Pitt's Head

Pitt's Head
Previous Station	Rhyd Ddu
Bridge	A4085 Pitt's Head
Construction	OB 123
Operational	OB 40.57
Status	In Use
Next Station	Meillionen
Latitude	53:02:30N
Longitude	4:07:30W
Grid Reference	SH576514
Wikipedia Entry
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Grid Reference :SH576514 Lat / Long :53.04175 / -4.12499

Pitts Head, named after 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.

as viewed from, left, the approach from Caernarfon, showing clearly the image of a head, and right,from Beddgelert Station, where there is no real view.

Situated north of the summit of the line, which is reached between here and Pont Cae'r Gors. 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. They are known as Cerrig Colwyn in Welsh, a reference to the nearby Afon Colwyn.

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.

Prior to reconstruction work commencing, the Gwynedd council undertook remedial work on the road bridge.

This northerly view shows work in progress by GCC repointing and waterproofing OB123, the A4085 road bridge at Pitt's Head during the Summer of 2000. Snowdon is in the background

Location of Pitt's Head Halt. No trace today. The "head" is on the right out of shot, just over the road

The discovery of Croesor-pattern T-bulb iron rail in the cutting during clearance in 2005 has yet to be explained.

See also

• WHR Stations
• WHR Locations