One of two (the other is nprn 33616) water balance lifts surviving at Penrhyn Slate Quarry (nprn 40564). The machine was used to raise loaded slate wagons from lower levels of the quarry to the Red Lion Level where the processing mills were situated. Two moveable platforms, each one with a water tank underneath, operated in a vertical shaft. One platform, with a full tank of water and conveying an empty wagon, would descend hauling up the other platform, its water tank empty and conveying a loaded wagon. The capacity was five tons. A raised tank in the headframe served as a top-up for the tanks on the tables. The bottom of the shaft was accessed by a tunnel from the working gallery. There were originally eight water balances at Penrhyn, the first one installed in June 1852; this one was named 'Edward', probably after Edward, Baron Penrhyn.
RCAHMW, 15 May 2008.