The first known use of Blondins in the quarry industry was at Penrhyn Quarry where they were installed by 1913. Penrhyn quarry was based around a single large pit over 400 feet deep, worked as a series of terraces. A variety of means were used to transport slate from the terraces to the mills where the rock was processed. The quarry already had an extensive internal narrow gauge railway system in place and many terraces were connected via inclines. Blondins were developed to connect more remote terraces directly to the mills - they were distinguished by the fact that rock was transported on the ropeways in railway wagons slung from cradles. the ropeways ran horizontally or nearly horizontally until the cradle hit a stop, at which point the wagons were automatically lowered to ground level where they were moved by rail to the point of loading or unloading. Other nearby quarries also adopted Blondins, notably those in the Nantlle Valley, there are several examples at Dinorwic. (From Wikipedia).
They were closed down in 1974, after a disasterous safety inspection:
http://www.penmorfa.com/Slate/penyrorsedd-blondins.htm. Perhaps continuing to blast slate whilst the inspector was above the quarry on a blondin horse was not such a good idea.
At a different site, they were used to construct Conisboro Viaduct (South Yorkshire), as here:
Walking down from above, not relevant, but different, is this base for a water tank, obviously rivetted, and set into cement.
First views:
The example laid on the ground makes for easy photography
The horse
Winding drum
Controller
Clutches
A brine bath resistor, to control voltage and speed
The control was by lowering the top electrodes up and down into a brine bath
Gauge
Air Compressor
Very welded up after frost damage
Air Tank
stripped for copper
Cable securing point
Through the window