The Ffestiniog Railway was opened in 1836 mainly for the transport of slate from different quarries around Blaenau Ffestiniog down to the harbour of Porthmadog for shipment abroad. The line was built in a steady grade of about 1.2 %, so the slate train could run downwards by gravity only! This procedure was in use for more then 100 years till 1939. The empty slate waggons were brought back up to Blaenau by horses till 1863, later by steam locomotives. Here we see a hand braked slate train running down to the port, demonstrating the gravity operation (the waggons should be loaded in reality).