The society exists to support the welsh highland railway, or rheilffordd eryri to give it its welsh title. Sorry the reference to tan y bwlch refers to the ffestiniog railway. Ffestiniog and welsh highland railways drivers eye dvd timetables the slate railways of wales selected from alan j richards book of the same name 2001 a. Completed in 1922 the original railway was not a success and closed in 1937. Download pdf the welsh highland railway v 3 book full free. If you use assistive technology please tell us what this is.
The creation of the welsh highland railway fulfilled an 1870s vision of linking the bays of caernarfon and cardigan, via beddgelert, with a narrow gauge railway its history is a blend of contradictions and complex compromises. Welsh highland railway the longest narrow gauge railway in the uk runs coast to coast through mountains, from ancient caernarfon, a walled town with a commanding, manytowered castle, to boatfringed porthmadog, where it shares a station with the ffestiniog railway. It extended from portmadoc to the slate mines surrounding croesor village. The restoration of the welsh highland railway has a colourful and complex history. The original source of information for this table was the. This page is mainly concerned with the aberglaslyn tunnels. The story is told here of a railway restoration story that bridges 20 years. Rheilffordd eryri rheilffordd ucheldir cymru is a narrow gauge railway in wales, which originally ran from dinas near caernarfon to porthmadog, 2 with a branch line to bryngwyn and the slate quarries at moel tryfan the original line opened to passengers in 1923 but was never a commercial success 2 and went into receivership in 1927. It was purely horse drawn, carrying mainly slate traffic. The ffestiniog and welsh highland railway terminus in. Origins the creation of the welsh highland railway fulfilled an 1870s vision of linking the bays of caernarfon and cardigan, via beddgelert, with a narrow gauge railway. Megabash will be held over the weekend of 2122 march 2020. Some of the action from our gala weekend of the 21st to the 23rd june 2019. Media in category welsh highland railway the following 112 files are in this category, out of 112 total.
We are recognised by the guinness book of world records as the oldest railway company in the world, being founded in 1832. Today you join the welsh highland railway, the uks longest heritage railway, which runs for 25 miles from caernarfon through the foothills of snowdon and the stunning aberglaslyn pass to porthmadog. Rheilffordd eryri welsh highland railway travellers guide published by the ffestiniog railway company in 2002. The railway between caernarfon and dinas was formerly part of the standard gauge carnarvonshire railway, later lnwr and lms, between caernarfon and afon wen, which was closed. The history of the welsh highland railway welsh highland. You may also find other subjects related with walks from the welsh highland railway. Porthmadog harbour railway station in porthmadog, north wales, is the passenger terminus of two narrow gauge railways. When a railway account appears long after the event, those who did the work at the time often get no chance to tell their tale.
The revival and restoration of the welsh highland railway is one of the greatest heritage railway achievements of the 21st century, yet its success followed more than one hundred years of failure. Many of the staff and volunteers speak welsh as their first language and you are bound to hear it on the train, as well as see it in the names of places you pass. The first two of these lines jointly known as the moel tryfan undertaking were authorised by act of parliament 1872 and were built and opened in the 1870s. Pdf the welsh highland railway v 3 download full pdf. Other formats available buy the hardback and get the ebook for.
The welsh highland railway was the longest of the welsh narrow gauge railways, running all the way from dinas junction to porthmadog. The reconstruction of the welsh highland railway can be described as the most. The welsh highland railway whr is a 2ft gauge railway that runs from caernarfon to porthmadog in north wales. After rebuilding in 19972011, the other terminus is at caernarfon, in.
A short narrowgauge rail ride from porthmadog takes you to a heritage centre and engine sheds, packed with exhibits and displays on north waless railway and industrial heritage. History of the whr summary welsh highland heritage railway. Welsh highland railway limited free company information from companies house including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity. This has been supplemented by later information as it became available. There have been a large number of locomotives stored at the whhr that never turned a wheel in either revenue, or works service. Pdf rebuilding the welsh highland railway download full. Supported by public loans, its first incarnation co. Already the memories of the restoration of the welsh highland railway whr are fading, to be replaced by myth. An illustrated history of the welsh highland railway. This list takes, as its start point, their catalogue and card indexes where an item appears to relate to the welsh highland railway and its. The history of the welsh highland railway predecessors. Welsh highland railway fanpage public group facebook. The welsh highland railway v 3 available for download and read online in other formats. It operates from its main station at tremadog road, porthmadog to its terminus at penymount, where it connects to the ffestiniog railway company owned welsh highland railway.
The north wales narrow gauge railways nwngr was a railway company that planned to build a number of interconnected 1 ft 11 1. The contract bears the railway companys seal, witnessed by directors sir john henderson stewart bt. The fr also links with the whr porthmadog at penymount station. Your train will take you for a short ride, then we stop at the engine sheds where you get to climb into the cabs of the locomotives and see how things work. It is the passenger terminus of two narrow gauge railways. These are listed under locomotives visiting, whrl alongside short term visiting locomotives. Nov 12, 2017 a trip on the welsh highland railway reveals more than just its own history. This is a list of the stations and halts on the welsh highland railway. An illustrated history of the welsh highland railway book. The first is immediately south of beddgelert, and the other three start approximately 1. At porthmadog it connects with the ffestiniog railway and to the short.
The ffestiniog railway is a narrowgauge steam railway in wales. The lines origins dated back to the 1870s when the first section of the line was opened as the north wales narrow gauge railway. Ffestiniog railway bristol group are holding a sale of second hand, mainly railway, books that have been donated to them on saturday 4th april 2020 from 10am to 1pm at frome cricket club, rodden road, frome, somerset, ba11 2ah. Theres also a second rail ride this time on a miniature railway with tiny seveninch gauge. The origins of what was to become the welsh highland railway whr can be traced back to a number of narrow gauge railway developments.
Opened in 1923, the welsh highland railway was formed by the merger of several much older railways. There are four tunnels on the welsh highland railway. Contract for construction of welsh highland railway 30 april 1922. This is not to be confused with welsh highland railway caernarfon this one runs from the station at porthmadog by the main line, through the pen y mount then back to the museum at gelerts farm or the welsh fferm gelert. Books archives welsh highland railway heritage group. The festiniog railway heritage group aims to research, conserve and recreate many aspects of the festiniog railway s heritage. A very short train ride, so not one to go on if you plan on going for a ride with a spectacular view. The welsh highland railway whr or rheilffordd eryri, runs 25 miles from porthmadog to caernarfon on the northwest coast of wales, making it the uks longest heritage railway. If you are renewing membership, we also ask you to fill it in to confirm your details and gift aid declaration where applicable. Barrie hughes welsh highland railway website for regular but unofficial news reports about the railway. The long garden at minffordd station was spruced up and 10 builders bags.
Porthmadog harbour railway station formerly known as portmadoc harbour railway station in porthmadog formerly portmadoc, gwynedd formerly merioneth, north wales. James i c boyd, narrow gauge railways in south caernarvonshire, oakwood press, 19881989 two volumes, and peter johnson, an illustrated history of the welsh highland railway, oxford publishing co. The glan yr afon project possibly the most significant piece of north wales narrow gauge railways architecture that remains unconserved or unrestored is the glan yr afon weigh bridge building and site. Welsh railways by brian daugherty, includes good big pictures of the whr. Our vintage train also stops at the heritage centre, where you can get off for a free guided, hands on tour. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. Jan 22, 2016 a quick look at the whr still in course of construction, later to become a 25 mile long railway, and also at the shorter welsh highland heritage railway. At porthmadog the whr connects to the ffestiniog railway fr where it continues to blaenau ffestiniog. The railway has origins dating back to the 1800s, it was closed in the 1930s but has now been revived and is part of the ffestiniog railway family, providing a spectacular ride through the mountain scenery of. Big train little train guidebook ffestiniog railway. Construction of the line started in the 1970s following the acquisition of land from british railways. Its history is a blend of contradictions and complex compromises. North wales festival of gardens ffestiniog railway.
It was opened on 11 october 1997 when the line was constructed from dinas history. Built by, north wales narrow gauge railways nwngr, welsh highland railway. The history of the welsh highland railway predecessors of. Warm welsh welcome and you can be assured of this on the welsh highland railway. The ffestiniog and welsh highland railways stretch for 40 miles through the glorious snowdonia national park, allowing you to experience the magnificent scenery in comfort whilst savouring the romance of gleaming steam engines and carriages. Its a charming little railway, run by passionate volunteers. From here, continue by coach to portmeirion, a weird and wonderful italianate village set on its own private peninsula. The railway was originally used to transport slate but is now a tourist railway.
Not connected with the welsh highland heritage railway the welsh highland railway whr is a narrow gauge railway in wales, which originally ran from dinas near caernarfon to porthmadog, with a branch line to bryngwyn and the slate quarries at moel tryfan. To install pack you must have immersive railroading as a mod, then all you do is place this pack in the resource pack folder and activate in game please do not redistribute this pack or modify it in anyway. Highland railways acquired the track bed, raised a vast amount of money and rebuilt the entire line, which reopened. The information about wheelchair access applies to both railways as does buying a guide book. North wales narrow gauge railways, some of the abandoned works of.
Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the wikipedia article. The welsh highland railway whr or rheilffordd eryri is a 251nan1 long, restored narrow gauge heritage railway in the welsh county of gwynedd, operating from caernarfon to porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including beddgelert and the aberglaslyn pass. From porthmadog station its a 15minute stroll through the town to the ffestiniog and welsh highland railways see map. New members, please let us have some information about yourself by filling in this form. Welsh highland heritage railway porthmadog 2020 all you. If you are interested in local history andor railways this is for you. Rebuilding the welsh highland railway by peter johnson. This listing is offered as an indication to researchers into welsh highland history of what they may find in the gwynedd archives, principally at caernarfon record office, victoria dock, caernarfon. This page lists locomotives that have worked on the welsh highland heritage railway.
The origins of the whhr lie in a small group of railway enthusiasts, including some disgruntled volunteers from the festiniog railway, forming the welsh highland railway society in 1961, to preserve and rebuild the original welsh highland railway which had operated from 1922 to 1936. Rhif elusen gofrestredig registered charity number no. A memory a short story of the closure of the whr, translated from welsh. Following the success of restoring the ffestiniog railway from 1954, the welsh highland light railway 1964 co ltd was set up from a base at gelerts farm and ran along a short stretch of track alongside the cambrian coast main line, known as beddgelert siding. The welsh highland railway heritage group has just donated to the restoration of 794 a 460t locomotive of the baldwin class 1012d. It had been planned that its terminus would be caernarfon, but that never happened. List of stations and halts on the welsh highland railway. This is a week before the public train services start on the ffestiniog railway and allows our volunteers to ensure the railway is presentable to our passengers. Garratts and kalaharis of the welsh highland railway.
The completed welsh highland railway or rheilffordd eryri its welsh name comprises parts of the former london and north western railway 1867, north wales narrow gauge railways 187781, portmadoc, beddgelert and south snowdon railway and welsh highland 19223 railway. Caernarfon station is the northern terminus of the narrow gauge welsh highland railway, located in the town of caernarfon. The story of the restoration of the welsh highland railway. Welcome the welsh highland railway resource pack for immersive railroading. The welsh highland heritage railway is a bit different from other railways the journey takes about an hour, but you wont be on the train for most of the time. The welsh highland railway at war the railway was tossed on the misfortunes of war but now proudly owns the heritage of several historic war veteran vehicles. Assorted footage taken of narrow gauge trains on the ffestiniog and the welsh narrow gauge steam railways during a week spent in the area part 2 footage is taken at a variety of stations. The welsh highland railway whr or rheilffordd eryri is a 25mile 40. The railway has origins dating back to the 1800s, it was closed in the 1930s but has now been revived and is part of the ffestiniog railway family, providing a spectacular ride through the mountain scenery of snowdonia. The welsh highland railway or rheilffordd eryri is a narrow gauge railway running from caernarfon to porthmadog in north wales.
Please note this has been cancelled in light of the current advice. This panel gives a translation of some of those connected to the railway. Welsh highland railway limited filing history free. Climb on the engines and see how things work railway book and souvenir shop and period tea room. The welsh highland heritage group website and its excellent links page my pages pdf welsh highland railway distances. Barnstaple history, peter stefanovic, umgeni steam railway, against tories and tory austerity, eu citizens for an independent scotland. Welsh highland heritage railway whhr our neighbours in porthmadog. Its also arguably the most scenic railway in wales, taking in the aberglaslyn pass, beddgelert, the foot of snowdon, llyn cwellyn, before arriving back on the coast. List of welsh highland railway rolling stock wikipedia. Join facebook to connect with barrie hughes and others you may know. The welsh highland heritage railway is a small, friendly railway where the train ride is just part of the experience. Download or read walks from the welsh highland railway. After the war, it was sold and exported to india, where it.
The revival and restoration of the welsh highland railway is one. The history of the welsh highland railway welsh highland heritage. The locomotive is owned by the ffestiniog railway company who operates both railways and is being. My historical research often takes me into the pages of the welsh annals.