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Q2 2014 £4.00
Your railway adventures
New look for Porthmadog
The National Trust’s castle
From a
Distance
This page: A snow-capped Moel Ysgyfarnogod seen from Porthmadog Harbour Station on New Year’s Day.
Front cover: A Welsh Highland train makes its way through the Aberglaslyn Pass.
Back cover: Driver Paul Ingham and fireman Tesni Jones wait to leave for Caernarfon.
Welcome to the Top Left Hand Corner of Wales, where
train travel is just a little bit different. With the Ffestiniog
and Welsh Highland Railways stretching for 40 miles across
the Snowdonia National Park, you can experience the
magnificent scenery whilst savouring the magic of train
travel as it used to be, with gleaming steam engines,
comfortable carriages, friendly staff and just a hint of magic.
2014 sees the opening of the new £1.3 million station at
Porthmadog Harbour. At long last the town finally has a
station worthy of the unique 40 miles of railway between
Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon.
And by this time next year, plans for an all-new station at
Caernarfon should be well advanced.
Never a dull moment...
Running in
the family
Like father like daughter.
Earlier this year, Dave and Emily High became the
first father & daughter team to drive and fire a steam
locomotive on the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales.
Civil engineer Dave has been volunteering on the
railway for 35 years and qualified as a driver 25
years ago when he relocated from Cumbria.
He also played a major role in the construction of the
Welsh Highland Railway, being the project manager
for the Porthmadog Cross Town Link.
Daughter Emily, 18, has just qualified as a fireman
and is studying for her A-levels at Coleg Meirion
Dwyfor in Dolgellau.
Away from the railway, she won a first at Crufts in
the ‘Heelwork to Music’ category in the Young Kennel
Club section with her Papillon Anton for the second
year in a row.
Dave’s son William also works on the footplate on
the Ffestiniog Railway.
Dave and Emily are pictured in charge of Linda, built
in Leeds in 1893.
Station
to Station
A deserted Harbour Station in December 1960. Inset: The The same scene 54 years later.
Porthmadog Harbour Station first opened for
passengers on January 6th, 1865, two years after
the introduction of steam locomotives.
When the Welsh Highland Railway was opened
throughout between Caernarfon and Porthmadog in
2011, the shortcomings in the station design
became clear - a single platform for both railways
and the need for a pilot locomotive to shunt both
arriving and departing WHR services meant a
radical rethink was needed to provide a vastly-
improved customer experience.
And so it was that a £1.3 million project was
started after the end of regular daily services in late
2011 to produce a completely new layout fit for the
demands of the 21st Century. 40,000 tons of rock
was used to widen the Cob at the Porthmadog end
to make room for two new platforms.
The work continued over the winters of 2012 and
2013, the new station opening for business on
Saturday March 22nd 2014.
Read on for details of how it was done...
Wider still
and wider
November 2011 saw the arrival of the heavy
contractor’s plant that would be used to place some
40,000 tons of rock from nearby Minffordd Quarry
to widen the first 250 metres of the 200 year-old
Cob embankment.
A haul road was constructed across the tracks in
Harbour Station to enable both lorries and trains to
use the station, although to avoid disruption, the
bulk of the lorry movements were scheduled for
times when no trains were running.
The stone dumped to form the widened
embankment was then faced with large boulders
forming a layer of rock armour on the seaward side.
The rock was laid on geotextile sheet to prevent
sand from filling the spaces between the stones.
Each block was painstakingly placed - as seen on
the right - to ensure that the finished armour stone
was locked together like a giant 3D jigsaw.
The large surface area presented to the waves
dissipates energy far more effectively than a smooth
stone wall and greatly increases the structure’s
robustness in heavy seas.
Opposite top: the view on December 1st 2012.
Below: Three months later.
Winter 2011-12
In November 2012, the second winter of work on
the Cob widening project began. After almost a year
of settlement, the fill material was levelled off and
work to remove the original wave wall and replace it
with a new one began.
The original, built in the 1930s, proved to be rather
more resilient than expected and had to be cut into
sections and then attacked with the most powerful
excavator on site.
Meanwhile, the new wave wall was taking shape on
the seaward side of the site and was completed on
Tuesday November 19th.
The Wall Winter 2012-13
With the new wave wall complete, work started on
the foundations of the new signal box and its
associated relay room. The buildings utilise a steel
girder frame in order to make them capable of
withstanding wind speeds of over 100mph.
This was put to the test the following winter when
the completed buildings withstood the first
hurricane to hit North Wales in living memory.
Before service trains started in March, new points
were delivered from Prices’ of South Wales and
were installed in the FR main line. Once in place,
work could then begin on laying what would
become the new FR and WHR platform roads, the
original FR main line becoming the WHR loop.
Despite bitterly cold weather, the track gangs
continued to work with the mountains of
Snowdonia forming a magnificent background.
Work continued throughout the summer and by
the time the 2013 season was drawing to a close,
the far end of the platform and half the FR and
WHR platform roads were in place, ready for the
big push over the winter of 2013-2014 when the
entire layout would be lifted and replaced before
trains started again in March.
Failure was not an option...
Working on
the Railroad Winter 2013-14
After the last trains of 2013 had run, the task of
lifting the entire layout of Harbour Station, building
the new platform and relaying the track began.
On January 16th the last lengths of rail from the
old station are visible bottom left and the signal box
and relay room are being commissioned. From left
to right, the old FR main line has been partially
lifted, the kerbs are in place for the WHR and FR
platform roads and the yard crossover is in place,
along with five road, nearest to the sea. The new
station has four sidings compared with the previous
five, but the amount of space available is greater.
Note how the rock armour, in place for only two
years, is weathering to match the original part of
the Cob embankment.
In the first three months of 2014, more than 150
volunteers worked tirelessly to get the new station
ready for the first public trains on Saturday March
22nd. The remaining few lengths of rail remaining
from the old layout were removed, signals were
erected and connected and the new track laid.
Meanwhile, contractors were busy finishing the
platform and its block paving and constructing the
new beer garden outside Spooner’s, complete with
its elegant glass windbreak.
Then, suddenly, everything came together. Despite
hurricanes, snow and rain, the track was complete;
the signalling system signed off; and the platform
completed. Three winters of hard work had paid off
and the new station was ready for trains.
As the railway’s chairman, John Prideaux,
commented: “Rebuilding and resignalling Harbour
has been an ambitious project involving a huge
number of volunteers, staff and excellent local
contractors. It called on skills more usually
associated with the national network than with a
heritage railway. Completing such a complex project
on time and despite adverse conditions reflects huge
credit on everyone involved.”
The Final
Countdown Spring 2014
One of the key features of the new station is the beer garden providing much-needed additional seating
space for the popular Spooner’s pub and restaurant and a great location for relaxing and enjoying the view
on those balmy summer evenings.
Inset, station designer Stuart McNair enjoys a well-earned cup of tea in his new creation.
On a rather grey Saturday March 22nd 2014, public service trains were able to use the new Harbour
Station for the first time. Although missing some final detailing - such as the decorative finials on the
signal posts - the station not only opened on schedule, but on budget. Over the final winter’s activity,
from November to March, over 7,500 man hours work was provided by volunteers.
Above, on the opening day, can be seen a Ffestiniog train for Blaenau Ffestiniog on the left, with a Welsh
Highland service on the right. Below, the sun has finally put in an appearance as Garratt 138 waits at
the head of its train, having just arrived from Caernarfon.
Two Trains
Running
In the late 19th century the sugar cane industry
was taking off in the tropical north of Queensland
in Australia. Dense rainforest along the coastal
strip was being cleared and replaced by fields of
sugar cane. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company
(CSR) of Sydney built or purchased a chain of sugar
mills along the Queensland coast from 1882.
Many miles of two foot gauge tramways were built
to carry sugar cane and firewood to the mills and
raw sugar away to market. Motive power was
provided by a growing fleet of tank engines, many
built in Leeds by John Fowler.
The company’s eyes also turned towards the Pacific
islands of Fiji, some 2,000 miles to the east. This
large archipelago, which was then part of the
British Empire, enjoyed a similar climate to
Queensland’s coast. There was plenty of rain and
sunshine to ripen good crops of cane. There was an
attractive case for investment in sugar production.
Between 1882 and 1903, Colonial Sugar Refining
built new mills at four coastal locations in Fiji.
Lautoka Mill was the largest, built on the west
coast of the principal island, Viti Levu. CSR
acquired estates along the coast which were later
made available for purchase by tenant farmers.
Most cane producing land was held on long-term
lease from the native Fijian owners. A network of
two foot gauge tramways linked the sugar cane
fields with the mills. At its height the main line
tramway system of the two principal mills stretched
southwards from Lautoka mill for some 82 miles
along the west coast of Viti Levu to Kavanagasau,
beyond the Sigatoka River. Northwards along the
coast from Lautoka, it was almost 30 miles to
Rarawai mill and a further 25 miles to the
terminus. As a condition of building the line to
Sigatoka, CSR was obliged to provide a free
passenger service for local people. It ran the round
trip between Rarawai and Kavanagasau twice
weekly, a distance of 111½ miles each way.
The early operations were capably handled by
compact tank engines, but for the line to the
Sigatoka River, under construction from 1910 to
1914, larger locomotives were required. In 1911,
Hudswell Clarke of Leeds built a powerful new tank
engine for Rarawai Mill. CSR requested further
development of this type to produce engines that
would be able to do the round trip between Lautoka
and Na Savu Savu on the new Sigatoka line, a
distance of 82 miles, without refuelling, hauling up
to 260 ton trains on the inward journey. ►
David Payling looks at the fascinating history of a locomotive which will be in regular use on the Welsh Highland Railway this year, more than 10,000 miles from its original home in Fiji. Engineers at the Statfold Barn Railway have restored the loco to pristine condition for its visit to Wales.
◄ Hudswell produced a design that solved the
problem for the next 50 years. The new engine had
a six-wheeled chassis with a wheelbase just five feet
six inches long. This would allow it to negotiate the
sharp curvature of the sidings in the mill yards.
A large, powerful boiler was fitted to cope with the
heavy loads. The tender design allowed plenty of
coal and water to be carried. To help keep the crew
cool, the cab was as open as possible and the roof
was double skinned to promote air circulation.
A balloon stack chimney was fitted, equipped with a
spark arresting core to minimise spark emissions.
Although attempts have been made to have some
sugar cane industry locomotives burn cane waste
(bagasse), its calorific value is very low, totally
inadequate for the hard work of cane haulage in Fiji
and Queensland. The Hudswell engines were
therefore coal fired. Our engine was the first to be
built to the new design (Hudswell Clarke No.972 of
November 1911).
It was the first of a batch of three, and their success
was such that a total of 35 similar engines were
eventually built for CSR mills in Fiji and
Queensland. Lautoka received the initial batches of
these engines and subsequently operated the
largest fleet of them.
The initial eight locos were followed by three of an
enlarged design in the inter-war years and a final
pair after World War II. They were stationed at the
mill and at Cuvu, 64 miles to the south,
interchanging loads at Na Savu Savu.
No.972 was originally fitted with a boiler with a
round-topped firebox, but this was replaced with a
larger-capacity boiler with a Belpaire firebox after
the Second World War.
The Hudswells worked hard day and night through
the crushing season in the second half of each year,
steadily hauling long trains of cane, the ends of the
stalks dragging along the dirt and throwing up
clouds of dust. Innumerable times each season
these reliable workhorses, sporting bright
paintwork and polished brass, hauled their rakes
past the gate of Nadi airport where today the
international traveller glimpses Fiji’s sugar cane
trains for the first time as their coach bumps across
the track en route for the resorts of the Coral Coast.
The first mainline diesels arrived in Fiji from
Australia in 1955, and as there were no local coal
supplies in the islands, dieselisation proceeded
apace over the next ten years. The redundant steam
locomotives were, for the most part, scrapped.
No.972, being the doyen of its class, was luckier. It
was stored at Lautoka mill from 1958. There,
matters might have rested, but for the decision of
the Fiji Sugar Corporation in 1978 to celebrate the
75th anniversary of the mill opening. The engine
was overhauled, and put back into use on a
ceremonial train of dignitaries to Lautoka Mill. ►
No 11 with a train of dignitaries at the opening of the new bulk sugar store at Lautoka Mill on 5th January 1979
◄ Later, a local tourist venture, the Coral Coast
Railway Company (above), was formed to run
tourist trains, using the cane railway tracks in the
Cuvu area. No.972 was to be the motive power, but
not as a steam engine. In 1985, it was taken from
the mill and a 65hp diesel engine with hydraulic
transmission was placed in the tender. The inner
firebox was cut away to make room for a gearbox
which powered the locomotive’s rear axle via a
chain. To give clearance for the chain, a large slot
had to be cut out of the front of the outer firebox.
The Coral Coast Railway laid No.972 aside,
preferring to use smaller Simplex diesel locomotives
for haulage. It was sold and brought to Britain in
2011. Its ownership passed to the Statfold Barn
Railway where it was hoped that it could be
restored to working order. When the locomotive was
stripped for assessment, it was realised that
restoration would present a major challenge.
The boiler repairs would include major attention to
both the barrel and fire box. The barrel was so
corroded that one section would require complete
replacement, together with the whole of the smoke
box. Also, the modifications made for the Coral
Coast train’s chain drive would need to be made
good. This would require fabrication of a complete
new inner firebox, together with repair of the large
slot cut in the outer box.
When the wheels and axles were removed major
frame cracks were found. These ran from the
axlebox horns towards the top of the frames. In at
least one place the frame had parted into two
pieces. The many fittings and pipe work in the cab
and on the chassis were largely absent.
Fortunately, Statfold Barn is home to the Hunslet
archive which contains not only the records and
drawings of the Hunslet Engine Co. but also the
surviving records and drawings of the many
locomotive builders absorbed by Hunslet, such as
Kerr Stuart, Avonside, Manning Wardle, Kitson,
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn and others.
Fortunately, the Hudswell Clarke collection of more
than 21,000 steam engineering drawings is
amongst the survivors. After lying fallow for some
years the Hudswell drawings had recently been
catalogued and indexed by the volunteer staff. This
made it possible to find all 80 of the drawings used
to construct No.972 in 1911. The boilersmiths,
engineers and fitters at Statfold therefore had
substantial information to guide the restoration
which now began.
The fire box and boiler repairs were completed and
pressure tested, and the boiler insured. The
cracked main frames have been re-aligned and
welded repairs made. The whole chassis has been
stiffened and strengthened. This was achieved by
the replacement of its running plate with one of a
thicker section.
The balloon stack was problematical because its
anti-spark core proved not to have been supplied by
Hudswell, but by a local Australian engineering
company. No drawings for it were therefore
available. Eventually the locomotive was completed.
It is now equipped for train air braking, as used at
Statfold Barn. It also has a vacuum ejector and
valve to make it suitable for use on other railways,
including the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland.
On May 2nd this year, Fijian High Commissioner
His Excellency Mr Solo Mara visited Porthmadog to
name the locomotive, pictured right being presented
with a replica name plate by general manager Paul
Lewin and Statfold Barn’s Graham Lee.
Although these railways are some 10,000 miles
away from its own home lines in Fiji, the loco’s
sturdy build and large, powerful boiler should
stand it in good stead in the Welsh mountains.
David Payling wishes to thank John Browning (Brisbane,
Queensland) for help with factual content in the text, and for
editorial support. He also thanks his many friends and colleagues
at Statfold Barn for their assistance.
When the Royal Mail wanted to celebrate the
Classic Locomotives of Wales with four new
stamps, they naturally turned to the F&WHR.
The new stamps complete a series of four which
began with England in 2011, followed by Scotland
in 2012 and Northern Ireland in 2013.
The stamps pay tribute to the workhorses of
Welsh railways in the Classic Locomotives stamp
set. The F&WHR and the Welshpool & Llanfair railway were chosen as the launch locations.
Please
Mr Postman
Fireman Dan Jones and driver Richard Hanlon pose with Blanche for the launch photographs.
Hunslet 589 Blanche stars on the 78p stamp and
the loco was lined up in the same position
featured in the photograph on the stamp, taken 50 years earlier, wearing the very same Y Cymro
(The Welshman) headboard.
Blanche is one of more than twenty Ffestiniog and
Welsh Highland steam engines - some of them
more than 150 years old - that still pull trains
through 40 miles of glorious scenery in the heart
of the Snowdonia National Park
Summer Holiday
While most passengers choose the
comfort of our modern carriages, those
seeking an authentic taste of travel on the
original Welsh Highland in the 1920s can
ride in the ‘Summer Coaches’, Carriages
23 and 24.
The former is a lovingly-restored original
1894 North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway
carriage, while 24 is an identical replica,
built in our own workshops in 2002.
The attention to detail extends to original
pattern curly-spoked wheels, although as
a nod to today’s passenger expectations,
we have fitted glazed doors for those rare
occasions when it rains.
Inset shows the unglazed carriage 26 at
Harbour Station in 1963.
I Can See
Clearly Now
The views from the Ffestiniog Railway are
justly world-famous, but the ideal growing
conditions of Snowdonia mean that nature can
quickly make it rather difficult to see the wood
for the trees.
This winter, a large-scale programme of tree
clearance means that many of the vistas have
been restored to their former glory, as typified
by this view of an FR train passing Llyn Mair,
just above Tan y Bwlch.
It is hard to imagine that this beautiful lake is
artificial, but it was constructed on the orders of
William Oakeley, owner of Plas Tan y Bwlch, as
a 21st birthday present for his daughter Mary.
Today, the lake provides hydro-electric power to
the Snowdonia Study Centre located in
Oakeley’s erstwhile family seat.
The Sun
Goes Down
The town of Porthmadog lies in the shadow of
Moel y Gest, the rocky outcrop at the end of a
ridge once dotted with granite quarries.
The quarries are long since closed, but traces of
the inclines down which the rock was carried
can still be seen.
Whilst small by the standards of Snowdonia,
Moel y Gest comes into its own each evening as
the sun sets.
In the foreground is the fresh water of the Afon
Glaslyn, help back by the mile-long Cob
embankment, providing not only a road and rail
link between the old counties of Merioneth and
Caernarfonshire, but a haven for wildlife.
I can see
for miles
One of the things for which the Ffestiniog Railway is
justly famous is the stunning views of the Dwyryd
Valley to be had from the trains.
Over the years, nature conspired to obscure these as
tree growth gradually covered the slopes below the
railway, but an outbreak of Ash Dieback meant that
over the winter of 2013-2014, many trees were felled
and the view restored.
Here, Merddin Emrys heads a train with the village of
Maentwrog and Plas Tan y Bwlch - once the home of
the slate quarrying Oakeley Family - in the distance.
Southbound
Train
Approaching the mid point of the line at Rhyd Ddu, a Welsh Highland train climbs away from Llyn
Cwellyn, the lake that provides sparkling clear drinking water to Caernarfon.
On the right lie the slate waste heaps of the old quarries the railway was originally built
to serve which have now become as much a part of the landscape as the
mountains and lakes of Snowdonia.
Valley Road
Looking like a model, a Welsh Highland train
heads through the Aberglaslyn Pass.
Trains slow down to walking pace through the Pass
to enable passengers to appreciate the splendour of
what National Trust members have voted the most
scenic spot in the UK.
There is a road through the Pass, but you’d be
crazy to miss the opportunity to see it at its best
from the comfort of one of our trains.
The Welsh Highland has only been open throughout
since 2011, but already the railway has blended in
and become part of the landscape.
Indeed, the Fisherman’s Path between the railway
and the Afon Glaslyn stands out more in this
picture of the Aberglaslyn Pass than the sixty ton
steam locomotive and its ten car train.
In the distance can be seen the imposing peaks of
Moelwyn Mawr and Moelwyn Bach.
Daring
Adventures
From the outset, rebuilding the Ffestiniog
Railway was an adventure like no other. Where
else was there a chance to roll your sleeves up
and rebuild a railway which had inspired the
construction of similar lines in every corner of
the world?
Four decades later, many of those original
volunteers along with a new generation,
returned to North Wales to embark on a new
adventure: the rebuilding of the longest
heritage line in the UK, the Welsh Highland.
As General Manager Paul Lewin says: “We
often try to answer the question: just what is it
that makes people so passionate and become
so strongly attached to our railway?
“Perhaps the answer is the sense of adventure
that we feel as we take part. For some that can
be building a stretch of new line; for others it
can be financial support for something that
will enhance the scene and for many the
opportunity to work with new friends at the
heart of the adventure.
“Many of our standard gauge counterparts rely
on nostalgia for times gone by to encourage
volunteers and supporters. With those folk
who remember steam on British Rail becoming
increasingly rare, they have to look afresh how
they can encourage people to get involved.
“For us things are very different. We could
never really appeal to nostalgia that much and
we don’t try to. Whether we consciously know
it or not, we focus on the adventures and
camaraderie to be enjoyed now. But, most of
all, the real reason to be here centres around
the people you meet and the friends you make.
“As we enter the Diamond Jubilee of the
preservation era, the temptation is concentrate
on the events of 60 years ago.
“But what we should be doing is using our
stories of adventure to inspire the next
generation. We must also take the time to
ensure that when we do encourage people to
join us and support us that we make them feel
part of the team.”
A selection of personal reminiscences of working on the railway. Many more adventures can be found on our website.
Will Jones came from Waunfawr and was on the construction gang that built the WHR
in 1922-23. He was appointed Porter in Charge of Tan y Bwlch station in 1924 and lived
there with his wife Bessie (the 'girl station mistress'). Will became the leading expert on
narrow gauge permanent way and taught many of the post-war revivalists how to lay
and fettle track. He became a full-time employee at a weekly wage of £7. He died in
1981 and is buried alongside his wife at Bettws Garmon Church, close to the WHR.
“I remember one time when I was up at Buarth Melyn above the long tunnel with Griffith Griffiths the
Permanent Way Inspector to look at some of the track. When we had finished we had to walk down to Tan
y Bwlch and we were thinking we'd have to walk over the hill above the tunnel, but when we got to
Moelwyn there was still smoke in the tunnel from the down train which had been a bit late.
As the trains passed at Minffordd, we though it would be safe enough to walk through; it was a bit wet you
know, but we were used to it. Well, when we were about half way through there was a sudden noise and it
was black at the bottom end of the tunnel, and we realised that with the down train being late they'd
passed at Tan y Bwlch and here was the up train.
We tried to shout to the stoker, but there was too much noise and he couldn't hear us, so I jumped in the
only hole there was at the side of the tunnel, and Griffith Griffiths jumped in on top of me. I was thinner
then, but I was never so nearly squashed in my life, and we both breathed out hard as the train came to
us. I could feel Griffith Griffiths being pulled by all the door handles, and it was a long train with a double
engine too.
As soon as it was past we took breath and fell a-coughing for the the smoke from the engine. We were
gasping all the way to the bottom of the tunnel, and when we got there, never did you see such a pair of
chimney sweeps.
And Griffith Griffiths was a great fat man with round stomach, and look, all his waistcoat buttons were
pulled off him.”
Joe Scott: I was first introduced to the Ffestiniog
Railway by Eileen & Neil Clayton, who are active
volunteers on the railway. My first involvement with
the railway was sitting in their garden from the age
of two and watching the trains pass by from my
pram. My mum tried to take me down to Black
Rock beach for a change, but apparently I preferred
to watch the trains.
I started volunteering on the railway in 1996 on
Kid’s Week when I was just 6 years old. I’d travel
down to Boston Lodge in the morning on the works
train, do half a day’s work, and then go off for a
train ride in the afternoon.
Half a day’s work was an instruction rather than a
choice until I was a little older, and I undertook my
first full Kid’s Week in 2001. One of my first jobs on
the railway was painting the notice board for
Boston Lodge Halt, this was one of the more
glamorous jobs believe it or not.
In 2003, I started becoming a more active
volunteer. I started working within the Commercial
Department as a Buffet Steward and also a Booking
Office Clerk. In 2006 I was offered my first of many
seasonal contracts with the railway. Getting paid
for a hobby – great!
Challenge
In 2008, I fancied a new challenge and so I began
training as a Guard. I progressed through the
Operating Department over the years and in 2010
I qualified as a Controller, responsible for the
operation & safety of the 40 mile railway.
I have also made other contributions to the railway
including organising staff social events. These
events give something back to the volunteers who
give up their time to keep the railway running,
whilst at the same time raising extra money for the
Ffestiniog Railway Society.
I have also organised two photo charters, helping
keep the railway in the press and also provide an
additional income over the winter season.
I have gained a lot from my railway adventure
including friendship, essential skills, and a vast
amount of experience, all of which have helped me
in the outside world. In 2012 I decided to pursue a
career within the railway industry and started as a
Conductor for First TransPennine Express.
I have recently progressed into a new role as a Train
Service Controller, which means that I am now
responsible for traffic and resource management
across the TransPennine network and also for First
Hull Trains.
Emma Baxendale: I still remember my first day
volunteering at the railway. I was eight years old
and where we were going was a surprise. It didn't
disappoint. My first job was weeding the ground
frame flower bed in Port with Janet Towers.
I stayed in Penrhyn hostel in a red bunk bed.
Twenty years later, almost to the day, I lay in that
same bunk bed and thought about what had
changed - and what had not.
I've done many things at the railway over the years,
starting as a Parks & Gardens kid and doing all the
various things that included. Gardening, painting,
bush bashing, painting, helping to build the new
hostel, painting, the list goes on.
Kids’ Week was always the highlight of the summer,
with various cousins joining in as they became old
enough. I've moved round various departments,
starting with marketing with Eamon and Lou, then
moving on to working in the booking office and on
buffet cars (Mince says I taught him everything he
knows). Then I went to the works.
That was when the fun really began.
Messing about with slate wagons was really useful
for learning skills that the average girl doesn't really
get to do. Gas cutting, drilling holes in bits of metal
(I did a lot of that), cleaning engines, the odd bit of
firing and helping to build double engine tanks, not
to mention the joys of pylon paint (it doesn't come
out of your hair).
Life skills
An important part of all of this has been the friends
that I've made and the life skills I've picked up
along the way. Aside from the usual teenage
dramas, I have friends and acquaintances of all
ages and backgrounds, and some friends made for
life. I'm hard to offend and get on with most people.
While all of these things make for an interesting
and colourful CV (you've done what?!) it's certainly
the life skills bit that has helped me most in my
working life. Before I started volunteering at the
railway I was quite a shy little thing.
Being a P&G kid helped to bring me out of my shell,
and by the time I'd finished at Boston Lodge I was
hardly what you’d call shy.
I do believe that without this I wouldn't be doing
what I do today. I'd never have gone to university or
had the self confidence to even apply for most of the
jobs that I've had. I now work in the heritage
industry, something I've always wanted to do.
My passion for old things was certainly cultivated
by my time at the railway, and helped me fix on
what I wanted to do with my life - handy, as I'm not
particularly ambitious.
To me, it's also living proof that the past and the
'old' are also vital for the future and should not be
forgotten. The railway can be a bit of a rollercoaster,
but the ups always outweigh the downs.
While illness has got in the way of my volunteering
of late and I've moved on to the gentler, more
refined art of sign writing, there are important
things I've learned along the way - what goes down
always comes back up.
Even if you don't see your friends for long periods of
time they are always there. Girls can do anything,
and while the Linda is a fine machine, it would still
look better in blue...
Emma Baxendale and Daniel Ellis pictured in 2001.
Left: Elizabeth Griffiths, John Catchpole, Joe Scott,
Tim Puddephatt and Patience Eastwood in 2001.
Peter George: I first
became aware of the
Ffestiniog Railway
when I was three and
my father, a cleric,
returned from a weeks
volunteering. It was
something he had been
doing since the year of
my birth, having been
introduced to the railway by Howard Wilson, the
current society chairman's father-in-law.
At the agreed age of eleven I accompanied my father
on what was my first week’s volunteering on the FR.
I worked in the shops and car parks before moving
to Boston Lodge, qualifying as a fireman in 1976
and volunteering regularly until 1983.
I had four years earlier joined the Royal Air Force
as an Apprentice Engineering Technician. On
completion of my training, where I had been
blessed with plenty of leave, I had subsequently
been commissioned and in 1984 I started aircrew
training and opportunities for visiting the railway
became very rare indeed.
However training as aircrew was not without its
compensations and on a number of 'self planned
low level sorties' I transpired to devise a route with
maximum 'loiter' time over the railway at 250 feet.
It was during these that I did practice-bombing
runs on Garnedd Tunnel and my pilots took the
opportunity to practice strafing runs on FR trains.
However it was not the only time I over flew the FR.
My last flight as aircrew in the Royal Air Force was
in a maritime patrol aircraft on a practice in-flight
refuelling sortie off the Cornish coast involving a
transit down and back to our base in the North of
Scotland. Yet again reasons were provided as to why
we should include some low level transit as part of
the overall sortie. I have to say the view from the
Cob is magnificent but the view of the Cob from a
few hundred feet is equally stunning.
I worked with and for many people, some are still
around whilst others are no longer with us. My life
has been better for making their acquaintance for
many reasons, without the railway and its unique
engineering this would never have happened.
Married life and a civilian career further limited
opportunities to visit my favourite railway, but now
the children have grown up, I am a grandfather to
three grand daughters and my wife and I are now
lucky enough to be able to spend plenty of time in
North Wales as we count down on the fingers of
one hand the years to retirement and the luxury of
having the FR running past the bottom of the
garden of our retirement home.
Why would I go to such lengths to want to be near
the FR? Because I recognise the faces on the people
on the railway, some I have known for decades, and
I feel at home. It's a community, a railway
community, one we have already introduced to two
of our grand daughters and we look forward to the
time when they can take part in Kids’ Week just as
our elder daughter did.
And yes I think I do know who the bemused drivers
were on the engines and trains we strafed – to you a
much belated apology for the shock we must have
caused. But it was all jolly good fun and how many
other volunteers can claim to have done this?
Bob Battersby: In
1975 I read an article
about the Deviation in
the Sunday Times.
In those pre-Internet
days I rang the
contact number and
asked if, over the
Easter holidays, I
could come and take
part in what sounded like a fantastic project.
Taking the train from Surrey, I finally arrived at
Blaenau (via Crewe and Llandudno) and set off, as
instructed, round the back of the power station and
over the mountain.
Wearing my Belstaff jacket, PVC waterproof trousers
and lugging my mother's Norwegian rucksack the
trek seemed to go on forever. Finally, I crested the
final hill and saw the old army hut standing at the
end of the line.
I was met by Bunny Lewis, who handed me a shovel
and told me to find some mud. We proceeded to a
particularly large boulder upon which Bunny stuck
some explosive, packed it down with my mud and lit
the fuse. 'Start walking' he said, setting off briskly.
As the debris rained down I realised that I had
passed the first test - I was a 'Deviationist'. I stayed
up there for about ten days, during which we were
visited by one of the regular weekend groups from
Bristol and another from London.
During that visit I mainly worked with Romulus and
Remus, the pair of four wheel drive dump trucks,
on the footings for the station at Llyn Ystradau near
the new pumped-storage power station. ►
Tatiana Kotrikova: I am a volunteer on the
permanent way gang on the Ffestiniog Railway.
I commenced my studies at the Railway University
in Russia back in 2002 which really started my
passion for railways.
Since coming to the UK in 2007, I have worked for
several railway organisations including London
Underground, South West Trains and Network
Rail. I am currently a Project Manager for Colas
Rail in the Electrification Projects Division.
I first started volunteering on the Ffestiniog
Railway in 2010 while I was studying for my
Masters Degree in Construction Management and,
since graduating in October 2013, I am now able to
spend much more time working on the FR, which
I not only find very fulfilling, but also great fun.
◄ Particular memories are of the drain-destroying
curries, the cheap beer in the hut, 'gravitating'
down the line to catch the Sunday beer train and
staggering back up the line a few hours later.
The next year I returned with my girlfriend for
another stint. By then the Cornish tin miners where
progressing well with the tunnel and we spent our
time bringing out spoil and putting it through the
shaker to make ballast.
Each day we had to walk down to Dduallt to throw
sheep back over the sheep-proof fence to clear the
line. By some miracle, we suspected aided and
abetted by person or persons unknown, a handful
of sheep still appeared on the track every morning.
Each evening the miners would blast the tunnel -
the shock waves making everything in the hut rattle
before one of us would accompany them into the
tunnel to check that all the charges had gone off. I
don't think we had heard of Health and Safety then.
Happy memories of going to the pub in Blaenau in
the back of a Land Rover pickup and walking down
past Colonel Campbell's to the pubs in Maentwrog,
followed by the long walk back counting sleepers in
the pitch black and hearing the expletives in the
darkness as someone inevitably missed their step.
I finally got to travel the whole route in 1983 - the
Deviationists hut was long gone and most of my
hard work buried under concrete.
On 30th October 2010 the first train ran through
from Caernarfon to Porthmadog on the reopened
Welsh Highland Railway. To rebuild 25 miles of
narrow gauge railway shut for over 70 years was
quite an effort; to find the £26.5m to do it was more
like a miracle. The first 12 miles from Caernarfon to
Rhyd Ddu, completed in 2003, was difficult.
The worst aspect of the project to build the first 12
miles was the fact that the destination, though one
of the most splendid of mountainsides, was not the
one that people wanted to go to enough to sustain a
tourist railway. Only a mile or two away, at the top
of the summit of Snowdon, at an even bleaker
terminal, there were plenty of people who wanted to
go there! Down below, there was really only one
answer - to push on to Porthmadog.
The far-sighted Welsh Government, under Rhodri
Morgan, was prepared to support the extension.
Flagging numbers at Rhyd Ddu meant that it
needed to happen quickly. The Ffestiniog Railway
was not in a position to finance the restoration of
the remaining thirteen miles of railway. The first
estimate for the job was £10.8m and an offer of a
grant for half was made. £6m had to be raised
before any work could start. Miracles began with
£5m of the matching funding, promised from a
small number of people who wanted to see it
happen, and were prepared to support it
generously. Public donors were estimated to offer
£330k, if they could be persuaded to give, with the
balance to be found from the Ffestiniog and Welsh
Highland Societies and from volunteering, thus
achieving the gateway figure.
Extensive press coverage of the Welsh Highland
Railway restoration story greatly assisted the
launch of the appeal for funds, which raised £1m
in six months and thereafter increased steadily to
£2m. This exceeded the original estimate by seven
times. Of course the initial estimates for rebuilding
also rose throughout the project, eventually
reaching £15.2m, but the wide public support for
the project continued.
Firstly on such a big project, it was clear that as
money was short, if it wasn't essential then the
restorers did not build it. Thus the Welsh Highland
Railway reached Porthmadog as a 'basic railway'
and began service in October 2010 culminating in a
line through the streets of Porthmadog, joining the
Ffestiniog Railway part-way down the Harbour
Station Platform. It was not 'finished', but trains
could be run. However the job to be finished so that
the railway could be sustainable.
Any doubts about the wisdom of the extension
disappeared when in the month of April 2009,
7,000 people booked from Caernarfon to the newly
reopened Beddgelert Station, and this had grown to
70,000 in the first year, and reached 85,000 in
2011, with the two openings to Pont Croesor and
then Porthmadog.
In Porthmadog there was a need to shunt all Welsh
Highland trains from the Cob, back into
Porthmadog platform, and vice versa on departure -
this required a shunt engine, was very ponderous,
and meant that only one train could be in the
station at a time. So there was no connection
between trains, although they could run through.
This needed to be put right but again there was no
money. So in 2011 a new 'Phase 5' scheme was
launched, but this time to try to find the matched
funding for the rebuilding of Porthmadog Station.
A grant was made available for this important task,
this time from the National Station Improvement
Programme, and there was much raising ►
Diamonds
are Forever
◄ of eyebrows about why a little narrow gauge
railway outfit should get it. Of course, the traffic
handled at Porthmadog is more than at Llandudno
and is three times larger than Porthmadog
Cambrian Station. Steam Railway magazine readers
became subscribers to the scheme, which has
raised just under £1m - even during a recession.
Important PhD research at the University of Bangor
concluded that the two railways taken together
would offer £14m generated income to the local
economy each year. Since opening throughout, that
figure has gone up considerably – last year, the two
railways generated more than £25 million - £250 for
every man, woman and child in Gwynedd and
created around 350 additional jobs in the area on
top of the 85 directly employed full time staff. The
railways' income is ploughed back into the business
and provides the resources to buy the important
things that are needed, like new rails and sleepers.
Thus the grant of public and EU funds to restore
the Welsh Highland has amply repaid itself, and
will continue to do so.
Porthmadog Harbour Station opened in spring
2014, allowing Welsh Highland and a Ffestiniog
train to be handled at the same time. It is quite
splendid and is complete with signal box, and an
array of superb original style semaphore signals to
come. The whole site follows the Ffestiniog policy of
maintaining a traditional look but using new
technology to the full. So in the wooden signal box,
a reclaimed Westinghouse frame controls advanced
motor points, and electrically operated semaphores,
with LED lights in them for clarity and reliability.
First step
Rebuilding Porthmadog Harbour Station is only the
first step, as there are still other very important
things that the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland
Railways have to do in order to finish the job of
restoring both Railways and to make them
sustainable. Less beautiful by far than the new
Porthmadog semaphore signals, but arguably more
important as a source of income and satisfaction,
are comfortable and attractive booking, restaurant,
personal amenities and shop facilities. The grant
and the subscriptions may stretch to the
operational fabric of the station, but it still doesn't
cover the improvement works that need to be done
to serve the huge increase in visitor numbers.
The other two terminals at Caernarfon and Blaenau
Ffestiniog also demand attention. Caernarfon was
always a compromise. The whispered dreams of
those who want to see the standard gauge railway
restored from Caernarfon to Bangor are now voices
clearly heard. And why not? The passenger
numbers at Bangor Station have nearly doubled to
700,000 in a decade. A colossal 65% of visitors from
outside Wales visit a tourist railway, and 23% of
residents do as well! Historic properties attract 19%
of overseas visitors, so on those figures restoring
the railway link with Bangor sounds better value for
money. The F&WHR intends to invest in a better
offer at Caernarfon on the current site. Since the
arrival of the new railway, Caernarfon is no longer a
town with only one tourist attraction, and the
massive car park under the brooding walls of the
Castle houses ranks of cars whose passengers are
not taking up space on the roads of the National
Park.
At the other end of the 'empire', 40 miles away,
Blaenau Ffestiniog rail traffic at the station has
almost doubled since 2004, and there are prospects
for more to come, as there are many car-borne
visitors already on the doorstep enjoying the
famous Llechwedd Slate Caverns. An enhanced
narrow gauge station increases the likelihood of
increased patronage for two lines joined together as
an attraction on the Swiss scale of tourism, offering
comfortable steam train journeys though the
magnificent Welsh mountain scenery. ►
◄ This year marks the Diamond Jubilee of the year
in which Alan Pegler found the money needed to
gain control of the Festiniog Railway Company.
All the traditions that began sixty years ago thrive
today. The Ffestiniog has always been feisty, and
the tradition of young people volunteering on the
railways flourishes. Traffic is on the up.
Nice though the vintage carriages are - and the
Ffestiniog has some historic gems - today's
customers prefer to travel in corridor coaches.
At least 14 new cars are needed, and the build
programme has begun. The Ffestiniog Railway
Society has worked hard to support funding for one
car per year. The growing traffic demands a faster
rate than this. To be sustainable the railways must
have six train sets of modern carriages, ideally each
with a first class/Pullman observation car, and the
money needs to be found to build them.
In the summer, every day, three train sets operate
on the Ffestiniog, and two on the Welsh Highland.
This requires three steam locomotives on the
Ffestiniog, and two on the Welsh Highland. The
traffic on offer demands twelve car trains on the
Ffestiniog, and ten car trains on the WHR.
This is 'mainline' narrow gauge and there's nothing
quite like it in the world. It was thought that three
double Fairlie locomotives would never be needed
on the Ffestiniog: there are now three. Only they
can handle the heavy summer trains and if they are
not available, then it has to be double-heading.
Only South African Railways NGG16 Garratts can
handle ten-car trains up the 1:40 gradients on the
Welsh Highland, and those locos are averaging
15,000 miles a year each. If the WHR traffic keeps
growing, then three Garratts will be needed for
three train sets, every day: not two.
The importance of providing a robust and powerful
locomotive fleet is a core priority, one that everyone
has a delight in supporting. However, finding
somewhere to put them is another matter. The fleet
is expanding, and it has outgrown the facilities at
Boston Lodge. An NG/G16 is so huge that it cannot
fit in the existing sheds without removal of its
chimney! New locomotive sheds are vital and a plan
to build a new facility at Boston Lodge is underway,
but it needs funding. Likewise the depot at Dinas
has been expanded - but more is needed. Soon, a
powerful NG15 2-8-2 will join the fleet.
On the two railways 56 carriages are required daily.
There is a covered carriage shed at Boston Lodge for
12 cars. At Dinas another 18 cars sleep under
cover, however a third WHR train set makes a
drama into a crisis. Leaving carriages in the open at
Porthmadog exposes them to the sea air.
This reduces the overhaul time to approximately
ten years. At that rate the workshop will have to
deal with nearly seven carriages per year. Storage
under cover will increase the overhaul period to 15
years - four per year. Cover is essential for all.
Building new car sheds is therefore a priority, for
which the money must be found, in order for the
railway to remain sustainable.
The list of things that are needed is long but the
object is a railway that can sustain itself into the
future. The 40 mile railway is now a reality. To help
it to prosper and remain in being requires an
investment of some £8.45m over the next ten years
or so. This will allow all to 'Finish the Job'. It will
equip the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways
to handle the growth it needs to earn the money to
sustain itself. Here are the reasons for the Diamond
Jubilee Appeal for the new Ffestiniog Railway.
Who could possibly have known that what Alan
Pegler started with £3,000 in 1954 would lead to
such a dazzling success?
Gordon Rushton
Opposite: Coed y Bleiddiau, The Wood of the Wolves,
where legend has it the last wolf in Wales met its end.
The isolated house here is being restored as a luxury holiday
cottage, only accessible on foot or by rail.
Keeper of
the Castle
Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor, was originally a
medieval fortified manor house. The present
building was created between about 1822 and 1837
for George Hay Dawkins-Pennant, who inherited
the Penrhyn estate on the death of his second
cousin, Richard Pennant, who had made his
fortune from Jamaican sugar and local slate
quarries including Penrhyn.
Hugh Napier Douglas-Pennant, 4th Lord Penrhyn,
died in 1949, and the castle and estate passed to
his niece, Lady Janet Pelham, who adopted the
surname of Douglas-Pennant.
In 1951 the castle and 40,000 acres of land were
accepted by the Treasury in lieu of death duties
from Lady Janet. It now belongs to the National
Trust and is open to the public. Amongst Penrhyn's
many attractions is an industrial railway museum.
One of the Penrhyn Quarry locos was named Hugh
Napier after the fourth lord and started work at
Penrhyn Quarry in 1904. After 50 years of hard
work, it was deemed to be worn out and in 1954
was dumped on a siding awaiting its fate.
But somehow the loco escaped the scrapman's
torch and was given to Penrhyn Castle Industrial
Railway Museum in 1966.
Former quarryman Iorwerth Jones and the
curatorial team at Penrhyn Castle spent many
years gathering together all the missing parts
needed to return Hugh Napier to steam. He was
determined that the engine should be restored and
was behind several attempts to move things forward
over thirty years.
Sadly the extra effort he planned to put in to finish
the job when he retired never happened as he died
shortly after retiring.
But friends and supporters were determined that
his work would not be in vain and engineers at the
Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway's Boston
Lodge Works were asked to finish the job started by
Iorwerth, the loco being delivered to the works in
July 2011. In 2012 Hugh Napier was back in action
after being blessed by the Bishop of Bangor
The diminutive locomotive is now based on the
F&WHR, where it is used for light duties and on
special occasions. Hugh Napier is also a roving
ambassador for the National Trust, visiting
locations around the UK.
The loco is pictured left on a visit to Penrhyn Castle
in August 2012.
Light my Fire
Amongst the locomotives at the Railway Museum
in Penrhyn Castle sits an engine that was
miraculously saved from being scrapped, was
lovingly restored and is the oldest surviving
locomotive in North Wales.
Built by Alfred Horlock’s marine engineering
company on the Thames in 1848, the Fire Queen's
duties were to haul slate wagons from the quarries
at Llanberis down to the top of the incline above
Port Dinorwic (Felinheli).
The wagons were then lowered down a steep incline
to the port, from where the slates were shipped all
over the world. Slates for use in mainland Britain
could also be transported by standard gauge
railway from 1850 onwards.
The engine ran on 4ft gauge track, and is built
without any frames, all the important parts being
bolted directly to the boiler. It looks more like a
traction engine than a railway engine. Coal and
water were carried in a tender which is a standard
gauge tender adapted for the four foot gauge.
Along with its sister engine Jenny Lind, (a famous
opera singer of the time), it was in service from
1848 until 1882 when more modern engines were
delivered and took over its duties.
Jenny Lind was unfortunately scrapped, but one of
the quarry owner’s daughters wanted to start a
small museum, so Fire Queen was put in a small
engine-shed in Llanberis. It was looked after there
by the quarry apprentices for many years, but as
the quarry’s fortunes dwindled so did the attention
given to the Fire Queen.
In 1963 an American museum wanted to buy the
loco, but Tom Rolt, founder of the Talyllyn Railway
Preservation Society, persuaded Sir John Smith,
the MP for Merioneth at the time, to buy the engine
because of its historical importance. This he did,
but it still lay in its little engine shed in Llanberis.
When the quarries were closed in 1969, a new home
had to be found for it. Fortunately the National
Trust’s Railway Museum at Penrhyn Castle was just
being formed, and Sir John Smith kindly agreed for
the locomotive to be loaned to the National Trust.
When the engine first arrived at the Castle it was in
a very sorry state after almost 70 years of neglect.
Since then the museum, assisted by many
volunteers, has lovingly repaired and repainted it to
bring it back to its former glory.
It is now part of a small but historically important
collection of locomotives and rolling stock in the
Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum.
The Museum is located in the stable yard next to
the Coffee Shop, along with a collection of model
engines and railway paraphernalia.
The Museum, stable yard, coffee shop and garden
are open daily all year round except Christmas Day
and offers a great experience for both the expert
and novice loco enthusiast.
For more information call 01248 353084
www.nationaltrust/penrhyncastle.org.uk
BH
IAC
TLC4 Design & Edit: Andrew Thomas Pictures: Ben Abbott, James King, Cătălin Munteanu, Chris Parry, Gilbert Roscoe, Eddy Reynolds, Alasdair Stewart, Andrew Thomas, Visit Wales, FR Archive
Published May 2014 by Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway, Harbour Station, Porthmadog, Gwynedd LL49 9NF
ISSN 2047-024X 01766 516024 www.festrail.co.uk