Welsh Highland Railway restoration
Encyclopedia
The restoration of Welsh Highland Railway
has a colourful and complex history. This article provides the modern history:
With various local government officers appointed receiver the WHR continued, primarily as a tourist attraction, until the end of 1933, when the local authority debenture holders declared their intention to close it. This prompted the Festiniog Railway to take a lease on the WHR from 1934 but the poor traffic became poorer and the WHR was closed after the 1936 season.
The lease made no provision for early termination and it took until 1942 before the a judge approved its termination. The legal decision followed the requisitioning of the WHR's track, locos and rolling stock for the war effort. A winding-up order was obtained in 1944 and Mr A Thomas of Llandudno was appointed as liquidator. He could, and did, sell off assets for the benefit of the creditors, the debenture holders, but could not dispose of any land or asset that could inhibit the re-opening of the railway. The 1922 Company was eventually liquidated about 2003, having been in liquidation for a record 69 years.
Soon after the WHR's closure, proposals were made to adapt the trackbed as a long-distance footpath. In the railway press some letter writers suggested that it should be preserved but nothing came of either idea.
Advised that it needed a corporate identity to take on the railway's responsibilities, the society formed a limited company, Welsh Highland Light Railway (1964) Limited, with Bill Brown as its first chairman. Lacking access to the trackbed, a depot was established on former railway property at Kinnerley in Shropshire and rolling stock was collected there.
Failing to make progress with access to the WHR, in late 1973 WHLR (1964) Ltd purchased from British Rail the Beddgelert siding site in Porthmadog, which it developed as a base for a new narrow gauge line. By 1980, it had established a depot and workshops and built a short length of line from a station at Porthmadog (WHR)
to Pen-y-Mount. The railway is laid on the former standard-gauge spur from the Cambrian Railways
that was originally intended as the start of a standard-gauge railway to Beddgelert
. It was inspected by Major Olver of the Department of Transport and opened for tourist passenger service on 2 August 1980.
In 1987, WHR (1964) Ltd completed the restoration of the only surviving steam locomotive owned by the original line, the Hunslet 2-6-2T Russell which had been built in 1906 to the order of the Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway and supplied to the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways. This engine's complex history has been the subject of several books and its suvival and return to Wales have made it one of the most famous narrow gauge locomotives in the UK. It was finally rescued for preservation by the Birmingham Locomotive Club in 1955 and was displayed at the Talyllyn Railway
before being donated to the WHR Ltd in 1965.
Much later, as mentioned later, a section of the WHR was rebuilt by volunteers from WHRL from Pen y Mount a short distance to Traeth Mawr as the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) to differentiate this from the WHR (Caernarfon). This section was built along the FR's WHR trackbed and was operated for two seasons before the track was handed over to become part of the WHR line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. Now that the WHR is indeed complete from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, WHRL trades as the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway.
In order to begin the restoration of the line, WHR Ltd (or any other organisation so interested) needed to gain access to the track bed . The 1964 Co started negotiations with the liquidator and the local authorities to find a way forward. The original company, which held the statutory powers to run the railway and which still owned the trackbed had a complex legal status as it had no directors or officers who could act for it. During the negotiations, during which a price (£750) and contract had been agreed, but the liquidator
died before the contract was signed and the assets passed to the Official Receiver (OR).
It was not always understood that the statutory nature of the railway meant that it could not be sold off piecemeal and that either an abandonment order (which extinguished the statutory powers that the trackbed enjoyed) or a transfer order (which transferred those powers to a new company - strictly only another railway company) were the only ways that the trackbed could be released. Despite this, some parts of the trackbed were sold (notably at Dinas and Rhyd Ddu) by the liquidator and claims for adverse possession were also numerous (an example being Snowdon Ranger station building). For many years, the OR demanded (following legal advice) that any purchaser of the assets must first be able to take on the liabilities of owning the trackbed (claims, fencing, etc.) and secondly must apply for an abandonment order, even if they then wished to restore the railway! The mechanism of using a transfer order was not always well understood and became important later at the High Court hearing.
After the 1944 winding up, the liquidator and, later, the OR were mostly interested in obtaining the best deal for the debenture holders, who had large debts incurred in funding the 1922/3 railway. Peter Johnson, author of numerous WHR books, notes that "The debentures were not actually secured and, in 1923, the local authorities made the WHR agree to be party to a mortgage deed defining the terms of interest and principal repayment."
The OR believed that the best deal would be for the trackbed to be sold off in one piece and any resulting funds would then be distributed amongst the creditors, chief of whom were the debenture holders. This placed the debenture holders in a strong position. Following council boundary changes, the main debenture holders were the Department of Transport (some 42%), CCC (later Gwynedd CC) 17.7%, Merioneth DC 3.5%, Dwyfor DC 13%, McAlpines 11.8%, Branch Nominees Ltd 11.7% with 0.1% thought untraceable through a Mrs Conbran/Sir John Stewart.
In addition to the likely 'loss' of this substantial capital, Gwynedd County Council (GCC) (successor to Caernarfonshire County Council from 1974) claimed it had run up costs maintaining the railway's structures since the railway closed. However it was discovered later that the council had in 1934 agreed to adopt the structures (bridges) and pay for maintenance itself; this was recorded in signed minutes. Therefore their claim to the OR for these costs was out of order. Had the OR known this at the time, it may have been possible to persuade the OR to sell the trackbed to a party other than the county council. On the restored railway, two or three overbridges have been rebuilt by the county council on this basis - the county council had adopted the bridges and it was not for the WHR company (old or new) to pay for their upkeep or renewal.
Of the shares in the 1922 company, some 88.4% were known to have been held by H. J. Jack and passed thus to his successors.
During the early years of negotiations with the OR, the sometimes fleeting interest of outsiders (a couple of parties wishing to build miniature railways on the trackbed), cycling and walking charities who wished to open up the trackbed as a footpath/cycleway and Caernarvonshire County Council's own surveyors (who listed some 15 points where road improvements would affect the railway) hampered progress. However, the establishment of Beddgelert Siding as a base in Porthmadog and an important decision at a local Public Inquiry to ensure that the restoration of the railway to Pont Croesor from Porthmadog was included in the Local Plan, eventually brought some progress.
Peter Johnson again notes: "There might have been a window where the county council could have got an abandonment order using the 1962 Transport Act in the 1960s; the cost would have been less than £5,000, probably quite a lot less. On reflection, I suspect that its problem was that it could not really demonstrate that acquiring 'all' of the trackbed was within its statutory purposes and justify any expenditure on it. If it was determined, it could have done it."
In the late 1980s, WHR Ltd and GCC began a project to gain joint control of the trackbed and to begin rebuilding the railway in stages. The scheme involved GCC receiving ownership for a nominal sum (£1, as it claimed it was still owed a lot of money) and then leasing parts of it back to the new company. Various plans were put together and various starting points were discussed, including Rhyd Ddu, Beddgelert (Some work was started in the late 1970s to facilitate clearance of the flooded Royal Goat hotel cutting. This utilised rail recovered from the abandoned Croesor Tramway.) and others.
It was the stated intention of GCC and a requirement of the OR, however, to apply for an abandonment order, which would have removed the statutory designation of the track bed as a railway and consequently, the council might then have decided to use the parts not leased to the '64 Co. for non-railway purposes, such as the much talked-about footpaths or road improvement/bypass schemes. Other issues were claims for adverse possession ('squatters' rights') of the land, which would have been numerous and practically impossible to fight had an abandonment order been made.
One issue was a road improvement scheme at Waunfawr which was proposed to sever the trackbed, with any prospective restorer of the line having to pay for a bridge. This scheme and many of the others mooted never came to pass.
The risk that GCC would not open all of the track bed for railway restoration and that a substantial amount of it could therefore be lost to footpaths, adverse possession, or road schemes led a group called Trackbed Consolidation Limited (TCL) to be formed in 1983, mostly from WHR (1964) Co members and directors to consider other methods for reopening as much of the railway as possible. This caused division, recriminations and even suspensions of some directors of TCL from the 1964 Co as a struggle ensued between the directors of the 1964 Co who were tied to their agreement with GCC and those of the TCL persuasion who were greatly concerned by the long term effects of that deal.
to Blaenau Ffestiniog
at considerable expense and having had to construct a considerable deviation (close on three miles of new track) using volunteer labour, where parts of the old line were flooded as part of a hydro-electric pumped-storage power station scheme.
The Festiniog Railway Company's General Manager in 1987, David Pollock, was approached by his signal and telegraph manager Bob MacGregor, who told him that it now looked likely that a sale would take place of the WHR trackbed to the county council (for £1) and that a partnership with the WHR 1964 Co was being put together. This news was concerning to Bob and, after hearing similar concerns from others of the same view, Mr Pollock was moved to act.
The FR employs around 60 full time staff and is one of the larger employers in the area. A potential competitor, on the FR's doorstep and backed financially by the county council, was a concern to the profitability of the FR, its ability to employ its staff and ability to repay the debt the FR had incurred in the final push of the Blaenau extension. A secret bid, far exceeding any other standing bid was made to the OR through solicitors and the FR started to lobby to protect its position. The district council, to a degree, shared the FR's early view.
This involvement of the Ffestiniog Railway
(FR) in the future of the Welsh Highland was later revealed in 1990 and came as a shock to many in the UK railway preservation community (the fact that an anonymous bidder had placed a bid had come out but their identity remained a mystery). Further negative publicity was generated for the Ffestiniog Railway when a leaked memo and recorded conversations later confirmed that one of the initial thoughts was to block the development of a competitor on its doorstep in any way possible.
The memo claimed that the FR was to try and buy the trackbed and offer it to Gwynedd County Council, with caveats to prevent its use as a railway. (This was revealed in leaked documents at the first Public Inquiry). It must, however, be noted that this proposition was raised at a similar time to many other discussions, including the interest of a Mr Ellerton, a wealthy man who also had designs on parts of the trackbed for a miniature railway scheme. Mr Ellerton had also tried to court WHR Ltd and TCL to be part of his scheme too. His main plan was to provide a miniature railway from Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu, to be opened in stages. He was deterred when he realised the legal problems and, instead, Mr Ellerton became involved in the Fairbourne Railway.
However despite tabling a much higher offer for the trackbed, the FR was not able to change GCC's policy of supporting WHR Ltd and the OR remained minded to sell to GCC/WHR Ltd as outlined above (abandonment order, lease to Pont Croesor, possible extensions later). This was mainly because the OR felt that a public authority was better placed to take on the trackbed liabilities, that it was owed other money for the upkeep of structures (found later to be incorrect) and was a major debenture holder (and thus a preferential creditor) itself.
In order to continue an interest in the WHR, the FR had to reveal its position and was unmasked as the previously anonymous bidder (it had to, if it wished to continue to be part of the future of the WHR, as the OR was still minded to sell to GCC and the only way to stop this was to challenge it at the High Court). This caused a significant backlash from WHR Ltd and much of the specialist railway press.
There was a view in the FR at this time that to abandon a narrow-gauge railway with existing powers was against the ethos of the FR, so there was a considerable shift in the policies of the FR, helped by a number of directors and officers who pushed and financed a greater involvement in the restoration of the WHR. The full story remains untold, but the forthcoming publication by Gordon Rushton (a key figure at this time in both FR and WHR politics) is likely to reveal much of what happened.
The FR next offered to act as 'landlord' of the track bed, leasing the section to Pont Croesor to WHR Ltd (and later other sections), whilst protecting the FR. This was rejected by WHR Ltd, who had, by this time, obtained planning permission to rebuild to Pont Croesor and had submitted a draft Light Railway Order for this section. WHR Ltd remained committed to its partnership with GCC.
TCL, who had split from WHR Ltd (see above) were, at the same time, attempting to revive the original WHR 1922 company, which still held the operating rights to the railway. This had previously been thought to be too difficult or even impossible. It was originally the intent of TCL to donate the track bed to WHR Ltd, who thrice refused the offer.
TCL was, after much detective work, able to trace and 'purchase' a great deal of the share capital and debentures of the original company. However, they were not able to acquire more than 75% of the debenture holdings, as a significant proportion were still held by the local councils. The 75% figure was important as it was believed that it would allow a scheme of financial reconstruction of the 1922 company to be agreed.
An initial meeting was held to try and revive the company but was adjourned when the Department of Transport announced it would sell its debentures (some 42% of the total) to the highest bidder. These were won by the West consortium (WestCo), which was linked to TCL. All seemed set for a TCL 'victory' at the reconvened meeting but one council (Dwyfor), at the last minute, changed its mind and voted with others, including GCC, to block the move, preventing the 75% majority required. Had the 75% target been reached (Dwyfor's vote would have taken the majority to 78%) there remain serious doubts as to whether the scheme could have been enacted. This is because the transfers of debentures to TCL/Westco could not be completed in law because of the moribund status of the company. However it was a moot point which had to be settled at the High Court.
Following the rejection by WHR Ltd of the FR plan to act as landlord, the FR now changed tack realising that the only way to challenge the High Court case, brought by the OR to sell the assets to GCC, was to commit to building the railway itself. However, the FR was not a shareholder or debenture holder in the old company and thus it had no standing to be part of the High Court case. TCL, after considerable expense on behalf of its members notably John Ewing, Cedric Lodge and members of the Preston family, found itself unable to raise the funds to be part of the High Court case either. It also had made an offer to the OR of some £10,000 for the trackbed, far exceeding the standing offer of £1 from GCC. Despite this, the OR remained minded to sell to GCC. TCL and WestCo were introduced to the board of FR and first WestCo, then later TCL, agreed to join forces with the FR to challenge the High Court case, to propose a new plan to restore the whole WHR. The deal outlined what would happen if the FR got control over the railway and committed the FR to using its best endeavours to restore the whole WHR.
The plan was to start at Caernarfon, rather than at the original WHR terminus at Dinas, because of the link to a town with a major tourist attraction already - the famous Castle. This was a major change in FR policy and, although the reasons are complex, it is certainly true that the directors of the FR were far more positive about the WHR than in any period prior to that. Furthermore, funds were forthcoming from a director (Michael Schumann) for the substantial work required to develop the proposals and prepare for the necessary planning applications. However, it was necessary first to challenge the OR's plan to sell to GCC.
The shares and debentures owned by TCL and the West Consortium (WestCo) were transferred to the FR trust, who were able to take part in the High Court case and also to try to validate the transfers in the old 1922 company and thus revive it. This was ruled 'wholly misconceived', mainly as the transfers were unable to be completed as the company was moribund (see note above regarding TCL's attempt at a financial scheme of arrangement). It was also made clear formally at this point that any applicant for a transfer order would have to rebuild the whole railway and must strictly be a railway company. Thus should either party wish to continue in the game, they would have to come up with a plan to restore and run the railway.
The judge did not pass judgement on the OR's application but, instead, left time for both parties to apply for a Transfer Order and for a Public Inquiry to decide who should restore the railway. The judge further stated that he was suspicious of GCC's motives for the rest of the trackbed past Pont Croesor. Both groups duly applied for a Transfer Order, ensuring that either plan would involve the rebuilding of the whole route, something that had very much been in doubt previously due to the aforementioned road/footpath schemes, attitude of GCC etc. In the early 1990s, the 'competitive' Public Inquiry for a Transfer Order was held at which the inspector faced three options: a partnership between the WHR Ltd and GCC; the proposal led by the Ffestiniog Railway/TCL and the option to grant neither a transfer order.
The independent Inspector, after having presided over a four-week Public Inquiry and after reviewing all the submitted evidence, found in favour of the WHR Ltd and GCC but the then Transport Minister, John MacGregor
, over-ruled the decision (on the day he resigned), in favour of the FR/TCL application, mainly on the grounds that the FR scheme would not involve a public body or public funding and therefore reduced the consequent risks to the public sector. WHR Ltd considered appealing but this would have been an expensive option.
After this, the FR Trust formed a subsidiary company called the Welsh Highland Light Railway to rebuild the railway. The first section of the new WHR, between Caernarfon and Dinas, was built under the last Light Railway Order and opened in 1997. It did not form part of the old WHR route but had been part of the old LNWR standard gauge line to Afon Wen. That line had originally been a narrow gauge line, part of the Nantlle Railway
built at gauge and running from Nantlle to Caernarfon Slate Quay from 1828 to 1867.
and Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog). This agreement should ensure that the new WHR both operates as a viable passenger railway and also as a heritage attraction.
WHR Ltd own the original WHR locomotive 'Russell' which it is hoped will be ready for the grand opening in 2011, a Baldwin loco similar to '590', which was purchased by Col Stephens for the WHR in the 1920s and a series of heritage coaches, either rebuilds or restoration projects. A full heritage train (incorporating both original and cut-down carriages) should be ready within a few years of the whole railway reopening. Further plans to add to the 'heritage experience' of WHR Ltd include an extension to an already extensive 'hands-on' museum and further restoration of wagons and artefacts. However, the restoration of Russell would, sadly, cost a year's income for the WHHR.
Before the rebuilding of the railway could go ahead, a second Public Inquiry (for the Transport and Works Order) had to take place. The Inspector found against the proposal because he thought the benefit inside the National Park was not sufficient to warrant reconstruction within a National Park, but this was overturned by John Prescott
, the Deputy Prime Minister, because he thought the benefits outside the National Park outweighed the lack of benefit within it. At the time, the Government was actively promoting alternatives to the car. This go-ahead was, however, conditional on the commissioning of reports into the stability of rocks in the Aberglaslyn Pass. FR's consultant engineers acted swiftly and the reports were delivered before the powers were devolved to the new Welsh Assembly Government.
A further legal challenge, causing even more delay, was then mounted by the National Farmers' Union, but this failed.
For a while, WHR Ltd ran trains on the old WHR trackbed as far as Traeth Mawr (about half way between Porthmadog and Pont Croesor) and it is worth noting that this extension was completed with volunteer labour. In 2009, this section became part of the Construction Company's line and WHR Ltd ceased running trains on this section. The civil engineering of the new line was undertaken by local contractors, while FR volunteers laid the whole of the 25 miles of new track from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, sometimes with welcome help from outside, ranging from the President and Vice-Presidents of the Permanent Way Institution to students from Imperial College. The WHR(P) sent a welcome couple of parties.
The cost of reconstruction was of the order of £30m. Of this, about 45% came from the Millennium Commission and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government, mostly as matching funding for other contributions. European rules are that the EU will, in depressed areas such as North Wales, contribute £ for £ for money raised by the promoters of the scheme and for volunteer effort given in practical ways. Much of the rest was raised by generous financial contributions from members and well-wishers (about £15m); over £1m was raised as matching funding to volunteer efforts (mainly but not exclusively by members of Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri / Welsh Highland Railway Society). Over £200k was raised in cash by CRhE/WHRS and another £100k in cash and volunteer effort by WHR Ltd of Porthmadog.
Services were extended from Hafod y Llyn to Pont Croesor in April 2010. The final section of the line (Pont Croesor to Porthmadog), which includes the Pen y Mount to Traeth Mawr section, opened in January 2011, although trackwork construction was completed in March 2009, allowing special stock transfers. Signalling at the Cae Pawb Crossing with the Cambrian Coast line needed some ingenuity. Delays were caused by a legal dispute with the Trunk Road Authority over a retaining wall at Britannia Bridge and the difficulty of accommodating two trains at once in Porthmadog Harbour Station.
Some members of the FR Society remain concerned regarding the impact of the project on the FR itself and on the impact to the FR's heritage, particularly at Harbour Station and Boston Lodge works. The FR board consider that this will be manageable. The firm belief of the FR board - justified on figures to 2011 - is that the new WHR will be profitable and allow for extra funds to be invested in the railways in the future, whilst having protected the FR from potentially damaging competition.
A landmark was reached in July 2011 when ticket revenue from the rebuilt Welsh Highland Railway exceeded that from the FR for the first time.
A study carried out at Bangor University showed that the return to the local economy amounted by 2010 to far more than the 50% grants (from the Millennium Commission and the European Regional Development Fund) which had been made to build the railway and that, as well as the Railway's own employees, some 350 local jobs from shops to hoteliers were dependent on the Railway for a living.
A number of local residents protested against the rebuilding of the Welsh Highland Railway. They argued that the railway would damage the sensitive landscape and environment of the Snowdonia National Park, one of Wales's most scenic areas. It has not, in the event, done so.
Some residents in the village of Beddgelert
objected to the railway because they feared it would bring increased road traffic to the tourist village. For this reason, the Snowdonia National Park Authority stipulated that trains should not terminate in the National Park except at Rhyd Ddu, until the railway was finished. Further, the railway company is not to provide a car park at Beddgelert station and there will be no direct road access to the station. Access is by public footpaths - one with steps and a longer one with ramps for wheelchairs - from the central car park. So far, there is little evidence of increased railway-linked car traffic.
Relations with some of the community in Beddgelert were difficult for a time, mainly because of the company's plans for the station there. The railway sought powers to construct a building 70ft x 40ft, sufficient to hold 300 people - two trainloads - in the rain, but some residents expressed concern that it would be intrusive and too close to their homes. Planning permission for a slightly modified building was subsequently granted, though with a condition that the railway company should not have a café on the site. The railway appealed against this decision and was successful, but no building work has yet begun on the permanent building, other than the casting of a foundation slab; a wooden building in the usual RhE style has been set up. The arrival of many thousands of railway tourists in the village - without their cars - worked a wonderful change on local opinion.
The WHR rebuilding has also been the subject of more direct action in the past. One local resident near Plas-y-Nant, upon hearing that the construction of the railway was to go ahead, tipped a large mound of manure onto the original alignment. When the railway station at Rhyd Ddu was being completed, the station notice board was stolen, vandals used spray paint in various places to spell out "Dim WHR" (No WHR). This included signs, rocks and the container holding the small construction diesel "Dolgarrog". However, these graffiti were relatively small scale and quickly removed.
The day before the visit of HRH Prince Charles to Rhyd Ddu, when a test train was being run to ensure smooth operation the next day, a football-sized rock was found placed on the track. This was spotted, the train stopped and the rock removed. The perpetrator is said to have had a heavy visit from the Special Branch.
Some objectors in Porthmadog were reported to have made a clumsy attempt to fake a bicycle accident on the rails at Britannia Bridge, but a First Aider who ran to help said that by the time she had covered a hundred yards,'they'd legged it'!
The site of the Porthmadog terminus has also been a source of some debate in the town, as some locals have suggested that WHR trains should terminate at the WHR Ltd station to avoid excessive train movements across Porthmadog High Street and the consequent delay to traffic. The FR however prefers to have the trains arrive at the Harbour Station to afford a connection to their main line to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The traffic jams in Porthmadog are so frightful already that the level crossing makes little difference. The issue is likely to be resolved by the opening of the new Porthmadog by-pass (A487
) in September 2011.
Today, there are two parts of the Welsh Highland Railway open, one of 1km in Porthmadog (which opened in 1980) and one for 25 miles (40 km) from Caernarfon to Porthmadog (which opened in stages from 1997 to 2011).
The WHR Ltd's existing line in Porthmadog, known as the "Welsh Highland Heritage Railway", continues to develop the heritage atmosphere of the old railway, and offers a shorter alternative ride and a newly expanded museum. Original locomotives and rolling stock from the WHR and other lines are being restored to a high standard, to ensure that an authentic WHR heritage train will be able to run on the completed line. The WHR Ltd has received much acclaim for the interactive tour of the sheds, which all passengers get as part of their train ride. In 2005, the WHR Ltd celebrated 25 years since the rebirth of the Welsh Highland with increased passenger numbers and the entry into service of a second original Welsh Highland carriage.
The WHR Ltd extension made progress northwards using volunteer labour from their existing terminus at Pen-y-Mount to a new temporary loop at Traeth Mawr
, being officially opened in August 2006 by the President of the Welsh Assembly Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, and which opened for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. This is now part of the Caernarfon to Porthmadog line: WHR Ltd have reverted to running their short service to Pen y Mount, in conjunction with an excellent museum visit and miniature railway.
The line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, also marketed as Rheilffordd Eryri, was constructed with the help of grants from the Millennium Commission, the Welsh Assembly and many individuals. Never before has so large a scheme been undertaken in the minor railway field.
The section to Rhyd Ddu was inaugurated by the visit of HRH The Prince of Wales on 30 July 2003. Prince Charles travelled from Waunfawr to Snowdon Ranger
in a replica NWNGR coach hauled by the Ffestiniog Railway locomotive 'Prince' and, from Snowdon Ranger to Rhyd Ddu, he rode on the locomotive footplate.
Funding for Phase Four, the final section of the line from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog, was announced in September 2004, thanks to a package of grants from the European Regional Development Fund, the Welsh Assembly Government and private donations. The public appeal became the most successful public railway appeal ever, according to Steam Railway magazine, and the line opened in 2011.
Trains are operated by staff and volunteers of both the Ffestiniog Railway and the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon). With the commencement of public services between Caernarfon and Dinas in 1997, all train operations on the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) have been directly controlled from the central control office at Porthmadog Harbour railway station
and this continues.
The agreement signed between the former rivals meant that Phase Four saw the Welsh Highland Railway Limited playing a role in the reconstruction of the line. Fittingly, in October 2005, it was the volunteers of the original revival company who laid the first lengths of track in the final (southern) phase, an emotional moment for many of that organisation's long standing members.
The first three miles (5 km) of the WHR (Caernarfon)'s route uses the abandoned standard gauge trackbed between Caernarfon and Dinas and was officially opened on 13 October 1997. This part of the line originally formed a route from Bangor
to Afonwen, which used to link the North Wales Coast Line with the Cambrian Coast, until the closure of the Caernarfon-Afonwen section in 1964: the Bangor - Caernarfon section was closed in 1971.
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways had previously obtained powers to construct an extension from Dinas to Caernarfon and these had been transferred to the Welsh Highland Railway but had not been exercised.
The trackbed from Caernarfon to Dinas and beyond, owned by Gwynedd County Council, was opened as a footpath and cycletrack, Lôn Eifion
, in the 1980s and this now runs parallel to the railway. Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the railway formation is leased to the Ffestiniog Railway for 999 years. The Phase 1 work included the construction of narrow gauge stations in St. Helen's Road (adjacent to the slate quay in Caernarfon) and on the site of the former standard gauge station at Dinas. The intermediate halt at Bontnewydd
was built in 1999, following requests and a petition from villagers.
Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the route was originally part of the narrow gauge Nantlle Railway
from 1828 until conversion in 1867 to standard gauge as part of the Carnarvonshire Railway
later absorbed by the LNWR, and in turn the LMS and British Railways, up to closure in 1964. There are places between Caernarfon and Dinas where the route diverged from the 1828 original, whose remains can still be seen. Just outside Caernarfon, on the western side of the track, an old Nantlle tunnel can be seen adjacent to the propped bridge. Near the bridge at Bontnewydd, on the eastern side, may be seen the old Nantlle embankment, and the arch of the original river bridge, which still stands over 130 years after being abandoned.
Two original NWNGR buildings remain at Dinas. The station building has been restored to its original purpose and, as far as practicable, its 1880 external appearance. Significant historical, practical and financial assistance with this was given by the Welsh Highland Heritage Group and by others. The Welsh Highland Railway was presented with a Railway World "Ian Allan National Railway Heritage Award" at a ceremony at Dinas on 12 May 2001. The original NWNGR goods shed has been restored to railway use, principally as a workshop; it is also used for the annual Gwŷl Gwrw or Beer Festival (access only on foot or by train!)
Dinas has two railway yards. The north yard, originally the exchange yard with the LNWR, and which was used during the closure period by Gwynedd County Council as an engineering depot. The South yard had been the main works and stabling area, which was being used by Welsh Water / Dŵr Cymru
. These yards had been previously sold off by the Official Receiver and had to be bought back. The north yard now contains the station building, goods shed and a large carriage shed built since restoration. This yard, which is separated from the smaller south yard by a public road and linked by the former standard gauge bridge, also houses the railway's engineering department and Construction Company office. The south yard contains the engine shed and locomotive workshops.
The work of reconstruction fell into two parts; first, the preparation of three miles (5 km) of trackbed (including a granite ballasted surface) and stations, and the realignment of the Lôn Eifion cycleway and footpath alongside, was undertaken by civil engineering contractor John Mowlem
plc in a contract worth £750,000 in December 1996. This major work started on 6 January 1997 and in addition involved also the strengthening and waterproofing of two river bridges, Pont Seiont at Caernarfon and the viaduct over the Afon Gwyrfai at Bontnewydd. First the formation above the bridges was stripped down to the brick arches, which were found to be in good condition 130 years after their construction. The tops of the arches were then backfilled with concrete, and a waterproof membrane added before remaking the formation. This contract was substantially completed during June 1997.
The large Funkey diesel locomotive had been delivered to Dinas and stored in the Goods shed on 14 January 1997 but nothing more could be done at Dinas until access to the formation was obtained in mid-May 1997 and this enabled the start of the second part of the reconstruction task, which was undertaken by Ffestiniog Railway subsidiary company Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd assisted by very many volunteer groups. Foremost in this were the Welsh Highland Railway Society's volunteer "Black Hand Gang", "Rest of the World Gang" and "Tuesday Gang" who made a tremendous contribution. Many other volunteer groups made valuable tracklaying visits including teams from the Llangollen Railway
and the Mid-Hants Railway. However, the gang that came up from WHR (Porthmadog) as part of their "Civil's Week programme" set a remarkable record of 13 lengths, for the most track laid in a single day, which stood for eight years.
For the restoration of WHR (Caernarfon), the Ffestiniog Railway imported not only South African steam engines (some built in Manchester
by Beyer Peacock and Company as recently as 1958) but also the rails and steel sleepers on which to run them. This track included eighty completely made up panels of gauge (adjusted before use to gauge) straight track (for the laying of which a special rail mounted track laying gantry - 'The Forth Bridge' - was built by Winson Engineering Ltd
). The greater part of the rail came with a job lot of steel sleepers, clips, screws, bolts and fishplates, all to several different patterns, which had to be sorted by WHR and FR volunteers before they could be used. The bulk of the track including all the curved sections was built up on site with rails moved forward to the railhead using specially built rail grab trolleys known as RRMs - "Roland's Rail Movers", named after WHLR Ltd construction manager Roland Doyle. These proved to be a highly successful innovation and they have been used on all subsequent tracklaying. Amusingly, they have also acquired the nickname "Roland Rats", a title believed to have originated among the track gangs at the Porthmadog end, who also use the same technology.
Access to Dinas South Yard (site of the original engine sheds) was obtained on 11 August 1997 and existing buildings were converted for use as the locomotive depot. The depot, together with the line to Waunfawr is now reached via the standard gauge overbridge and the low narrow gauge overbridge now provides a road link between the two yards.
Tracklaying, including pointwork at Dinas and Caernarfon was mostly completed by mid-September 1997, three miles (5 km) in four months and a truly remarkable achievement. Two steam locomotives (Beyer-Garratt 138 and FR Mountaineer) and five new carriages were delivered to Dinas on 23 September 1997. A whole team of inspectors from the Ministry of Transport descended on the railway on 2 October 1997 for a thorough inspection, over several days, not just of the line of railway, but also the entire stock of locomotives, carriages and wagons. After the company had fixed items in the snagging list, provisional approval was given for the line to open for a six-week trial period subject to the receipt of a Light Railway Order, which was granted on 9 October 1997. Public passenger service started on Saturday, 11 October 1997. The line was officially opened on 13 October 1997 by the Mayor of Caernarfon, Mrs Mair Williams, with speeches from the Chairmen of the Welsh Highland Railway Society and the Ffestiniog Railway Company, also from Dafydd Wigley MP and a representative of the Millennium Commission
.
Having passed under Dinas station bridge and skirted the south yard, the Caernarfon - Dinas section of the restored Welsh Highland Railway joins the first four mile (6 km) section of the original North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways line and runs north-eastwards gaining height and giving views across Caernarfonshire towards Caernarfon and Anglesey. Beyond Tryfan Junction, the route climbs eastward along the valley of the Afon Gwyfai to Waunfawr. Phase 2 was reconstructed in under twelve months and reopened to Waunfawr on 15 September 2000 at a cost of approximately £2 million. It had been hoped that this section would open in May but a particularly wet winter severely delayed construction work.
It had not been possible to start construction work on phase 2 immediately. First the grant of a Transport and Works Order permitting the reconstruction from Dinas to Porthmadog was required and this involved a second public inquiry and then a long wait for a decision by the Deputy Prime Minister, which resulted in the grant of The Welsh Highland Railway Order 1999, made on 30 June 1999 and which came into force on 21 July 1999. Only then could contracts be let and start dates agreed.
Unlike phase 1, a main Civil Engineering Contractor was not employed. All construction work for phase 2 was carried out by Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd as the main contractor with civil engineering work being undertaken by local North Wales based civil engineering contractors. Four such contracts were granted. Unlike phase 1 where the trackbed was tidy and in use as a cycletrack and footpath, the first contract let for phase 2 involved site clearance and fencing of the four mile (6 km) route and this was let to Achnashean Contractors Ltd, of Llandygai. Significant bridge reconstruction work was needed for six overbridges, two underbridges and many drainage channels and culverts. The rebuilding of one of the underbridges was undertaken largely by volunteers. Two contracts were let for the other bridge and culvert works. In the event, both were awarded to Mulcair Ltd of Caernarfon. A major contract for the reconstruction and ballasting the trackbed was let to Jones Bros Ruthin (Civil Engineering) Co Ltd. In addition, a firm of Colwyn Bay
consulting engineers, Symonds Group Ltd, was employed with a Resident Civil Engineer based at Dinas, acting as a link between WHLR Ltd and the outside contractors, and ensuring smooth running of the contracts.
Tracklaying on phase 2, as on phase 1 was undertaken by Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd using Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway staff and volunteers including, notably, the Welsh Highland Railway Society North Wales Group track gang who laid the first main line section in April 2000. The rails, sleepers and fastenings again came mostly from South Africa where they had been first used on the lifted Umzinto-Donnybrook
line. The entire four-mile (6 km) tracklaying was completed in under six months.
The intermediate station at Tryfan Junction was not re-opened until 2010. The derelict station building was carefully surveyed and tidied to industrial archaeology standards by the Welsh Highland Heritage Group and secured for rebuilding at a future date. Tryfan was the junction with the branch line to Rhostryfan and Bryngwyn. At Bryngwyn, a 1 in 10 balanced inclined plane owned by the Welsh Highland Railway led to an upper plateau from where quarry owned lines radiated to several slate quarries in the Moel Tryfan and Nantlle area. Although slate traffic continued as required until final closure in the 1930s, passenger trains ceased to operate on the branch in 1916. It is intended that the branch will become a public footpath.
The station at Waunfawr was opened in part-completed form, with only one platform face completed: the footbridge which connects it to the car park (shared with The Snowdonia Park Hotel) was not completed until September of the following year. Completion of works on the "snagging list" meant that final approval from HM Railway Inspectorate was not received until 21 September 2001, marking the formal completion of Phase 2.
The line from Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu climbs the steep valley of the Afon Gwyrfai, past Llyn Cwellyn
all the way to its source in Llyn Gader. It was the final and most scenic section of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to be built, originally opened throughout in 1881. It was re-opened for public passenger service on 18 August 2003.
For Phase 3, the Ffestiniog Railway's subsidiary engineering company Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd was the main contractor, but with its Managing Director, Roland Doyle, acting as Resident Engineer on site. Posford Duvivier (Caernarfon office) were retained as civil engineering consultants and supervisors for the specialist contractors, principally Jones Bros. Ruthin (Civil Engineering) Co Ltd. All tracklaying for the six miles (10 km) of railway was again undertaken by direct labour with significant volunteer involvement but in addition direct labour and volunteers undertook the formation construction, ballasting and drainage work on almost half the length of trackbed. There were eight major bridge contracts:
Track supplies for Phase 3 were also obtained from South Africa and, including some existing stocks, the following were needed: Over 15,000 ex Donnybrook
steel sleepers with rail fastening kits and about 12 miles (19.3 km) of new rail, which was rolled in South Africa to the same pattern as the Donnybrook rail (30 kg per metre, in 18 metre lengths). Owing to mishandling by the shippers in South Africa however, about half the rail was bent on arrival and had to be re-rolled in England at the expense of the South African shippers or their insurers.
Railway work in the Snowdonia National Park was subject to certain restrictions and in particular was not able to commence until rock stabilisation work in the Aberglaslyn Pass was completed to the satisfaction of the Snowdonia National Park Authority. This work included the raising of an existing retaining wall to reduce the risk of rockfall onto the line and rockbolting and other work within two of the three tunnels. This contract, with a value of about £200,000 was undertaken by Colin Jones (Rock Engineering) Ltd of Porthmadog, specialists in this field. Consultants in this field Ove Arup and Partners, who surveyed Aberglaslyn during the Transport & Works approval process, oversaw these remedial works which started in November 2000 and were completed during March 2001.
The line runs south from Waunfawr to Betws Garmon, where reconstruction started in October 2000. Tracklaying started in early 2001 south from Waunfawr and met track being laid north from Betws Garmon in May 2001. This was the only section on which work was permitted until the Aberglaslyn works were completed and this coincided with a major outbreak of foot and mouth disease
, resulting in movement restrictions throughout North Wales and putting most of the railway works on hold for several months.
The original Betws Garmon station was some distance from the straggling village of that name. It was the location of sidings and short branch lines serving local quarries. One such line crossed the road and ran to Hafod-y-Wern slate quarry (closed mid-1920s). More recently, this quarry has supplied crushed slate waste used to consolidate the WHR track foundations prior to ballasting.
Further south, there is a new halt at Plas-y-Nant (opened in 2005), which is actually more conveniently situated for Betws Garmon village than the original station. During reconstruction this was the site of a track materials depot and siding (now removed). Further south again, the halt at Snowdon Ranger marks the start of one of the paths to the summit of Snowdon
.
Tracklaying north from Rhyd Ddu station started in May 2001, with an engineering base established there. The station itself was constructed in 2003, although it was much modified in 2005/6 as part of the Phase 4 works. The first steam train to operate over Phase 3 ran from Waunfawr to Plas-y-Nant on 26 July 2003 and then through to Rhyd Ddu on 28 July. In all, a total of 28 test trains were run in July and August 2003 in order to meet HMRI requirements.
Phase 3 was officially opened by The Prince of Wales
on 30 July 2003 when a 'Royal Train' comprising three coaches hauled by the Ffestiniog Railway locomotive No. 2 'Prince' ran from Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu carrying Prince Charles and about 100 invited guests. The Prince travelled in the replica North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Carriage No. 24 from Waunfawr to Snowdon Ranger and from there to Rhyd Ddu he rode on the footplate of 'Prince'.
However, the first public passenger trains from Caernarfon for Rhyd Ddu did not run until 18 August 2003. One of the invited guests on the first train that day was Mr. Richard Williams, who had travelled on the original Welsh Highland Railway opening train in 1923: 80 years later, the WHR was open to Rhyd Ddu again.
A ceremony to launch the start of Phase 4 construction took place at the south end of Rhyd Ddu station site on 1 August 2005, with a ribbon cut by the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan
AM, First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government. This will provide the link from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog and link into both the WHR Ltd and the Ffestiniog Railway at Porthmadog Harbour. The section of the line to Beddgelert passes Pitt's Head
, the highest point on the route, and into the forest where the new Beddgelert Forest Halt will be located near a campsite. The railway then rapidly loses height via two S-bends before reaching the new station at Beddgelert. By November 2006, construction work had reached the south end of the forest, below the upper s-bend and, by October 2007, most of the trackwork was complete through Beddgelert Station and down the Aberglaslyn Pass
through the tunnels towards Nantmor.
From Beddgelert, the line passes over the new Bryn-y-Felin bridge installed in summer 2006 over the River Glaslyn
then along the Aberglaslyn Pass. This section caused controversy in 1995 and 1996, when the land was taken back by the railway. Walkers and environmentalists claimed that an important, albeit unofficial, footpath would be lost but there was no real justification for this given that the Fisherman's Path remains usable alongside the railway trackbed. Further claims were made that danger from falling rocks would make the pass unsafe for trains, which led to extensive remedial works to overhanging rocks, retaining walls and paths.
The footpath along the Aberglaslyn Pass trackbed was closed to walkers in 2000 in order to prepare for the rebuilding of the railway. The railway company, along with the National Trust, which owns the surrounding land, worked to rebuild the Fisherman's Path for use again. Despite the path being fenced off in 2000, the contracts for preparing the trackbed were not let until autumn 2006 and work began soon afterwards.
South of the Aberglaslyn Pass, there is a halt at Nantmor, after which railway passes over the new A4085 Nantmor road bridge before descending the 'ski-jump' and passing Hafod-y-Llyn loop. The gradient of 1 in 40 (2.5%) ends here: it is one of the stiffest tests of locomotive performance in Britain. Further southwards, the line leaves the Snowdonia National Park. Just south of here, the line joins the formation of the Croesor Tramway
, a quarry railway which had originally been taken over by the WHR in 1922.
At a point along the gentle gradient of the Croesor Tramway, the WHR(C) construction work met the WHR Ltd work, which was extended north 700m to meet it. At Pen y Mount, the line divides into two, with one line branching to the WHR Ltd terminus - called Porthmadog (WHR) - and the main line continuing to the Ffestiniog Railway's Porthmadog Harbour Station
. In the event the WHR Ltd ran trains, from a temporary terminus north of Pen y Mount called Traeth Mawr, to Porthmadog (WHR) during 2007 and 2008, after which the Traeth Mawr to Pen-y-Mount section became part of the Caernarfon to Porthmadog line.
The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway route to Porthmadog (WHR) station, currently in operation, passes Gelerts Farm Works, the main engineering base of the WHR Ltd and location of its WHR/FR Museum, before continuing to curve round and terminate parallel to the Network Rail
Cambrian Coast line
close to the standard gauge Porthmadog station.
The section of the route from Pen-y-Mount to Porthmadog Harbour is known as the "Harbour Branch" or the "Cross Town Rail Link" because it runs through a short section of Porthmadog Town Centre. South of Pen-y-Mount, it runs to the opposite side of Gelert's Farm Works, before crossing the Network Rail
Cambrian Coast line
over a flat crossing, which was installed in November 2006. After skirting the edge of one of Porthmadog's main town centre car parks, the line crosses the Britannia Bridge over Porthmadog Harbour (shared with road traffic) before entering the Ffestiniog Railway's Porthmadog Harbour station. This allows through trains to run from Caernarfon to Porthmadog - and then to Blaenau Ffestiniog, creating the longest narrow-gauge railway in the UK.
Trackwork supplies for phase 4 of the new line, after small quantities of South African rail, sleepers and fittings have been used up, were obtained from EU member state Poland. The entire order, signed on 1 August 2005, 1,300 tons of rail, was delivered during 2005 and some was sent direct to WHR Ltd for use between Pen-y-Mount and Traeth Mawr Loop. The sleeper order comprised just over 21,000 steel sleepers and 84,000 clips similar to the type manufactured by Pandrol. This was enough to complete the railway - though timber sleepers fitted with steel baseplates are used at stations and in various other locations. These were all delivered in 2005. In order to cope with the tight curvature, a range of sleeper gauges has been supplied, sufficient to deal with the entire route.
Following initial trial tracklaying with the new materials and experience with spring clips recently gained by the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
, all Phase 4 track was to be laid in 30kg/m (60lb/yd) rail in lengths of 18m (60ft) and pressed steel sleepers with specially made 3 mm thick plastic pads between the sleepers and the rails. The trackwork was built by volunteers, supplemented by the Railway's own staff who maintain it. The normal track gauge of 597mm is widened to as much as 610mm on sharp curves, of which there are many, including two large S-bends in the hills above Beddgelert. The sharpest curves are at either end of Glanrafon Bridge, between Beddgelert and Aberglaslyn, and lastly on the curve onto Britannia Bridge. The sharpest curves are 50m radius with 60m transitions; the sharpest curve on the FR main line is 40m radius.
Although the railway was mostly complete to Beddgelert in 2007, the Snowdonia National Park Authority stipulated that the station could not be used as a long-term temporary terminus and Phase 4 was planned to open when the whole route was complete, in Spring 2009. By the end of 2008, tracklaying had reached the Porthmadog Harbour station to complete the entire run from Caernarfon. On 2 February 2009, it was announced that, due to delays for financial reasons in letting final commissioning contracts, completion would be delayed, the line opening to Beddgelert on 7 April 2009 and to a temporary terminus at (about a mile south of Nantmor) on 21 May 2009.
Extension of passenger trains through to Porthmadog was originally officially announced as being expected following the 2009 summer peak season but subsequent publications placed this at Easter 2010 and, in September 2009, it was revealed that it was not considered likely before late 2010 or the start of the 2011 season, although in late May 2010 trains were extended as far as Pont Croesor. Passenger trains finally ran through to Porthmadog in February 2011.
Welsh Highland Railway
The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway...
has a colourful and complex history. This article provides the modern history:
The Background of the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR)
The Welsh Highland Railway was a poorly-funded job creation scheme that had completed the construction of the narrow gauge railway route from Dinas, three miles from Carnarvon, to Portmadoc - now Caernarfon and Porthmadog - a distance of 22 miles. It included the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways - and its Bryngwyn branch, another three miles - from Dinas to Rhyd Ddu, at the foot of Snowdon. From Rhyd Ddu to Croesor Junction some construction had been carried out by the Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway around Beddgelert in 1905/6. This was completed in 1922-23 and the route, originally intended to be electrified, adapted for steam locomotives, giving rise to the reverse curves above Beddgelert that give an even gradient of 1 in 40 (2.5%) over a slightly longer route. At the Portmadoc end three miles of the Croesor Tramway, a little-used horse-worked line, was incorporated. The WHR was linked to the Festiniog Railway (FR) at Portmadoc and the FR provided a new station to serve both lines. The Ministry of Transport and the local authorities made loans totalling £70,000 to fund the WHR and it was opened throughout in 1923. This turned out to be the railway's best year and it went into receivership in 1927.With various local government officers appointed receiver the WHR continued, primarily as a tourist attraction, until the end of 1933, when the local authority debenture holders declared their intention to close it. This prompted the Festiniog Railway to take a lease on the WHR from 1934 but the poor traffic became poorer and the WHR was closed after the 1936 season.
The lease made no provision for early termination and it took until 1942 before the a judge approved its termination. The legal decision followed the requisitioning of the WHR's track, locos and rolling stock for the war effort. A winding-up order was obtained in 1944 and Mr A Thomas of Llandudno was appointed as liquidator. He could, and did, sell off assets for the benefit of the creditors, the debenture holders, but could not dispose of any land or asset that could inhibit the re-opening of the railway. The 1922 Company was eventually liquidated about 2003, having been in liquidation for a record 69 years.
Soon after the WHR's closure, proposals were made to adapt the trackbed as a long-distance footpath. In the railway press some letter writers suggested that it should be preserved but nothing came of either idea.
Welsh Highland Light Railway (1964) Limited
In 1961, a group of enthusiasts formed the Welsh Highland Railway Society with the aim of restoring all or part of the railway. Some of the founders had previously been involved with the Festiniog Railway. Negotiations were started with the liquidator and the local authorities. The former had realised that the best way to be relieved of the liability of the WHR trackbed was to sell it as a single lot. He seems to have responded well to the society and soon came to accept it as a viable would-be purchaser. However, the authorities could not act strategically and were only interested in their own parochial interests.Advised that it needed a corporate identity to take on the railway's responsibilities, the society formed a limited company, Welsh Highland Light Railway (1964) Limited, with Bill Brown as its first chairman. Lacking access to the trackbed, a depot was established on former railway property at Kinnerley in Shropshire and rolling stock was collected there.
Failing to make progress with access to the WHR, in late 1973 WHLR (1964) Ltd purchased from British Rail the Beddgelert siding site in Porthmadog, which it developed as a base for a new narrow gauge line. By 1980, it had established a depot and workshops and built a short length of line from a station at Porthmadog (WHR)
Porthmadog (WHR) railway station
Porthmadog railway station is the southern terminus of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and serves the western end of the town of Porthmadog in Gwynedd, Wales. It is situated opposite the Porthmadog National Rail station. The station opened on 2 August 1980 and was originally a simple wooden...
to Pen-y-Mount. The railway is laid on the former standard-gauge spur from the Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
that was originally intended as the start of a standard-gauge railway to Beddgelert
Beddgelert
Beddgelert, or in older English spelling often Bedgellert, is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. It is reputed to be named after the legendary hound Gelert. Population 617.- History:...
. It was inspected by Major Olver of the Department of Transport and opened for tourist passenger service on 2 August 1980.
In 1987, WHR (1964) Ltd completed the restoration of the only surviving steam locomotive owned by the original line, the Hunslet 2-6-2T Russell which had been built in 1906 to the order of the Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway and supplied to the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways. This engine's complex history has been the subject of several books and its suvival and return to Wales have made it one of the most famous narrow gauge locomotives in the UK. It was finally rescued for preservation by the Birmingham Locomotive Club in 1955 and was displayed at the Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
before being donated to the WHR Ltd in 1965.
Much later, as mentioned later, a section of the WHR was rebuilt by volunteers from WHRL from Pen y Mount a short distance to Traeth Mawr as the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) to differentiate this from the WHR (Caernarfon). This section was built along the FR's WHR trackbed and was operated for two seasons before the track was handed over to become part of the WHR line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. Now that the WHR is indeed complete from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, WHRL trades as the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway.
Controversy and complication
Liquidator (law)
In law, a liquidator is the officer appointed when a company goes into winding-up or liquidation who has responsibility for collecting in all of the assets of the company and settling all claims against the company before putting the company into dissolution....
died before the contract was signed and the assets passed to the Official Receiver (OR).
It was not always understood that the statutory nature of the railway meant that it could not be sold off piecemeal and that either an abandonment order (which extinguished the statutory powers that the trackbed enjoyed) or a transfer order (which transferred those powers to a new company - strictly only another railway company) were the only ways that the trackbed could be released. Despite this, some parts of the trackbed were sold (notably at Dinas and Rhyd Ddu) by the liquidator and claims for adverse possession were also numerous (an example being Snowdon Ranger station building). For many years, the OR demanded (following legal advice) that any purchaser of the assets must first be able to take on the liabilities of owning the trackbed (claims, fencing, etc.) and secondly must apply for an abandonment order, even if they then wished to restore the railway! The mechanism of using a transfer order was not always well understood and became important later at the High Court hearing.
After the 1944 winding up, the liquidator and, later, the OR were mostly interested in obtaining the best deal for the debenture holders, who had large debts incurred in funding the 1922/3 railway. Peter Johnson, author of numerous WHR books, notes that "The debentures were not actually secured and, in 1923, the local authorities made the WHR agree to be party to a mortgage deed defining the terms of interest and principal repayment."
The OR believed that the best deal would be for the trackbed to be sold off in one piece and any resulting funds would then be distributed amongst the creditors, chief of whom were the debenture holders. This placed the debenture holders in a strong position. Following council boundary changes, the main debenture holders were the Department of Transport (some 42%), CCC (later Gwynedd CC) 17.7%, Merioneth DC 3.5%, Dwyfor DC 13%, McAlpines 11.8%, Branch Nominees Ltd 11.7% with 0.1% thought untraceable through a Mrs Conbran/Sir John Stewart.
In addition to the likely 'loss' of this substantial capital, Gwynedd County Council (GCC) (successor to Caernarfonshire County Council from 1974) claimed it had run up costs maintaining the railway's structures since the railway closed. However it was discovered later that the council had in 1934 agreed to adopt the structures (bridges) and pay for maintenance itself; this was recorded in signed minutes. Therefore their claim to the OR for these costs was out of order. Had the OR known this at the time, it may have been possible to persuade the OR to sell the trackbed to a party other than the county council. On the restored railway, two or three overbridges have been rebuilt by the county council on this basis - the county council had adopted the bridges and it was not for the WHR company (old or new) to pay for their upkeep or renewal.
Of the shares in the 1922 company, some 88.4% were known to have been held by H. J. Jack and passed thus to his successors.
During the early years of negotiations with the OR, the sometimes fleeting interest of outsiders (a couple of parties wishing to build miniature railways on the trackbed), cycling and walking charities who wished to open up the trackbed as a footpath/cycleway and Caernarvonshire County Council's own surveyors (who listed some 15 points where road improvements would affect the railway) hampered progress. However, the establishment of Beddgelert Siding as a base in Porthmadog and an important decision at a local Public Inquiry to ensure that the restoration of the railway to Pont Croesor from Porthmadog was included in the Local Plan, eventually brought some progress.
Peter Johnson again notes: "There might have been a window where the county council could have got an abandonment order using the 1962 Transport Act in the 1960s; the cost would have been less than £5,000, probably quite a lot less. On reflection, I suspect that its problem was that it could not really demonstrate that acquiring 'all' of the trackbed was within its statutory purposes and justify any expenditure on it. If it was determined, it could have done it."
In the late 1980s, WHR Ltd and GCC began a project to gain joint control of the trackbed and to begin rebuilding the railway in stages. The scheme involved GCC receiving ownership for a nominal sum (£1, as it claimed it was still owed a lot of money) and then leasing parts of it back to the new company. Various plans were put together and various starting points were discussed, including Rhyd Ddu, Beddgelert (Some work was started in the late 1970s to facilitate clearance of the flooded Royal Goat hotel cutting. This utilised rail recovered from the abandoned Croesor Tramway.) and others.
It was the stated intention of GCC and a requirement of the OR, however, to apply for an abandonment order, which would have removed the statutory designation of the track bed as a railway and consequently, the council might then have decided to use the parts not leased to the '64 Co. for non-railway purposes, such as the much talked-about footpaths or road improvement/bypass schemes. Other issues were claims for adverse possession ('squatters' rights') of the land, which would have been numerous and practically impossible to fight had an abandonment order been made.
One issue was a road improvement scheme at Waunfawr which was proposed to sever the trackbed, with any prospective restorer of the line having to pay for a bridge. This scheme and many of the others mooted never came to pass.
The risk that GCC would not open all of the track bed for railway restoration and that a substantial amount of it could therefore be lost to footpaths, adverse possession, or road schemes led a group called Trackbed Consolidation Limited (TCL) to be formed in 1983, mostly from WHR (1964) Co members and directors to consider other methods for reopening as much of the railway as possible. This caused division, recriminations and even suspensions of some directors of TCL from the 1964 Co as a struggle ensued between the directors of the 1964 Co who were tied to their agreement with GCC and those of the TCL persuasion who were greatly concerned by the long term effects of that deal.
Involvement of the Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway had, in 1982, completed the full restoration of its line from PorthmadogPorthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
to Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd, behind Caernarfon & Porthmadog. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to...
at considerable expense and having had to construct a considerable deviation (close on three miles of new track) using volunteer labour, where parts of the old line were flooded as part of a hydro-electric pumped-storage power station scheme.
The Festiniog Railway Company's General Manager in 1987, David Pollock, was approached by his signal and telegraph manager Bob MacGregor, who told him that it now looked likely that a sale would take place of the WHR trackbed to the county council (for £1) and that a partnership with the WHR 1964 Co was being put together. This news was concerning to Bob and, after hearing similar concerns from others of the same view, Mr Pollock was moved to act.
The FR employs around 60 full time staff and is one of the larger employers in the area. A potential competitor, on the FR's doorstep and backed financially by the county council, was a concern to the profitability of the FR, its ability to employ its staff and ability to repay the debt the FR had incurred in the final push of the Blaenau extension. A secret bid, far exceeding any other standing bid was made to the OR through solicitors and the FR started to lobby to protect its position. The district council, to a degree, shared the FR's early view.
This involvement of the Ffestiniog Railway
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
(FR) in the future of the Welsh Highland was later revealed in 1990 and came as a shock to many in the UK railway preservation community (the fact that an anonymous bidder had placed a bid had come out but their identity remained a mystery). Further negative publicity was generated for the Ffestiniog Railway when a leaked memo and recorded conversations later confirmed that one of the initial thoughts was to block the development of a competitor on its doorstep in any way possible.
The memo claimed that the FR was to try and buy the trackbed and offer it to Gwynedd County Council, with caveats to prevent its use as a railway. (This was revealed in leaked documents at the first Public Inquiry). It must, however, be noted that this proposition was raised at a similar time to many other discussions, including the interest of a Mr Ellerton, a wealthy man who also had designs on parts of the trackbed for a miniature railway scheme. Mr Ellerton had also tried to court WHR Ltd and TCL to be part of his scheme too. His main plan was to provide a miniature railway from Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu, to be opened in stages. He was deterred when he realised the legal problems and, instead, Mr Ellerton became involved in the Fairbourne Railway.
However despite tabling a much higher offer for the trackbed, the FR was not able to change GCC's policy of supporting WHR Ltd and the OR remained minded to sell to GCC/WHR Ltd as outlined above (abandonment order, lease to Pont Croesor, possible extensions later). This was mainly because the OR felt that a public authority was better placed to take on the trackbed liabilities, that it was owed other money for the upkeep of structures (found later to be incorrect) and was a major debenture holder (and thus a preferential creditor) itself.
In order to continue an interest in the WHR, the FR had to reveal its position and was unmasked as the previously anonymous bidder (it had to, if it wished to continue to be part of the future of the WHR, as the OR was still minded to sell to GCC and the only way to stop this was to challenge it at the High Court). This caused a significant backlash from WHR Ltd and much of the specialist railway press.
There was a view in the FR at this time that to abandon a narrow-gauge railway with existing powers was against the ethos of the FR, so there was a considerable shift in the policies of the FR, helped by a number of directors and officers who pushed and financed a greater involvement in the restoration of the WHR. The full story remains untold, but the forthcoming publication by Gordon Rushton (a key figure at this time in both FR and WHR politics) is likely to reveal much of what happened.
The FR next offered to act as 'landlord' of the track bed, leasing the section to Pont Croesor to WHR Ltd (and later other sections), whilst protecting the FR. This was rejected by WHR Ltd, who had, by this time, obtained planning permission to rebuild to Pont Croesor and had submitted a draft Light Railway Order for this section. WHR Ltd remained committed to its partnership with GCC.
TCL, who had split from WHR Ltd (see above) were, at the same time, attempting to revive the original WHR 1922 company, which still held the operating rights to the railway. This had previously been thought to be too difficult or even impossible. It was originally the intent of TCL to donate the track bed to WHR Ltd, who thrice refused the offer.
TCL was, after much detective work, able to trace and 'purchase' a great deal of the share capital and debentures of the original company. However, they were not able to acquire more than 75% of the debenture holdings, as a significant proportion were still held by the local councils. The 75% figure was important as it was believed that it would allow a scheme of financial reconstruction of the 1922 company to be agreed.
An initial meeting was held to try and revive the company but was adjourned when the Department of Transport announced it would sell its debentures (some 42% of the total) to the highest bidder. These were won by the West consortium (WestCo), which was linked to TCL. All seemed set for a TCL 'victory' at the reconvened meeting but one council (Dwyfor), at the last minute, changed its mind and voted with others, including GCC, to block the move, preventing the 75% majority required. Had the 75% target been reached (Dwyfor's vote would have taken the majority to 78%) there remain serious doubts as to whether the scheme could have been enacted. This is because the transfers of debentures to TCL/Westco could not be completed in law because of the moribund status of the company. However it was a moot point which had to be settled at the High Court.
Following the rejection by WHR Ltd of the FR plan to act as landlord, the FR now changed tack realising that the only way to challenge the High Court case, brought by the OR to sell the assets to GCC, was to commit to building the railway itself. However, the FR was not a shareholder or debenture holder in the old company and thus it had no standing to be part of the High Court case. TCL, after considerable expense on behalf of its members notably John Ewing, Cedric Lodge and members of the Preston family, found itself unable to raise the funds to be part of the High Court case either. It also had made an offer to the OR of some £10,000 for the trackbed, far exceeding the standing offer of £1 from GCC. Despite this, the OR remained minded to sell to GCC. TCL and WestCo were introduced to the board of FR and first WestCo, then later TCL, agreed to join forces with the FR to challenge the High Court case, to propose a new plan to restore the whole WHR. The deal outlined what would happen if the FR got control over the railway and committed the FR to using its best endeavours to restore the whole WHR.
The plan was to start at Caernarfon, rather than at the original WHR terminus at Dinas, because of the link to a town with a major tourist attraction already - the famous Castle. This was a major change in FR policy and, although the reasons are complex, it is certainly true that the directors of the FR were far more positive about the WHR than in any period prior to that. Furthermore, funds were forthcoming from a director (Michael Schumann) for the substantial work required to develop the proposals and prepare for the necessary planning applications. However, it was necessary first to challenge the OR's plan to sell to GCC.
The shares and debentures owned by TCL and the West Consortium (WestCo) were transferred to the FR trust, who were able to take part in the High Court case and also to try to validate the transfers in the old 1922 company and thus revive it. This was ruled 'wholly misconceived', mainly as the transfers were unable to be completed as the company was moribund (see note above regarding TCL's attempt at a financial scheme of arrangement). It was also made clear formally at this point that any applicant for a transfer order would have to rebuild the whole railway and must strictly be a railway company. Thus should either party wish to continue in the game, they would have to come up with a plan to restore and run the railway.
The judge did not pass judgement on the OR's application but, instead, left time for both parties to apply for a Transfer Order and for a Public Inquiry to decide who should restore the railway. The judge further stated that he was suspicious of GCC's motives for the rest of the trackbed past Pont Croesor. Both groups duly applied for a Transfer Order, ensuring that either plan would involve the rebuilding of the whole route, something that had very much been in doubt previously due to the aforementioned road/footpath schemes, attitude of GCC etc. In the early 1990s, the 'competitive' Public Inquiry for a Transfer Order was held at which the inspector faced three options: a partnership between the WHR Ltd and GCC; the proposal led by the Ffestiniog Railway/TCL and the option to grant neither a transfer order.
The independent Inspector, after having presided over a four-week Public Inquiry and after reviewing all the submitted evidence, found in favour of the WHR Ltd and GCC but the then Transport Minister, John MacGregor
John MacGregor
John Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE PC FKC , is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School, then at the University of St Andrews and at King's College London...
, over-ruled the decision (on the day he resigned), in favour of the FR/TCL application, mainly on the grounds that the FR scheme would not involve a public body or public funding and therefore reduced the consequent risks to the public sector. WHR Ltd considered appealing but this would have been an expensive option.
After this, the FR Trust formed a subsidiary company called the Welsh Highland Light Railway to rebuild the railway. The first section of the new WHR, between Caernarfon and Dinas, was built under the last Light Railway Order and opened in 1997. It did not form part of the old WHR route but had been part of the old LNWR standard gauge line to Afon Wen. That line had originally been a narrow gauge line, part of the Nantlle Railway
Nantlle Railway
The Nantlle Railway was a Welsh narrow gauge railway built to carry slate from several slate quarries in the Nantlle Valley to the harbour at Caernarfon for export by sea. The line received its Act of Parliament in 1825 and was constructed by Robert Stephenson, brother of George Stephenson. It...
built at gauge and running from Nantlle to Caernarfon Slate Quay from 1828 to 1867.
The 1998 agreement
In 1998, the FR applied for a Transport and Works Act Order (TWA or TWO), as the law had changed, replacing the Light Railway Order procedures, to complete the railway from Dinas to Porthmadog. After long negotiations, including an WHR Ltd objection submitted against the TWA, WHR Ltd agreed to withdraw this in return for a role in the rebuilding project. The agreement was signed on 12 January 1998 and meant the FR would begin rebuilding from the north end of the line and that the WHR Ltd would expand its railway from the south onto the original WHR trackbed towards Pont Croesor. The agreement also established the conventions of referring to the two ends of the line using the names Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon)Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon)
The name "Welsh Highland Railway ", or WHR, was the name given to the operation by the Festiniog Railway Company of the railway services during the ongoing reconstruction of the line of the old Welsh Highland Railway....
and Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog). This agreement should ensure that the new WHR both operates as a viable passenger railway and also as a heritage attraction.
WHR Ltd own the original WHR locomotive 'Russell' which it is hoped will be ready for the grand opening in 2011, a Baldwin loco similar to '590', which was purchased by Col Stephens for the WHR in the 1920s and a series of heritage coaches, either rebuilds or restoration projects. A full heritage train (incorporating both original and cut-down carriages) should be ready within a few years of the whole railway reopening. Further plans to add to the 'heritage experience' of WHR Ltd include an extension to an already extensive 'hands-on' museum and further restoration of wagons and artefacts. However, the restoration of Russell would, sadly, cost a year's income for the WHHR.
Before the rebuilding of the railway could go ahead, a second Public Inquiry (for the Transport and Works Order) had to take place. The Inspector found against the proposal because he thought the benefit inside the National Park was not sufficient to warrant reconstruction within a National Park, but this was overturned by John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
, the Deputy Prime Minister, because he thought the benefits outside the National Park outweighed the lack of benefit within it. At the time, the Government was actively promoting alternatives to the car. This go-ahead was, however, conditional on the commissioning of reports into the stability of rocks in the Aberglaslyn Pass. FR's consultant engineers acted swiftly and the reports were delivered before the powers were devolved to the new Welsh Assembly Government.
A further legal challenge, causing even more delay, was then mounted by the National Farmers' Union, but this failed.
Rebuilding to Porthmadog
Four phases of the WHR were opened between 1997 and 2011:- Phase One: to (opened October 1997);
- Phase Two: Dinas to (opened August 2000);
- Phase Three: Waunfawr to (opened 2003);
- Phase Four from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog for which a new subsidiary, the Welsh Highland Railway Construction Company, was formed to build the line which was opened in stages to (April 2009), (May 2009), (April 2010) and Porthmadog (January 2011), including the WHR Ltd's 700 metre section built from Pen-y-Mount to a temporary loop in the Traeth Mawr (2006).
For a while, WHR Ltd ran trains on the old WHR trackbed as far as Traeth Mawr (about half way between Porthmadog and Pont Croesor) and it is worth noting that this extension was completed with volunteer labour. In 2009, this section became part of the Construction Company's line and WHR Ltd ceased running trains on this section. The civil engineering of the new line was undertaken by local contractors, while FR volunteers laid the whole of the 25 miles of new track from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, sometimes with welcome help from outside, ranging from the President and Vice-Presidents of the Permanent Way Institution to students from Imperial College. The WHR(P) sent a welcome couple of parties.
The cost of reconstruction was of the order of £30m. Of this, about 45% came from the Millennium Commission and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government, mostly as matching funding for other contributions. European rules are that the EU will, in depressed areas such as North Wales, contribute £ for £ for money raised by the promoters of the scheme and for volunteer effort given in practical ways. Much of the rest was raised by generous financial contributions from members and well-wishers (about £15m); over £1m was raised as matching funding to volunteer efforts (mainly but not exclusively by members of Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri / Welsh Highland Railway Society). Over £200k was raised in cash by CRhE/WHRS and another £100k in cash and volunteer effort by WHR Ltd of Porthmadog.
Services were extended from Hafod y Llyn to Pont Croesor in April 2010. The final section of the line (Pont Croesor to Porthmadog), which includes the Pen y Mount to Traeth Mawr section, opened in January 2011, although trackwork construction was completed in March 2009, allowing special stock transfers. Signalling at the Cae Pawb Crossing with the Cambrian Coast line needed some ingenuity. Delays were caused by a legal dispute with the Trunk Road Authority over a retaining wall at Britannia Bridge and the difficulty of accommodating two trains at once in Porthmadog Harbour Station.
The future of the railway
The completed railway of nearly 25 miles (40 km) is owned by the FR. The WHR Porthmadog to Pen-y-Mount section (under a mile and not on the old WHR route) remains the property of WHR Ltd, who now trade as Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. Relations between FR and the WHHR are becoming far more cordial after the WHHR AGM in 2010 and a trial WHHR train ran to Hafod y Llyn in 2011; the locomotive Gelert ran to Beddgelert.Some members of the FR Society remain concerned regarding the impact of the project on the FR itself and on the impact to the FR's heritage, particularly at Harbour Station and Boston Lodge works. The FR board consider that this will be manageable. The firm belief of the FR board - justified on figures to 2011 - is that the new WHR will be profitable and allow for extra funds to be invested in the railways in the future, whilst having protected the FR from potentially damaging competition.
A landmark was reached in July 2011 when ticket revenue from the rebuilt Welsh Highland Railway exceeded that from the FR for the first time.
A study carried out at Bangor University showed that the return to the local economy amounted by 2010 to far more than the 50% grants (from the Millennium Commission and the European Regional Development Fund) which had been made to build the railway and that, as well as the Railway's own employees, some 350 local jobs from shops to hoteliers were dependent on the Railway for a living.
Obstruction and objections
Some residents in the village of Beddgelert
Beddgelert
Beddgelert, or in older English spelling often Bedgellert, is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. It is reputed to be named after the legendary hound Gelert. Population 617.- History:...
objected to the railway because they feared it would bring increased road traffic to the tourist village. For this reason, the Snowdonia National Park Authority stipulated that trains should not terminate in the National Park except at Rhyd Ddu, until the railway was finished. Further, the railway company is not to provide a car park at Beddgelert station and there will be no direct road access to the station. Access is by public footpaths - one with steps and a longer one with ramps for wheelchairs - from the central car park. So far, there is little evidence of increased railway-linked car traffic.
Relations with some of the community in Beddgelert were difficult for a time, mainly because of the company's plans for the station there. The railway sought powers to construct a building 70ft x 40ft, sufficient to hold 300 people - two trainloads - in the rain, but some residents expressed concern that it would be intrusive and too close to their homes. Planning permission for a slightly modified building was subsequently granted, though with a condition that the railway company should not have a café on the site. The railway appealed against this decision and was successful, but no building work has yet begun on the permanent building, other than the casting of a foundation slab; a wooden building in the usual RhE style has been set up. The arrival of many thousands of railway tourists in the village - without their cars - worked a wonderful change on local opinion.
The WHR rebuilding has also been the subject of more direct action in the past. One local resident near Plas-y-Nant, upon hearing that the construction of the railway was to go ahead, tipped a large mound of manure onto the original alignment. When the railway station at Rhyd Ddu was being completed, the station notice board was stolen, vandals used spray paint in various places to spell out "Dim WHR" (No WHR). This included signs, rocks and the container holding the small construction diesel "Dolgarrog". However, these graffiti were relatively small scale and quickly removed.
The day before the visit of HRH Prince Charles to Rhyd Ddu, when a test train was being run to ensure smooth operation the next day, a football-sized rock was found placed on the track. This was spotted, the train stopped and the rock removed. The perpetrator is said to have had a heavy visit from the Special Branch.
Some objectors in Porthmadog were reported to have made a clumsy attempt to fake a bicycle accident on the rails at Britannia Bridge, but a First Aider who ran to help said that by the time she had covered a hundred yards,'they'd legged it'!
The site of the Porthmadog terminus has also been a source of some debate in the town, as some locals have suggested that WHR trains should terminate at the WHR Ltd station to avoid excessive train movements across Porthmadog High Street and the consequent delay to traffic. The FR however prefers to have the trains arrive at the Harbour Station to afford a connection to their main line to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The traffic jams in Porthmadog are so frightful already that the level crossing makes little difference. The issue is likely to be resolved by the opening of the new Porthmadog by-pass (A487
A487 road
The A487 is a trunk road in Wales, running up the western side of the country from Haverfordwest in the south to Bangor in the north.It starts at Merlin's Bridge near Haverfordwest, from where it travels north west to St David's, then switches back north east through Fishguard, Cardigan, Aberaeron,...
) in September 2011.
Two Welsh Highland Railways
The WHR Ltd's existing line in Porthmadog, known as the "Welsh Highland Heritage Railway", continues to develop the heritage atmosphere of the old railway, and offers a shorter alternative ride and a newly expanded museum. Original locomotives and rolling stock from the WHR and other lines are being restored to a high standard, to ensure that an authentic WHR heritage train will be able to run on the completed line. The WHR Ltd has received much acclaim for the interactive tour of the sheds, which all passengers get as part of their train ride. In 2005, the WHR Ltd celebrated 25 years since the rebirth of the Welsh Highland with increased passenger numbers and the entry into service of a second original Welsh Highland carriage.
The WHR Ltd extension made progress northwards using volunteer labour from their existing terminus at Pen-y-Mount to a new temporary loop at Traeth Mawr
Traeth Mawr
The Traeth Mawr is a polder near Porthmadog in Gwynedd in Wales. It was formerly the tidal estuary of the Afon Glaslyn, and many travellers sank in its quicksands trying to cross it. Much of it is between high mountains...
, being officially opened in August 2006 by the President of the Welsh Assembly Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, and which opened for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. This is now part of the Caernarfon to Porthmadog line: WHR Ltd have reverted to running their short service to Pen y Mount, in conjunction with an excellent museum visit and miniature railway.
The line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, also marketed as Rheilffordd Eryri, was constructed with the help of grants from the Millennium Commission, the Welsh Assembly and many individuals. Never before has so large a scheme been undertaken in the minor railway field.
The section to Rhyd Ddu was inaugurated by the visit of HRH The Prince of Wales on 30 July 2003. Prince Charles travelled from Waunfawr to Snowdon Ranger
Snowdon Ranger railway station
Snowdon Ranger is a station on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, which was built in 1878 as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to carry dressed slate to Dinas Junction on the LNWR....
in a replica NWNGR coach hauled by the Ffestiniog Railway locomotive 'Prince' and, from Snowdon Ranger to Rhyd Ddu, he rode on the locomotive footplate.
Funding for Phase Four, the final section of the line from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog, was announced in September 2004, thanks to a package of grants from the European Regional Development Fund, the Welsh Assembly Government and private donations. The public appeal became the most successful public railway appeal ever, according to Steam Railway magazine, and the line opened in 2011.
Trains are operated by staff and volunteers of both the Ffestiniog Railway and the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon). With the commencement of public services between Caernarfon and Dinas in 1997, all train operations on the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) have been directly controlled from the central control office at Porthmadog Harbour railway station
Porthmadog Harbour railway station
Porthmadog Harbour station in North Wales is the southern passenger terminus of two narrow gauge railways: the Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea, and the Welsh Highland Railway, built in 1923, which runs to...
and this continues.
The agreement signed between the former rivals meant that Phase Four saw the Welsh Highland Railway Limited playing a role in the reconstruction of the line. Fittingly, in October 2005, it was the volunteers of the original revival company who laid the first lengths of track in the final (southern) phase, an emotional moment for many of that organisation's long standing members.
Phase 1: Caernarfon to Dinas
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
to Afonwen, which used to link the North Wales Coast Line with the Cambrian Coast, until the closure of the Caernarfon-Afonwen section in 1964: the Bangor - Caernarfon section was closed in 1971.
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways had previously obtained powers to construct an extension from Dinas to Caernarfon and these had been transferred to the Welsh Highland Railway but had not been exercised.
The trackbed from Caernarfon to Dinas and beyond, owned by Gwynedd County Council, was opened as a footpath and cycletrack, Lôn Eifion
Lôn Eifion
Lôn Eifion is part of Lôn Las Cymru, the Welsh National Cycle Route, which is about long.Lôn Eifion is the section which runs for from Caernarfon to Bryncir along most of the former Caernarfon to Afon Wen line. This line was that of the Carnarvonshire Railway , and joined with the Cambrian Coast...
, in the 1980s and this now runs parallel to the railway. Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the railway formation is leased to the Ffestiniog Railway for 999 years. The Phase 1 work included the construction of narrow gauge stations in St. Helen's Road (adjacent to the slate quay in Caernarfon) and on the site of the former standard gauge station at Dinas. The intermediate halt at Bontnewydd
Bontnewydd
Bontnewydd is a small village with a population of 1,165 located on the A487 road south of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, Wales, close to the river Gwyrfai, from its outflow into Foryd Bay....
was built in 1999, following requests and a petition from villagers.
Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the route was originally part of the narrow gauge Nantlle Railway
Nantlle Railway
The Nantlle Railway was a Welsh narrow gauge railway built to carry slate from several slate quarries in the Nantlle Valley to the harbour at Caernarfon for export by sea. The line received its Act of Parliament in 1825 and was constructed by Robert Stephenson, brother of George Stephenson. It...
from 1828 until conversion in 1867 to standard gauge as part of the Carnarvonshire Railway
Carnarvonshire Railway
The Carnarvonshire Railway was a railway connecting Caernarvon railway station with Afon Wen.-History:...
later absorbed by the LNWR, and in turn the LMS and British Railways, up to closure in 1964. There are places between Caernarfon and Dinas where the route diverged from the 1828 original, whose remains can still be seen. Just outside Caernarfon, on the western side of the track, an old Nantlle tunnel can be seen adjacent to the propped bridge. Near the bridge at Bontnewydd, on the eastern side, may be seen the old Nantlle embankment, and the arch of the original river bridge, which still stands over 130 years after being abandoned.
Two original NWNGR buildings remain at Dinas. The station building has been restored to its original purpose and, as far as practicable, its 1880 external appearance. Significant historical, practical and financial assistance with this was given by the Welsh Highland Heritage Group and by others. The Welsh Highland Railway was presented with a Railway World "Ian Allan National Railway Heritage Award" at a ceremony at Dinas on 12 May 2001. The original NWNGR goods shed has been restored to railway use, principally as a workshop; it is also used for the annual Gwŷl Gwrw or Beer Festival (access only on foot or by train!)
Dinas has two railway yards. The north yard, originally the exchange yard with the LNWR, and which was used during the closure period by Gwynedd County Council as an engineering depot. The South yard had been the main works and stabling area, which was being used by Welsh Water / Dŵr Cymru
Welsh Water
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England.It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991.-History:...
. These yards had been previously sold off by the Official Receiver and had to be bought back. The north yard now contains the station building, goods shed and a large carriage shed built since restoration. This yard, which is separated from the smaller south yard by a public road and linked by the former standard gauge bridge, also houses the railway's engineering department and Construction Company office. The south yard contains the engine shed and locomotive workshops.
The work of reconstruction fell into two parts; first, the preparation of three miles (5 km) of trackbed (including a granite ballasted surface) and stations, and the realignment of the Lôn Eifion cycleway and footpath alongside, was undertaken by civil engineering contractor John Mowlem
Mowlem
Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006.-History:Founded by John Mowlem in 1822, the company was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1902 and went public on the London Stock Exchange in 1924. It acquired SGB Group in...
plc in a contract worth £750,000 in December 1996. This major work started on 6 January 1997 and in addition involved also the strengthening and waterproofing of two river bridges, Pont Seiont at Caernarfon and the viaduct over the Afon Gwyrfai at Bontnewydd. First the formation above the bridges was stripped down to the brick arches, which were found to be in good condition 130 years after their construction. The tops of the arches were then backfilled with concrete, and a waterproof membrane added before remaking the formation. This contract was substantially completed during June 1997.
The large Funkey diesel locomotive had been delivered to Dinas and stored in the Goods shed on 14 January 1997 but nothing more could be done at Dinas until access to the formation was obtained in mid-May 1997 and this enabled the start of the second part of the reconstruction task, which was undertaken by Ffestiniog Railway subsidiary company Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd assisted by very many volunteer groups. Foremost in this were the Welsh Highland Railway Society's volunteer "Black Hand Gang", "Rest of the World Gang" and "Tuesday Gang" who made a tremendous contribution. Many other volunteer groups made valuable tracklaying visits including teams from the Llangollen Railway
Llangollen Railway
The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of...
and the Mid-Hants Railway. However, the gang that came up from WHR (Porthmadog) as part of their "Civil's Week programme" set a remarkable record of 13 lengths, for the most track laid in a single day, which stood for eight years.
For the restoration of WHR (Caernarfon), the Ffestiniog Railway imported not only South African steam engines (some built in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
by Beyer Peacock and Company as recently as 1958) but also the rails and steel sleepers on which to run them. This track included eighty completely made up panels of gauge (adjusted before use to gauge) straight track (for the laying of which a special rail mounted track laying gantry - 'The Forth Bridge' - was built by Winson Engineering Ltd
Winson Engineering
Winson Engineering was a British manufacturer of narrow gauge and miniature railway steam locomotives and rolling stock during the 1990s. It built several new locomotives for heritage railways as well as undertaking major rebuilds of existing locomotives....
). The greater part of the rail came with a job lot of steel sleepers, clips, screws, bolts and fishplates, all to several different patterns, which had to be sorted by WHR and FR volunteers before they could be used. The bulk of the track including all the curved sections was built up on site with rails moved forward to the railhead using specially built rail grab trolleys known as RRMs - "Roland's Rail Movers", named after WHLR Ltd construction manager Roland Doyle. These proved to be a highly successful innovation and they have been used on all subsequent tracklaying. Amusingly, they have also acquired the nickname "Roland Rats", a title believed to have originated among the track gangs at the Porthmadog end, who also use the same technology.
Access to Dinas South Yard (site of the original engine sheds) was obtained on 11 August 1997 and existing buildings were converted for use as the locomotive depot. The depot, together with the line to Waunfawr is now reached via the standard gauge overbridge and the low narrow gauge overbridge now provides a road link between the two yards.
Tracklaying, including pointwork at Dinas and Caernarfon was mostly completed by mid-September 1997, three miles (5 km) in four months and a truly remarkable achievement. Two steam locomotives (Beyer-Garratt 138 and FR Mountaineer) and five new carriages were delivered to Dinas on 23 September 1997. A whole team of inspectors from the Ministry of Transport descended on the railway on 2 October 1997 for a thorough inspection, over several days, not just of the line of railway, but also the entire stock of locomotives, carriages and wagons. After the company had fixed items in the snagging list, provisional approval was given for the line to open for a six-week trial period subject to the receipt of a Light Railway Order, which was granted on 9 October 1997. Public passenger service started on Saturday, 11 October 1997. The line was officially opened on 13 October 1997 by the Mayor of Caernarfon, Mrs Mair Williams, with speeches from the Chairmen of the Welsh Highland Railway Society and the Ffestiniog Railway Company, also from Dafydd Wigley MP and a representative of the Millennium Commission
Millennium Commission
The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery....
.
Phase 2: Dinas to Waunfawr
It had not been possible to start construction work on phase 2 immediately. First the grant of a Transport and Works Order permitting the reconstruction from Dinas to Porthmadog was required and this involved a second public inquiry and then a long wait for a decision by the Deputy Prime Minister, which resulted in the grant of The Welsh Highland Railway Order 1999, made on 30 June 1999 and which came into force on 21 July 1999. Only then could contracts be let and start dates agreed.
Unlike phase 1, a main Civil Engineering Contractor was not employed. All construction work for phase 2 was carried out by Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd as the main contractor with civil engineering work being undertaken by local North Wales based civil engineering contractors. Four such contracts were granted. Unlike phase 1 where the trackbed was tidy and in use as a cycletrack and footpath, the first contract let for phase 2 involved site clearance and fencing of the four mile (6 km) route and this was let to Achnashean Contractors Ltd, of Llandygai. Significant bridge reconstruction work was needed for six overbridges, two underbridges and many drainage channels and culverts. The rebuilding of one of the underbridges was undertaken largely by volunteers. Two contracts were let for the other bridge and culvert works. In the event, both were awarded to Mulcair Ltd of Caernarfon. A major contract for the reconstruction and ballasting the trackbed was let to Jones Bros Ruthin (Civil Engineering) Co Ltd. In addition, a firm of Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
consulting engineers, Symonds Group Ltd, was employed with a Resident Civil Engineer based at Dinas, acting as a link between WHLR Ltd and the outside contractors, and ensuring smooth running of the contracts.
Tracklaying on phase 2, as on phase 1 was undertaken by Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd using Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway staff and volunteers including, notably, the Welsh Highland Railway Society North Wales Group track gang who laid the first main line section in April 2000. The rails, sleepers and fastenings again came mostly from South Africa where they had been first used on the lifted Umzinto-Donnybrook
Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway
The Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway is a closed two-foot railway line in South Africa. It runs from Kelso to Donnybrook, passing through Umzinto, Highflats and Ixopo, with a branch from Ixopo to Madonela...
line. The entire four-mile (6 km) tracklaying was completed in under six months.
The intermediate station at Tryfan Junction was not re-opened until 2010. The derelict station building was carefully surveyed and tidied to industrial archaeology standards by the Welsh Highland Heritage Group and secured for rebuilding at a future date. Tryfan was the junction with the branch line to Rhostryfan and Bryngwyn. At Bryngwyn, a 1 in 10 balanced inclined plane owned by the Welsh Highland Railway led to an upper plateau from where quarry owned lines radiated to several slate quarries in the Moel Tryfan and Nantlle area. Although slate traffic continued as required until final closure in the 1930s, passenger trains ceased to operate on the branch in 1916. It is intended that the branch will become a public footpath.
The station at Waunfawr was opened in part-completed form, with only one platform face completed: the footbridge which connects it to the car park (shared with The Snowdonia Park Hotel) was not completed until September of the following year. Completion of works on the "snagging list" meant that final approval from HM Railway Inspectorate was not received until 21 September 2001, marking the formal completion of Phase 2.
Phase 3: Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu
Llyn Cwellyn
Llyn Cwellyn is a reservoir in North Wales which supplies drinking water to parts of Gwynedd and Anglesey. It lies on the Afon Gwyrfai in Nant y Betws between the Snowdon Massif and Mynydd Mawr in the northern part of Snowdonia National Park. It has an area of , and is over deep...
all the way to its source in Llyn Gader. It was the final and most scenic section of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to be built, originally opened throughout in 1881. It was re-opened for public passenger service on 18 August 2003.
For Phase 3, the Ffestiniog Railway's subsidiary engineering company Welsh Highland Light Railway Ltd was the main contractor, but with its Managing Director, Roland Doyle, acting as Resident Engineer on site. Posford Duvivier (Caernarfon office) were retained as civil engineering consultants and supervisors for the specialist contractors, principally Jones Bros. Ruthin (Civil Engineering) Co Ltd. All tracklaying for the six miles (10 km) of railway was again undertaken by direct labour with significant volunteer involvement but in addition direct labour and volunteers undertook the formation construction, ballasting and drainage work on almost half the length of trackbed. There were eight major bridge contracts:
- Three were NWNGR road overbridges requiring significant lowering of the trackbed (including two under the A4085 at Pont Betws and Castell Cidwm).
- A new overbridge was needed to provide caravan access to the Bryn Gloch caravan park.
- Three existing river underbridges (over the Afon Gwyrfai) between Betws Garmon and Plas-y-Nant were not strong enough for further use. The bridge at Betws Garmon was completely replaced and the other two at Cae Hywel and Plas-y-Nant were refurbished and strengthened, and
- The spectacular Glan yr Afon bridge was strengthened and fully refurbished.
Track supplies for Phase 3 were also obtained from South Africa and, including some existing stocks, the following were needed: Over 15,000 ex Donnybrook
Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway
The Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway is a closed two-foot railway line in South Africa. It runs from Kelso to Donnybrook, passing through Umzinto, Highflats and Ixopo, with a branch from Ixopo to Madonela...
steel sleepers with rail fastening kits and about 12 miles (19.3 km) of new rail, which was rolled in South Africa to the same pattern as the Donnybrook rail (30 kg per metre, in 18 metre lengths). Owing to mishandling by the shippers in South Africa however, about half the rail was bent on arrival and had to be re-rolled in England at the expense of the South African shippers or their insurers.
Railway work in the Snowdonia National Park was subject to certain restrictions and in particular was not able to commence until rock stabilisation work in the Aberglaslyn Pass was completed to the satisfaction of the Snowdonia National Park Authority. This work included the raising of an existing retaining wall to reduce the risk of rockfall onto the line and rockbolting and other work within two of the three tunnels. This contract, with a value of about £200,000 was undertaken by Colin Jones (Rock Engineering) Ltd of Porthmadog, specialists in this field. Consultants in this field Ove Arup and Partners, who surveyed Aberglaslyn during the Transport & Works approval process, oversaw these remedial works which started in November 2000 and were completed during March 2001.
2001 UK foot and mouth crisis
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms in most of the British countryside. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed in an eventually successful attempt to...
, resulting in movement restrictions throughout North Wales and putting most of the railway works on hold for several months.
The original Betws Garmon station was some distance from the straggling village of that name. It was the location of sidings and short branch lines serving local quarries. One such line crossed the road and ran to Hafod-y-Wern slate quarry (closed mid-1920s). More recently, this quarry has supplied crushed slate waste used to consolidate the WHR track foundations prior to ballasting.
Further south, there is a new halt at Plas-y-Nant (opened in 2005), which is actually more conveniently situated for Betws Garmon village than the original station. During reconstruction this was the site of a track materials depot and siding (now removed). Further south again, the halt at Snowdon Ranger marks the start of one of the paths to the summit of Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
.
Tracklaying north from Rhyd Ddu station started in May 2001, with an engineering base established there. The station itself was constructed in 2003, although it was much modified in 2005/6 as part of the Phase 4 works. The first steam train to operate over Phase 3 ran from Waunfawr to Plas-y-Nant on 26 July 2003 and then through to Rhyd Ddu on 28 July. In all, a total of 28 test trains were run in July and August 2003 in order to meet HMRI requirements.
Phase 3 was officially opened by The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
on 30 July 2003 when a 'Royal Train' comprising three coaches hauled by the Ffestiniog Railway locomotive No. 2 'Prince' ran from Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu carrying Prince Charles and about 100 invited guests. The Prince travelled in the replica North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Carriage No. 24 from Waunfawr to Snowdon Ranger and from there to Rhyd Ddu he rode on the footplate of 'Prince'.
However, the first public passenger trains from Caernarfon for Rhyd Ddu did not run until 18 August 2003. One of the invited guests on the first train that day was Mr. Richard Williams, who had travelled on the original Welsh Highland Railway opening train in 1923: 80 years later, the WHR was open to Rhyd Ddu again.
Phase 4: Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog
Rhodri Morgan
Hywel Rhodri Morgan is a Welsh Labour politician who, as First Secretary for Wales, and subsequently First Minister, was leader of the Welsh Assembly Government from 2000 to 2009. A former leader of Welsh Labour, he was the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011...
AM, First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government. This will provide the link from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog and link into both the WHR Ltd and the Ffestiniog Railway at Porthmadog Harbour. The section of the line to Beddgelert passes Pitt's Head
Pitt's Head
Pitt’s Head is a distinctive rock located at grid reference , close to the A4085 road in Gwynedd, Wales. Its distinction lies in a resemblance to the profile of politician William Pitt the Younger.-Geography:...
, the highest point on the route, and into the forest where the new Beddgelert Forest Halt will be located near a campsite. The railway then rapidly loses height via two S-bends before reaching the new station at Beddgelert. By November 2006, construction work had reached the south end of the forest, below the upper s-bend and, by October 2007, most of the trackwork was complete through Beddgelert Station and down the Aberglaslyn Pass
Aberglaslyn Pass
The Aberglaslyn Pass is a narrow gorge of considerable beauty in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north Wales. The A498 road/A4085 road follows a relatively level route along the Afon Glaslyn through the pass from Beddgelert to Prenteg and then continues at the edge of the Traeth Mawr via Tremadog to...
through the tunnels towards Nantmor.
From Beddgelert, the line passes over the new Bryn-y-Felin bridge installed in summer 2006 over the River Glaslyn
River Glaslyn
The Afon Glaslyn is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Whilst not of great significance in terms of its length , it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it flows....
then along the Aberglaslyn Pass. This section caused controversy in 1995 and 1996, when the land was taken back by the railway. Walkers and environmentalists claimed that an important, albeit unofficial, footpath would be lost but there was no real justification for this given that the Fisherman's Path remains usable alongside the railway trackbed. Further claims were made that danger from falling rocks would make the pass unsafe for trains, which led to extensive remedial works to overhanging rocks, retaining walls and paths.
The footpath along the Aberglaslyn Pass trackbed was closed to walkers in 2000 in order to prepare for the rebuilding of the railway. The railway company, along with the National Trust, which owns the surrounding land, worked to rebuild the Fisherman's Path for use again. Despite the path being fenced off in 2000, the contracts for preparing the trackbed were not let until autumn 2006 and work began soon afterwards.
South of the Aberglaslyn Pass, there is a halt at Nantmor, after which railway passes over the new A4085 Nantmor road bridge before descending the 'ski-jump' and passing Hafod-y-Llyn loop. The gradient of 1 in 40 (2.5%) ends here: it is one of the stiffest tests of locomotive performance in Britain. Further southwards, the line leaves the Snowdonia National Park. Just south of here, the line joins the formation of the Croesor Tramway
Croesor Tramway
The Croesor Tramway was a Welsh narrow gauge railway line built to carry slate from the Croesor slate mines to Porthmadog. It was built in 1864 without an Act of Parliament and was operated using horse power....
, a quarry railway which had originally been taken over by the WHR in 1922.
At a point along the gentle gradient of the Croesor Tramway, the WHR(C) construction work met the WHR Ltd work, which was extended north 700m to meet it. At Pen y Mount, the line divides into two, with one line branching to the WHR Ltd terminus - called Porthmadog (WHR) - and the main line continuing to the Ffestiniog Railway's Porthmadog Harbour Station
Porthmadog Harbour railway station
Porthmadog Harbour station in North Wales is the southern passenger terminus of two narrow gauge railways: the Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea, and the Welsh Highland Railway, built in 1923, which runs to...
. In the event the WHR Ltd ran trains, from a temporary terminus north of Pen y Mount called Traeth Mawr, to Porthmadog (WHR) during 2007 and 2008, after which the Traeth Mawr to Pen-y-Mount section became part of the Caernarfon to Porthmadog line.
The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway route to Porthmadog (WHR) station, currently in operation, passes Gelerts Farm Works, the main engineering base of the WHR Ltd and location of its WHR/FR Museum, before continuing to curve round and terminate parallel to the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
Cambrian Coast line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
close to the standard gauge Porthmadog station.
The section of the route from Pen-y-Mount to Porthmadog Harbour is known as the "Harbour Branch" or the "Cross Town Rail Link" because it runs through a short section of Porthmadog Town Centre. South of Pen-y-Mount, it runs to the opposite side of Gelert's Farm Works, before crossing the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
Cambrian Coast line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
over a flat crossing, which was installed in November 2006. After skirting the edge of one of Porthmadog's main town centre car parks, the line crosses the Britannia Bridge over Porthmadog Harbour (shared with road traffic) before entering the Ffestiniog Railway's Porthmadog Harbour station. This allows through trains to run from Caernarfon to Porthmadog - and then to Blaenau Ffestiniog, creating the longest narrow-gauge railway in the UK.
Trackwork supplies for phase 4 of the new line, after small quantities of South African rail, sleepers and fittings have been used up, were obtained from EU member state Poland. The entire order, signed on 1 August 2005, 1,300 tons of rail, was delivered during 2005 and some was sent direct to WHR Ltd for use between Pen-y-Mount and Traeth Mawr Loop. The sleeper order comprised just over 21,000 steel sleepers and 84,000 clips similar to the type manufactured by Pandrol. This was enough to complete the railway - though timber sleepers fitted with steel baseplates are used at stations and in various other locations. These were all delivered in 2005. In order to cope with the tight curvature, a range of sleeper gauges has been supplied, sufficient to deal with the entire route.
Following initial trial tracklaying with the new materials and experience with spring clips recently gained by the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool via Castle Caereinion to the village of Llanfair Caereinion. The track gauge is ....
, all Phase 4 track was to be laid in 30kg/m (60lb/yd) rail in lengths of 18m (60ft) and pressed steel sleepers with specially made 3 mm thick plastic pads between the sleepers and the rails. The trackwork was built by volunteers, supplemented by the Railway's own staff who maintain it. The normal track gauge of 597mm is widened to as much as 610mm on sharp curves, of which there are many, including two large S-bends in the hills above Beddgelert. The sharpest curves are at either end of Glanrafon Bridge, between Beddgelert and Aberglaslyn, and lastly on the curve onto Britannia Bridge. The sharpest curves are 50m radius with 60m transitions; the sharpest curve on the FR main line is 40m radius.
Although the railway was mostly complete to Beddgelert in 2007, the Snowdonia National Park Authority stipulated that the station could not be used as a long-term temporary terminus and Phase 4 was planned to open when the whole route was complete, in Spring 2009. By the end of 2008, tracklaying had reached the Porthmadog Harbour station to complete the entire run from Caernarfon. On 2 February 2009, it was announced that, due to delays for financial reasons in letting final commissioning contracts, completion would be delayed, the line opening to Beddgelert on 7 April 2009 and to a temporary terminus at (about a mile south of Nantmor) on 21 May 2009.
Extension of passenger trains through to Porthmadog was originally officially announced as being expected following the 2009 summer peak season but subsequent publications placed this at Easter 2010 and, in September 2009, it was revealed that it was not considered likely before late 2010 or the start of the 2011 season, although in late May 2010 trains were extended as far as Pont Croesor. Passenger trains finally ran through to Porthmadog in February 2011.