyllt. Yn sgil hynny, erbyn 1881 roedd y ‘Goat Hotel’ neu’r Bwch yn Uchaf wedi ei hagor ger yr orsaf i groesawu’r teithwyr. Yn ogystal ag agor drysau o ran teithio fe wnaeth y rheilffordd hynny o ran gwaith hefyd. Er nad oedd staff yr orsaf ei hun yn fawr iawn, tua wyth yn ogystal â’r Gorsaf Feistr, mae’n drawiadol cymaint o weithwyr rheilffordd a allforiwyd o Lanuwchllyn: John Williams, mab Tyddynronnen, a aeth yn orsaf feistr i Rosllannerchrugog yn y pen draw a’r bardd John Evans ‘Garneddwen’ a fu yn Nhrawsfynydd ac wedyn yn Audlem, Swydd Gaer a Codsall, Swydd Stafford yn eu plith. Ond yn yr 1960au daeth diwedd ar y prysurdeb i gyd pan ddisgynnodd bwyell Beeching. Daeth y trenau nwyddau i stop yn 1964 ac ar 18 Ionawr 1965 daeth yr holl wasanaethau i ben.

In his essay about the Station in Llên y Llannau (a volume of prize- winning prose and poetry from local Eisteddfodau published annually) Evan Roberts describes in Welsh the work on the Garneddwen: “a deep cutting was excavated in a wet bog...As the land was so wet and the cutting so deep (between twenty feet and twenty five feet at the beginning) the workers worked on different levels, like steps, and those working on the lowest level had to lift the peat over their shoulders and were wet to the bone within half an hour, and they were given a halfpenny an hour in extra wages. A narrow gauge line was installed in this cutting with trucks to carry the peat out. It is told that there were thirteen trucks in all and three men to load each truck, and they were expected to fill thirteen trains a day...It’s no surprise that landslides happened in such a deep and wet place and the cutting filled up so that only a wheelbarrrow could reach the peat and wheel it out to the fields either side of the track.” Llanuwchllyn Station When the actual track was ready, a station had to be built of course, as Evan Roberts says: “a substantial station was built in Llanuwchllyn with double tracks so that two trains could be at the station at the same time, and two twenty seven yard platforms, one each side of the track where passengers could board and alight from the trains...The buildings on the station were: the Station Master’s office or booking office, two waiting rooms, one for the women and one for the men on one side, and one other waiting room on the opposite side, a small storehouse and toilets, and the most important and interesting building, possibly, was the signal box. Also, there were two water pillars to fill up the steam engines. The siding was nearly a hundred and fifty yards long with a pen to load and unload animals, and trains full of cattle, sheep and horses would arrive regularly. Further along the siding there were coal and fuel wharfs of all kinds, and two large stores, one for the railway and the other for the Co-op, and a permanent heavy crane to load and unload heavy goods. This was used regularly when the Glynllifon workshop (an engineering workshop) was at its height. Also, there would be a row of coal wagons waiting to be unloaded, and closed vans carrying different fertilizers, flours and various merchandise carried along the line. There was a large weighbridge also to fill carriages as they arrived and left with their loads. The siding was a very busy place during the day, the horses and carts coming and going regularly throughout the day.” There were several halts along the railway in the area – Garneddwen, near Pant Gwyn, Llys Crossing and the unique ‘Flag Station’ where Sir Watkin William Wynne, his family and guests could stop to cross Llyn Tegid by boat. New connections When the train arrived, the doors into and out of the area were wide open. You could travel to wherever you chose, and when the railway was at its busiest there were four trains you could travel on, change at Ruabon and arrive in London within a few hours. The post arrived here on the train as did visitors of all kinds, including the naturalist George Bolam, who studied the area’s wildlife. As a result the ‘Goat Hotel’ was opened in 1881 to welcome travellers. The railway, as well as expanding opportunities to travel, also expanded the job opportunities in the area. Although the staff of the station itself was not huge, about eight in addition to the Station Master, the number of railway workers exported from Llanuwchllyn is notable. Amongst them were John Williams, born at Tyddynronnen, who became station master at Rhosllannerchrugog and the poet, John Evans (Garneddwen) who became station master at Trawsfynydd, Audlem in Cheshire and Codsall in Staffordshire. But in 1960 this all came to a halt when Beeching’s axe fell. The goods trains stopped in 1964 and on 18 January 1965 all services ceased.

The Bala Lake Railway In August 1970, Merioneth District Council decided that a narrow gauge railway should be esbablished on the track of the old railway. Eventually it was decided to concentrate on the part of the track between Llanuwchllyn and Bala, as Llyn Tegid and the surrounding scenery meant it was a very appealing part of the railway. Two men were mainly responsible for turning the dream into reality, Tom Jones, Chariman of Merioneth District Council’s Financial Committee at the time and George Barnes, an excellent engineer. A company was registered as ‘Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Ltd’ and registered in Welsh. The railway opened in August 1972 from Llanuwchllyn to Pentrepiod halt and then to Llangywer later in the year. It took until March 1976 for the trains to arrive at Bala Station. Today the Station is very busy, the steam engines are maintained here and a cafe has been added to the station itself. There are plans to extend the railway into the centre of Bala. Further reading • ‘Gorsaf Llanuwchllyn’ by Ifan Roberts in Llên y Llannau Eisteddfodau 1985 • Llanuwchllyn Remembered by Paul Lawton a Roger Hine. • Bala Lake Railway • Bala Lake Railway Trust

Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Yn Awst 1970 penderfynodd Cyngor Dosbarth Meirionnydd y dylid sefydlu rheilffordd fach gul ar hyd llwybr yr hen lein. Yn y pen draw penderfynwyd canolbwyntio ar y darn o’r lein rhwng Llanuwchllyn a’r Bala oherwydd bod Llyn Tegid a’r golygfeydd yn ei wneud yn ddarn atyniadol iawn o’r rheilffordd. Dau ŵr fu’n bennaf gyfrifol am gael y maen i’r wal, Tom Jones, Cadeirydd Pwyllgor Ariannol Cyngor Dosbarth Meirionnydd ar y pryd a George Barnes, peiriannydd medrus. Cofrestrwyd cwmni dan yr enw Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Ltd a’i gofrestru yn y Gymraeg. Agorodd y rheilffordd yn Awst 1972 o Lanuwchllyn i Bentrepiod ac yna yn nes ymlaen yn y flwyddyn i Langywer. Cymerodd hyd Fawrth 1976 i’r trenau gyrraedd Gorsaf y Bala. Heddiw mae’r Orsaf yn dal yn brysur iawn, yma mae’r injannau stêm yn cael eu cynnal a’u cadw ac mae caffi wedi ei ychwanegu at adeilad yr orsaf ei hun. Mae’n fwriad hefyd ymestyn y rheilffordd i ganol tref y Bala. Darllen pellach • ‘Gorsaf Llanuwchllyn’ gan Ifan Roberts yn Llên y Llannau Eisteddfodau 1985 • Llanuwchllyn Remembered gan Paul Lawton a Roger Hine. • Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid • Ymddiriedaeth Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid