The first locomotives used on the new railway were three De Winton's with horizontal boilers.
Although successful, these locomotives were not powerful enough for the substantial traffic that passed down the line.
In 1882 the railway ordered 'Charles', a large 0-4-0ST from Hunslet.
Charles proved very successful and was followed by 'Blanche' and 'Linda' in 1893 to the same basic design.
These locomotives were the mainstay of the railway for the rest of its life.

There was a significant demand for building materials after the First World War, as Britain recovered from the conflict and many new houses were built to replace slums.
The slate industry had been largely mothballed during the conflict, but now found itself in a boom period.
Shortly after the war, the quarry began producing Fullersite - ground slate waste - which was shipped in large quantities along the railway.
 In 1924, with traffic continuing the rise, three additional Baldwin locomotives were purchased.
These had been built for war use by the United States Army Transport Corp, and were refurbished before being sold to the railway, but were not successful, and after three years of intermittent use they were put aside.

Immediately after the Second World War, there was a short boom in demand for Welsh slate, to meet reconstruction needs throughout the United Kingdom.
However this proved to be a short-lived period of success, and cheap foreign imports of slate and new man-made roofing materials quickly began to eat into the market for the higher-quality and more expensive Penrhyn product.
A steady decline in traffic through the 1950s and growth in the use of roads for transporting slates direct from the quarry to market meant the end of the railway was inevitable.
In June 1962, the last slate train ran, though a few unofficial trips were run as late as the summer of 1963.
The first locomotives used on the new railway were three De Winton's with horizontal boilers. Although successful, these locomotives were not powerful enough for the substantial traffic that passed down the line. In 1882 the railway ordered 'Charles', a large 0-4-0ST from Hunslet. Charles proved very successful and was followed by 'Blanche' and 'Linda' in 1893 to the same basic design. These locomotives were the mainstay of the railway for the rest of its life.
There was a significant demand for building materials after the First World War, as Britain recovered from the conflict and many new houses were built to replace slums. The slate industry had been largely mothballed during the conflict, but now found itself in a boom period. Shortly after the war, the quarry began producing Fullersite - ground slate waste - which was shipped in large quantities along the railway.  In 1924, with traffic continuing the rise, three additional Baldwin locomotives were purchased. These had been built for war use by the United States Army Transport Corp, and were refurbished before being sold to the railway, but were not successful, and after three years of intermittent use they were put aside. 
Immediately after the Second World War, there was a short boom in demand for Welsh slate, to meet reconstruction needs throughout the United Kingdom. However this proved to be a short-lived period of success, and cheap foreign imports of slate and new man-made roofing materials quickly began to eat into the market for the higher-quality and more expensive Penrhyn product. A steady decline in traffic through the 1950s and growth in the use of roads for transporting slates direct from the quarry to market meant the end of the railway was inevitable. In June 1962, the last slate train ran, though a few unofficial trips were run as late as the summer of 1963.
Penrhyn Quarry Railway