NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ffestiniog railway

The Ffestiniog Railway (in Welsh Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a narrow-gauge heritage railway, located in North West Wales. It is a major tourist attraction mainly within the Snowdonia National Park. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3626x2728, 1498 KB) Description Two trains of the Ffestiniog Railway at Tan y Bwlch Station Original image Photochrom print (color photo lithograph) Created between 1890 and 1905 Source Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Photochrom Prints Collection, reproduction number LC... Motto: (Welsh for Wales for ever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056 Area - Total 20,779 kmÂ² (3rd... Porthmadog, (Pronounced Port Madock), known locally as Port, is a small coastal town located in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, traditionally part of Caernarfonshire. ... Charles Darwin 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... A scene on a heritage railway. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales for ever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056 Area - Total 20,779 kmÂ² (3rd... A tourist attraction is a place where tourists, foreign and domestic, normally visit. ... See also Snowdonia Snowdonia National Park, or Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri (in Welsh) was established in 1951 as the third national park in England and Wales. ...

The railway is about 13.5 miles (21.5 km) long and runs from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The line travels through spectacular mountainous scenery and is single track with passing places. The track gauge is 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm). The first part of the line runs along a mile-long embankment called "the Cob", which is the dyke of the Traeth Mawr "polder". The Cob was built between 1807 and 1811 by William Madocks and in addition to its land reclamation function in conjunction with sluice gates at the Britannia bridge, serves also as a roadway (since 1836 this has been at a lower level on the landward side) and a bridge across the Afon Glaslyn. Tolls were charged until 2003, when the rights were purchased by the National Assembly for Wales with a tollgate at Boston Lodge. The higher, original, section of the Cob carries, in addition to the railway, a public footpath throughout virtually its entire length. There is no fencing between the footpath and the railway. Porthmadog, (Pronounced Port Madock), known locally as Port, is a small coastal town located in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, traditionally part of Caernarfonshire. ... The splitting of the slate blocks with hammer and chisel to produce roofing slates required great skill. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in north Wales. ... A dike (or dyke) is an earthen wall, constructed as a defence or as a boundary. ... The Traeth Mawr (Welsh for big sand) is a polder near Portmadoc in Gwynedd in Wales. ... Satellite image of Noordoostpolder, Netherlands (595. ... William Alexander Maddocks (1773-1828) was a landowner and Member of Parliament for the town of Boston, Lincolnshire from 1802 to 1820. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAfW) (Welsh: ) is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales, and is also responsible for most UK government departments in Wales. ... Aerial view of Boston Lodge Boston Lodge is situated at Penrhyn Isa, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487 road about 1 mile SE across the Afon Glaslyn causeway from Porthmadog, Gwynedd in north-west Wales. ...

History

The railway company is properly known as the "Festiniog Railway Company", and this contemporary anglicised spelling is still the official title of the company as defined by the Act (2 William IV cap.xlviii) that created the railway. It is the oldest surviving railway company in the world, having been founded by the Act of Parliament on 23 May 1832 with capital mostly raised in Dublin by Henry Archer, the company's first secretary and managing director. Most British railways were amalgamated into four large groups in 1921, and then into British Railways in 1948, but the Festiniog Railway Company, in common with most narrow gauge railways, remained independent: in 1921 this was due to political influence, whereas in 1947 it was left out of British Railways because it was closed for traffic despite vigorous local lobbying for it to be included. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Henry Archer, born 1806, the son of an Irish landowner, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and called to the Irish Bar, spent most of his time between North Wales and London. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ...

Horse and Gravity Operation

The line was constructed between 1833 and 1836 to transport slate from the quarries around the inland town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the coastal town of Porthmadog, where it was loaded onto ships. The railway was graded so that loaded wagons could be run by gravity downhill all the way from Blaenau Ffestiniog to the port. The empty wagons were hauled back up by horses, which travelled down in special 'dandy' wagons. To achieve this continuous grade (about 1 in 80 for much of the way), the line followed natural contours and employs cuttings and embankments built of slate blocks without mortar. Prior to the completion in 1844 of a long tunnel through a spur in the Moelwyn Mountain, the slate trains were worked over the top via inclines (designed by Robert Stephenson) which can still be seen. Slate Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low grade regional metamorphism. ... Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a residential community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, usually with multiple decks. ... Statue of Robert Stephenson at Euston Station, London Robert Stephenson FRS (October 16, 1803â€“October 12, 1859) was an English civil engineer. ...

Up to six trains daily were operated in each direction, and a printed timetable was published on September 16, 1856 by Charles Easton Spooner who, following his father, served as Manager and Clerk for 30 years. It shows departures from the "Quarry Terminus" (at that time Dinas Junction) at 7:30, 9:28, 11:16, 1:14, 3:12 and 5:10. Trains waited ten minutes at the intermediate stations called "Tunnel", "Hafod Llyn" and "Rhiw Goch". The fastest journey time from Quarry Terminus to Boston Lodge was 1 hour 32 minutes, including three stops. From Boston Lodge the slate wagons were hauled to and from Porthmadog harbour by horses. Up trains took nearly six hours from Boston Lodge to the Quarry Terminus, and each train ran in up to four sections, each hauled by a horse and comprising eight empty slate wagons plus a horse dandy. This timetable gave a maximum annual capacity of 70,000 tons of dressed slate ^[1]. Two brakesmen travelled on each down train, controlling the speed by the application of brakes as needed. At passing loops trains passed on the right and this continues to be a feature of Ffestiniog Railway operation. one of the subdivisions of Wales File links The following pages link to this file: Caernarfon Gwynedd Blaenau Ffestiniog Porthmadog Bangor, Wales Pwllheli Llanberis Categories: GFDL images ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... James Spooner together with his sons James Swinton and Charles Easton and other members of their family, from a firm base at Porthmadog in North Wales, made important contributions to the development of narrow gauge railways both locally and throughout the world. ... Aerial view of Boston Lodge Boston Lodge is situated at Penrhyn Isa, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487 road about 1 mile SE across the Afon Glaslyn causeway from Porthmadog, Gwynedd in north-west Wales. ...

There is evidence for tourist passengers being carried as early as 1850, without the blessing of the Board of Trade, but these journeys would also observe the timetable.

Steam and Gravity Operation

In October 1863 steam locomotives were introduced, to allow longer slate trains to be run, and this also enabled the official introduction of passenger trains in 1865: the Ffestiniog was the first narrow-gauge railway in Britain to carry passengers. In 1869 the line's first double Fairlie articulated locomotive was introduced, and these double-ended machines have since become one of the most widely recognised features of the railway. Fairlie locomotive built for Burma Railways by the Vulcan Foundry Co. ... An articulated locomotive is a steam locomotive with one or more engine units which can move relative to the main frame. ...

Down trains continued to run entirely by gravity, but faster up journeys and longer trains increased line capacity. A new timetable dated October 1863 shows six departures daily from each terminus at two hour intervals, starting at 7:00 am and taking 1 hour 50 minutes including stops (totalling 20 minutes) at Tanygrisiau, Hafod-y-Llyn and Penrhyn. Trains passed only at Hafod-y-Llyn (from 1872 Tan-y-Bwlch). When passenger services started, the practice was for locomotive hauled up trains to consist of passenger carriages, followed by loaded general goods wagons, followed by empty slate wagons. Down trains were run in up to four separate (uncoupled) portions: loaded slate wagons, goods wagons, passenger carriages and finally the locomotive running light. This unusual and labour intensive method of operation was short lived and eventually the passenger and goods portions were combined into a single train headed by the locomotive.

The loaded slate trains continued to operate by gravity until the end of passenger services in 1939. Slate trains eventually became very long - trains of less than eighty slate wagons carried two brakesmen, but over eighty wagons (and this became common) required three brakesmen. About one wagon in every six was equipped with a brake, the others were unbraked. Trains continued to pass at Tan-y-Bwlch and to a lesser extent at Minffordd. The Summer timetable for 1900 had nine trains daily in each direction, and trains had been accelerated to one hour from Porthmadog to Duffws including stops at Minffordd, Penrhyn, Tan-y-Bwlch, Dduallt (request), Tanygrisiau, Blaenau (LNWR) and Blaenau (GWR). Speeds in excess of 40 mph were then normal ^[2].

The original passenger coaches (some of which still survive) were small four wheeled vehicles with a very low centre of gravity. In 1872 the FR introduced the first bogie carriages to operate in Britain. The continuous vacuum brake was installed in 1893. The line was fully signalled with electric telegraph and staff and ticket working. Electric Train Staff instruments were introduced in 1912 and they continue in use to the present day.

Decline of Slate and Development of Tourism

By the 1920s the demand for slate as a roofing material dropped owing to the advent of newer materials and to the loss of the overseas trade in World War I. As a result, the railway suffered a gradual decline in traffic. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire Canada France Italy Russian Empire United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria German Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Sir Arthur Currie Ferdinand Foch Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar Potiorek Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I...

In 1921 the Aluminium Corporation at Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley bought for £40,000 a controlling interest in the FR and Henry Jack became Chairman, the FR company's financial administration moving to Dolgarrog. Jack was also chairman of the new Welsh Highland Railway and was instrumental in getting government backing for its completion on the understanding that the FR and the WHR would be jointly managed from Porthmadog, with maintenance undertaken at Boston Lodge and with other economies of scale. In 1923, the FR line was joined to the WHR line at a station called "Portmadoc New". The Welsh Highland line was almost totally dependent on tourism and this proved slow to develop. ex-South African Railways Garratt no 138 Millennium/Mileniwm hauling a train out of Caernarfon station December 28, 2004 Sister engine, no 143 in the countryside. ...

To gain additional expertise in light railway operation which was being introduced on the FR and WHR to cut operating overheads, Colonel H. F. Stephens was in 1923 appointed part-time as Engineer to both companies. Stephens became Chairman and Managing Director of both companies in 1924. When the WHR was taken into receivership in 1927, Colonel Stephens was appointed as Receiver for the WHR and financial administration of both companies moved to Tonbridge in Kent. The fortunes of the WHR, despite great efforts, failed to improve and it became bankrupt in 1933. In order to protect their investments, the joint owners of both companies arranged for the WHR to be leased by the FR, but the WHR losses continued and it closed in 1937. Colonel Holman Fred Stephens (1868 - 23 October 1931) was a British light railway civil engineer and manager. ...

The FR continued to operate its slate traffic, a workmen's train on weekdays throughout the year and a summer tourist passenger service. Ordinary passenger services ceased on the FR on 15 September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. The workmen's passenger service ran for the last time on Saturday 16 September 1939. Slate trains were from then onwards operated three days each week, but gravity operation was discontinued. Slate traffic ceased on 1 August 1946, apart from the section from Duffws to the North Western yard through Blaenau Ffestiniog town centre, which was leased on 7 October 1946 to the quarry owners. This provided the railway company, which retained the services of a resident manager at Porthmadog, with a small income throughout the moribund years. September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is becoming very long. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

The original Act of Parliament, which permitted the building of the line, made no provision for its closure or abandonment. Although the main line had ceased functioning, the company could not dismantle the railway, so the track and infrastructure were left in place. However, without maintenance it soon became overgrown and unusable.

Restoration

From 1949, various groups of rail enthusiasts attempted to revitalise the railway. Eventually, on 24 June 1954 a group of volunteers funded by Alan Pegler purchased the company to run it as a tourist attraction, and gradually restored the line to working order. This was not helped by a decision by the CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board) in 1954 to build the Ffestiniog Pumped Storage Scheme, including the Tan y Grisiau reservoir (Llyn Ystradau), which flooded part of the northern end of the line. The Festiniog Railway Company was able to obtain compensation in 1972, after the second-longest legal battle in British legal history, having taken eighteen years and two months. Two years later, as a result of the case, the British Parliament passed the Land Occupancy Act 1973. June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 50 years, from its nationalisation in 1947 to privatisation in the 1990s. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in orange and redâ€”the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ...

On 18 August 1954, prior to commencing the restoration, in an inspection, the first of many, Colonel McMullen of the Ministry of Transport, Railways Inspectorate, accompanied by Alan Pegler, several directors and other supporters walked the line from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog. The work of restoration began on September 20, 1954 when Morris Jones, the foreman fitter who had last worked for the railway in March 1947, rejoined the staff to complete the rebuilding of the locomotive 'Prince' on which he had been engaged when the works closed. He was joined at Boston Lodge works by two volunteers, Bill Harvey and Allan Garraway ^[3]. November 6, 1954 marked the completion of sixty years service with the FR of Robert Evans (for almost 25 years as Manager) and a special train was run (with difficulty) from Minffordd to Porthmadog to celebrate the occasion and convey Mr Evans, his wife, Alan Pegler (Company Chairman) and guests en route to a clock presentation ceremony ^[4]. Mr Evans continued in service as Manager until his retirement on June 1, 1955 when Allan Garraway was appointed as Manager. August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aerial view of Boston Lodge Boston Lodge is situated at Penrhyn Isa, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487 road about 1 mile SE across the Afon Glaslyn causeway from Porthmadog, Gwynedd in north-west Wales. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first public passenger train from Porthmadog to Boston Lodge ran on July 23, 1955. Prince returned to service on August 3, 1955 and, following extensive boiler repairs, Taliesin, then the latest of the FR Fairlie articulated engines, returned to service on September 4, 1956. The passenger service was extended to Minffordd on May 19, 1956, to Penrhyn on June 5, 1957 and to Tan-y-Bwlch on April 5, 1958. Increasing traffic was putting severe demands on the track - over seven miles had been reopened in four years. A long period of consolidation, rolling stock restoration and track renewal followed before the extension to Dduallt on April 6, 1968. Extension to Dduallt was celebrated on May 28, 1968 by the re-introduction of the Ffestiniog Railway Letter Service. A Ffestiniog Railway train at Porthmadog Harbour railway station Porthmadog harbour station is the southern passenger terminus of the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Boston Lodge is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fairlie locomotive built for Burma Railways by the Vulcan Foundry Co. ... September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The upper-level, narrow-gauge station at Minffordd Minffordd (translation Lip of the Road) is the interchange station (called Minffordd Junction by the Victorians) opened on 1 August 1872 at the point where the then newly built Cambrian Railways line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli passes under the existing narrow... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... (Penrhyndeudraeth meaning Headland between two beaches ) This station on the Ffestiniog Railway is located on a restricted site at Pen-y-Bwlch above the town of Penrhyndeudraeth, the station opened on 6 January 1865. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tan-y-Bwlch station is on the B4410 former turnpike road from Maentwrog to Llanfrothen and Beddgelert that the railway crosses on a fine cast-iron skew bridge (made at Boston Lodge foundry in 1854 and surmounted by gothic balustrades. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dduallt station is a passenger station on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway in northwest Wales, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The inaugural issue of FR railway letter stamps illustrates four eras of the Ffestiniog Railway, Original horse haulage, Victorian steam, The 1920s tourism and The 1960s restoration Commemorating Robert Francis Fairlie and his patent double-engine No. ...

The Llyn Ystradau Deviation

Between 1965 and 1978, the Ffestiniog Railway Deviation, that 2½ mile long diversionary route was constructed between Dduallt and Tanygrisiau in order to avoid the works of Tanygrisiau hydro-electric power station and its reservoir (Llyn Ystradau). The Deviation (this is the conventional name for such railway works) was built mostly by volunteers. At the southern end is the spectacular Dduallt spiral formation (unique on a public railway in the United Kingdom). It was constructed with its bridge entirely by volunteers and gains an initial height rise of 35 feet in order (after a further mile of new volunteer built railway and a new tunnel) to clear the flooded track bed north of the former Moelwyn tunnel, which is plugged near its normally submerged northern end. Parts of the trackless former route can be clearly seen below the new route between Dduallt and the old tunnel. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 346 KB) Tanygrisiau Reservoir from the Ffestiniog Railway Author: Dan Crow Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway Metadata This file contains additional information... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 346 KB) Tanygrisiau Reservoir from the Ffestiniog Railway Author: Dan Crow Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway Metadata This file contains additional information... A spiral is a hill climbing technique for railways when the topography rises faster than the train can climb. ...

The new 310 yard long tunnel was constructed (between 1975 and 1977) by three Cornish tin mining engineers with a small team of employees. It had to be blasted through a granite spur of the Moelwyn mountain. The tunnel plant included stone crushing and grading plant to produce track ballast and other aggregates from the spoil for use on the railway. Following completion the new tunnel first had to be lined throughout its length with liquid cement reinforced with steel mesh in a process called 'shotcreting'. This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ...

A pull and push service officially called The Shuttle and powered by diesel locomotive Moel Hebog with carriage 110 was operated from Dduallt to Gelliwiog from 26 May 1975, during two summers, to enable tourists to experience the Deviation route in advance of the opening of the new Moelwyn Tunnel. A single GWR autocoach capable of push-pull operation. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

North of the new tunnel is a long stretch along the west bank of the new reservoir. Full-length passenger trains first ran from Dduallt through the new tunnel to a temporary terminus known as Llyn Ystradau (now dismantled) on 25 June 1977. This station was alongside the Tanygrisiau reservoir, but passengers were not permitted to alight or board, since it was on Central Electricity Generating Board land without public access. June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

The remaining section included some specialised engineering work at its summit where the new line passes over the power station pipelines. This was followed by two public road crossings with automatic signalling, during a fall in height to rejoin the old route in Tanygrisiau station, which was reopened on June 24, 1978. June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

The largely volunteer group building the Deviation was officially called the Civil Engineering Group, but its members were popularly known as and will always be remembered as the Deviationists that completed an enormous task over 13 years. In Communism, a deviation or deviationism is an expressed belief which is not in accordance with official party doctrine for the time and area, and a deviationist is someone whose expressed beliefs can be classed as deviationism. ...

Project Blaenau

The completion of the railway through to Tanygrisiau left the FR with just one and a half miles to go to its goal of Blaenau Ffestiniog but the complexities of reconstructing that unique but very derelict urban section of narrow gauge railway took a further four years. As well as 1½ miles of new track and its formation, which was the responsibility of the FR permanent way department and its volunteers, much other work needed to be done. Most of the work, like the deviation itself, was undertaken by volunteers who in many cases assumed full responsibility for the design as well as the execution of discrete projects, each under a volunteer project leader. There were four decrepit footbridges each needing to be demolished and rebuilt to the new FR loading gauge. The primitive railway bridge across the Afon Barlwyd required total replacement but in similar form. Walls and fences throughout had to be repaired or replaced. These and the many other varied tasks formed Project Blaenau. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 416 KB) Summary Steam engine Mountaineer at Blaenau Ffestiniog station on the Ffestiniog Railway. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 416 KB) Summary Steam engine Mountaineer at Blaenau Ffestiniog station on the Ffestiniog Railway. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station serves the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and is the passenger terminus of the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction. ...

One major task near Tanygrisiau was the responsibility of Gwynedd County Council, which had at some time after 1955 taken advantage of the absence of trains to demolish what was probably Britain's lowest road under railway bridge. In early 1980, therefore, they replaced Dolrhedyn bridge and even managed to give it a few inches extra headroom for road vehicles. Gwynedd is an administrative county in Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. ...

Civil engineering contractors were employed in conjunction with British Rail and Gwynedd County Council for the new route with its bridges and roadworks and the new joint station on the former Great Western Railway station site. British rail commenced using the new station on March 22, 1982. Ffestiniog trains returned to Blaenau on Tuesday, May 25, 1982, thus marking the 150th Anniversary of Royal Assent to the Festiniog Railway Act of 1832. The new joint station with British Rail at Blaenau Ffestiniog was officially opened on April 30, 1983 by George Thomas, Speaker of the House of Commons, who unveiled a plaque that records his visit. Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ... March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station serves the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and is the passenger terminus of the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable Thomas George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy (29 January 1909 - 22 September 1997) was a British Labour politician. ... British House of Commons Canadian House of Commons In some bicameral parliaments of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. ...

With the major project of track restoration to Blaenau finally complete, attention could be turned to other matters. More Fairlie locomotives were built or restored, and new carriages were built. A new hostel was built for volunteers. Stations were given new buildings, canopies and platforms, often replacing the previous temporary structures, and improving the image of the railway for the future. Fairlie locomotive built for Burma Railways by the Vulcan Foundry Co. ...

Welsh Highland Railway

In 1988 the Festiniog Railway Company was involved in a highly controversial plan to stop the neighbouring Welsh Highland Railway being rebuilt. The plan would have involved the Company buying the original track bed of the Welsh Highland Railway from the old company's receiver and giving it to Gwynedd County Council, as long as no railway-related developments were allowed on the land. This, and other actions, may have delayed the start of rebuilding of the Welsh Highland Railway by up to to 10 years.

Since 1990 the Festiniog Railway Company has been totally committed to the reopening of the Welsh Highland Railway, and following protracted legal procedures the first section from Caernarfon to Dinas was opened and operated by the FR on October 11, 1997. Restoration to Waunfawr was completed in 2000 and to Rhyd Ddu in 2003. Reconstruction of the remaining section through to Porthmadog is in progress from both ends. The completed Welsh Highland Railway, or Rheilffordd Eryri (its Welsh name), will comprise parts of the former London and North Western Railway (1867), North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (1877-81), Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway and Welsh Highland (1922-3) Railway. In 2009 the Ffestiniog Railway intends to reconnect with the rebuilt Welsh Highland Railway at Harbour Station, linking Caernarfon to Porthmadog. The FR will also link with the WHR (Porthmadog) at Pen-y-Mount Station, north of Porthmadog. ex-South African Railways Garratt no 138 Millennium/Mileniwm hauling a train out of Caernarfon station December 28, 2004 Sister engine, no 143 in the countryside. ... Caernarfon is the new northern terminus of the extended narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway from Dinas and the station was opened on October 11th 1997. ... Dinas is a station on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, which was built in 1877 as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to carry dressed slate for trans-shipment to the LNWR. Passenger services ceased on September 26th 1936 until which time Dinas had been a... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Waunfawr is a station on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, which was built in 1877 as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to carry dressed slate to Dinas Junction on the LNWR. Passenger services ceased on September 26th 1936 and the station was reopened on August... Rhyd Ddu is a station on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, which was built in 1881 as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to carry dressed slate to Dinas Junction on the LNWR. The station was originally called South Snowdon and the railway was extended southwards... The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was formed in 1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham. ... The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (Moel Tryfan Undertaking) (to give it its full name) was a 1 ft 11Â½ in (597 mm) gauge railway running from Dinas to Bryngwyn, Wales, which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872. ... The Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway was incorporated in 1901 but never opened to traffic. ... Caernarfon, 2002 Caernarfon (the Welsh spelling is now normally used in preference over the anglicised forms, Caernarvon or Carnarvon) is a royal town in north-west Wales. ... Porthmadog, (Pronounced Port Madock), known locally as Port, is a small coastal town located in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, traditionally part of Caernarfonshire. ...

Tourism and Heritage

One of the earliest references to tourism is in the LNWR Tourist Guide for 1876, which waxed lyrical about the Ffestiniog Railway, which it illustrated with a drawing of a lady in Welsh national dress (then still in regular local use) travelling on an FR up train (since many empty slate wagons – with two standing brakesmen – were attached at the rear) with the caption "On the Ffestiniog Railway". The guide uses the "double F" spelling throughout. ^[5]. It was, however, in the inter-war years from 1919 to 1939 that tourism, though always valued, came to acquire a major importance.

Since restoration commenced in 1954, tourism has been the only significant source of income. The role of the Ffestiniog Railway in the promotion and fulfilment of tourism and in preserving railway heritage has been recognised many times, and notable mentions have included:

Recognition of the railway’s importance to tourism and heritage has been increasingly marked by financial assistance given to the company towards capital expenditure. Prior to September 1987, the FR had received £1,273,127 in gifts and grants. Of this: £450,476 was Gifts from the FR Society and FR Trust and other supporters; £379,335 from Wales Tourist Board; £134,320 from EEC Grants and £308,996 from other public sources ^[10].

Major grants received subsequently have been: In 1989 a grant of £430,000 mainly from The EEC (National Programme of Community Interest for the promoting of tourism in Dyfed, Gwynedd and Powys)^[11]; in 1995 a grant of £500,000 to promote work in Blaenau Ffestiniog ^[12] and in 1998 a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £375,000 for the constuction of workshops to facilitate the restoration of historic vehicles ^[13].

Rolling stock

The locomotives, carriages and wagons of the Ffestiniog Railway Double Fairlie David Lloyd George running round its train at Blaenau Ffestiniog 2005 // Locomotives For more detailed information on current and past locos, visit the Railways own Heritage Group Wikipedia Where the name of the locomotive is linked, the link points...

Stations and halts

Note: A different zero point was formerly used in Porthmadog (see below), and the Deviation between Dduallt and Tanygrisiau added half a mile to the line. Mileages have therefore changed. The old mileage to the Duffws terminus, the original start of the line, was 13 miles 32 chains. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2428x1371, 131 KB) Summary Map of the Ffestiniog Railway, 2006 Author: Dan Crow Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2428x1371, 131 KB) Summary Map of the Ffestiniog Railway, 2006 Author: Dan Crow Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway ... A Ffestiniog Railway train at Porthmadog Harbour railway station Porthmadog harbour station is the southern passenger terminus of the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Porthmadog, (Pronounced Port Madock), known locally as Port, is a small coastal town located in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, traditionally part of Caernarfonshire. ... Image File history File links Porthmadog_station. ... Aerial view of Boston Lodge Boston Lodge is situated at Penrhyn Isa, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487 road about 1 mile SE across the Afon Glaslyn causeway from Porthmadog, Gwynedd in north-west Wales. ... Image File history File links Boston Lodge from the air. ... Boston Lodge is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Aerial view of Boston Lodge Boston Lodge is situated at Penrhyn Isa, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487 road about 1 mile SE across the Afon Glaslyn causeway from Porthmadog, Gwynedd in north-west Wales. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 467 KB) Summary Boston Lodge locomotive shed on the Ffestiniog Railway Author: Dan Crow Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway Metadata This file... The upper-level, narrow-gauge station at Minffordd Minffordd (translation Lip of the Road) is the interchange station (called Minffordd Junction by the Victorians) opened on 1 August 1872 at the point where the then newly built Cambrian Railways line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli passes under the existing narrow... Translation meaning Lip of the Road There are 2 stations co-located at right angles to each other. ... The central Piazza and Gloriette. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 505 KB)Minffordd Station, upper-level tracks. ... The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. ... The upper-level, narrow-gauge station at Minffordd Minffordd (translation Lip of the Road) is the interchange station (called Minffordd Junction by the Victorians) opened on 1 August 1872 at the point where the then newly built Cambrian Railways line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli passes under the existing narrow... Translation meaning Lip of the Road There are 2 stations co-located at right angles to each other. ... The central Piazza and Gloriette. ... Penrhyndeudraeth is a community in Wales. ... (Penrhyndeudraeth meaning Headland between two beaches ) This station on the Ffestiniog Railway is located on a restricted site at Pen-y-Bwlch above the town of Penrhyndeudraeth, the station opened on 6 January 1865. ... Penrhyndeudraeth is a community in Wales. ... Plas Halt is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Tan-y-Bwlch station is on the B4410 former turnpike road from Maentwrog to Llanfrothen and Beddgelert that the railway crosses on a fine cast-iron skew bridge (made at Boston Lodge foundry in 1854 and surmounted by gothic balustrades. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 539 KB) Summary Ffestiniog railway locomotive Taliesn at TanyBwlch Author: Dan Crow Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway British narrow gauge railways Metadata... Campbells Platform is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 276 KB) Campbells Platform is a private halt on the Ffestiniog Railway. ... Dduallt station is a passenger station on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway in northwest Wales, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 552 KB) Dduallt Station seen from the spiral loop Author: Dan Crow File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway Metadata This file contains additional information... Moelwyn Mawr is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales and forms part of the Moelwynion. ... Moelwyn Mawr is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales and forms part of the Moelwynion. ... Tanygrisiau station from the window of a Ffestiniog Railway train Tanygrisiau station is a passenger station on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. ... Tanygrisiau, with the Moelwynion behind Tanygrisiau is a village in the upper end of the Vale of Ffestiniog in the county of Gwynedd, North Wales (52Â°58â€²0â€³N, 3Â°55â€²60â€³W). ... Image File history File linksMetadata TanygrisiauBleasdale. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in north Wales. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in north Wales. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x424, 190 KB) Summary The Stesion Fein on the Ffestiniog Railway, 1879 Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway Metadata This file contains additional information... Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in north Wales. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in north Wales. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1700x1000, 330 KB) Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ffestiniog Railway ... Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station serves the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and is the passenger terminus of the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction. ... Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in north Wales. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 220 KB) The narrow guage platforms at w:Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station, with w:Ffestiniog Railway coaches on the left. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... The Conwy Valley Line is a railway line in North Wales. ...

At Porthmadog, the original line came via the streets and across the Britannia bridge from the 1836 terminus at the northernmost end of the Welsh Slate Company’s Wharf where the FR officially started. This was the datum point for all pre-1954 mileage calculations. The line over the bridge also connected with the Gorseddau and Croesor Tramways and was used by Welsh Highland Railway passenger trains from from 1923 to 1936. The line over the bridge was last used in 1958. ex-South African Railways Garratt no 138 Millennium/Mileniwm hauling a train out of Caernarfon station December 28, 2004 Sister engine, no 143 in the countryside. ...

Train Operation since 1955

Infrastucture

As the line was extended, passing loops were brought into operation at Minffordd, Penrhyn and Tan-y-Bwlch. Due to the restrictions to the length of trains that could be passed at Penrhyn, Rhiw Goch was opened on 14 May 1975. Penrhyn loop remained in service for several more years before it was closed. By the end of the 1970s, the passing loops were at Minffordd, Rhiw Goch, Tan-y-Bwlch and Dduallt, and an intensive service was run in the peak summer seasons (although there were empty "slots" in the timetable which could be used by works trains). From the early 1980s, the peak summer timetable had three train sets in operation, generally passing at Rhiw Goch and Dduallt. Automatic signalling was installed at Tan-y-Bwlch in 1986.

As of the 1988 season, in part due to the challenges in maintenance of the top end points at Dduallt, and the planned automation of Minffordd, Dduallt and Rhiw Goch were taken out of service for crossing trains. At the end of May 1988, Dduallt ceased to be a token station and Dduallt loop was taken out of service altogether and became a siding. Rhiw Goch ceased to be used except on odd occasions, and was taken out of use as a means to cross passenger trains in 1989. The short section token instruments and the signal heads were removed, although the loop could still be used as a refuge for engineers trains.

In the late 1990's Rhiw Goch was recommissioned as a passing loop. From the 2005 season, the box has been regularly manned during the summer to provide additional operational flexibility. In 2006 an appeal was launched, through the FR Society, for funds to replace the life-expired signal box with a building of more traditional appearance. Fundraising has gone well and work is scheduled to be done during the closed season of 2006/7. Preparation work, including pouring extensions to the foundation slab, have been carried out during summer 2006.

Elsewhere, Tanygrisiau had been provided with a run-round loop whilst it had been the terminus between June 1978 and May 1982. This loop was removed when the line was re-opened to Blaenau Ffestiniog. In the mid 1990's a project was launched to install a fully signalled passing loop. This proceeded as a volunteer project, including the building of a signal box. However prior to commissioning, the project was abandoned in 2001. However the trackwork (apart for the siding off the Up Loop) remained in situ. In June 2002, the loop was once again used to run-round trains as part of the 2002 Gala to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the restoration of services to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The intended platform starter signals (posts, brackets and arms) have been recovered and are now in use on the Isle of Man Railway. In 2004 with new disc starter signals and spring loaded points installed, Tanygrisiau became a passing loop for the first time.

Train Control and Regulation

The Ffestiniog Railway operates on the Electronic Token System (ETS) using a mixture of minature and large train staffs, under the overall of the Duty Controller based at Porthmadog.

The Short Section train staffs are brought into service by opening Rhiw Goch Signalbox, hence trapping the Minffordd to Tanybwlch Long Section Miniture train staff in the lever frame, when the signal box is opened and manned by a signalman.

The signalling and ETS equipment is primarily designed for train crew operation. To obtain permission to withdraw a train staff to enter a single line section, Control has to be contacted.

The Control Office regulate train running, giving permission for trains to enter the single line sections, recording train movements on the Train Graph, ensuring trains are formed of an appropriate number of carriages (depending on the expected train loadings), acting as the single point of contact in the rare event of a failure occuring with rolling stock, and making station announcements at Porthmadog

The Control Office also is responsible for the Train Operation on the Welsh Highland Railway between Caernarfon and Rhyd Ddu. ex-South African Railways Garratt no 138 Millennium/Mileniwm hauling a train out of Caernarfon station December 28, 2004 Sister engine, no 143 in the countryside. ...

Images

References

Bibliography

Contents

History

Horse and Gravity Operation

Steam and Gravity Operation

Decline of Slate and Development of Tourism

Restoration

The Llyn Ystradau Deviation

Project Blaenau

Welsh Highland Railway

Tourism and Heritage

Rolling stock

Stations and halts

Train Operation since 1955

Infrastucture

Train Control and Regulation

Images

References

Bibliography

See also

External links

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Horse and Gravity Operation

Steam and Gravity Operation

Decline of Slate and Development of Tourism

Restoration

The Llyn Ystradau Deviation

Project Blaenau

Welsh Highland Railway

Tourism and Heritage

Rolling stock

Stations and halts

Train Operation since 1955

Infrastucture

Train Control and Regulation

Images

References

Bibliography

See also

External links

History