Pitt's Head
| Pitt's Head | ||||
| Previous Station | Rhyd Ddu | |||
| Bridge | A4085 Pitt's Head | |||
| Construction | OB 123 | |||
| Operational | OB 40.57 | |||
| Status | Bridge In Use, Halt closed | |||
| Next Location | Pont Cae'r Gors | |||
| Next Station | Meillionen | |||
| Latitude | 53:02:30N | |||
| Longitude | 4:07:30W | |||
| Grid Reference | SH576514 | |||
| Wikipedia Entry | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Grid Reference :SH576514 Lat / Long :53.04175 / -4.12499
Pitts Head is a location where the line passes under the main road, north of the summit of the line, which is between here and Pont Cae'r Gors. It was a Halt on the old WHR but there are no plans to reopen it.
The name is derived from rocks by the road, which when viewed from the north appear to form the profile of a face, specifically that of William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806); Prime Minister at the age of 23 - a sight to make surrounding nations stare / A nation trusted to a schoolboy's care. The stone may have been "improved" to make the likeness more so.
The rocks are known as Cerrig Colwyn in Welsh, a reference to the nearby Afon Colwyn.
As viewed from, left, the approach from Caernarfon, showing clearly the image of a head, and right, from the direction of Beddgelert, from where there is no real likeness.
A stone crusher was in operation here in the early 20th Century.
Later, for a short time there was the possibility of a WHR halt in existence here, just before the bridge on the other side of the road. Boyd makes a reference to it, but no further details. A possible entrance gate still existed in 2006.
After the track was lifted in 1941, a small amount of rail was left on the gradient south from Pitt's Head. The War Department used this for releasing slate wagons (which then moved under gravity) and then using them as target practice by anti-tank guns.
The FR recovered several lengths of flat bottom rail from the cutting on the south side of the bridge in mid November 1958 in an operation ever since known as "Garraway's Bath" due the rail being under water.
The discovery of Croesor-pattern T-bulb iron rail in the cutting during clearance in 2005 has yet to be explained.
Prior to reconstruction work commencing, the Gwynedd council undertook remedial work on the road bridge.
