European Railroad Discussion > The Ffestiniog Railway's Victorian Weekend

The Ffestiniog Railway has one of the best collection of Victorian railway vehicles - locomotives, passenger cars and freight (primarily slate) wagons. Many are genuine, others are reproductions but it gives the railway a true Victorian atmosphere on weekends like this when everyone enters into the spirit, dressing up in frock coats, long dresses and big hats (and that's just the engine crew!). It was also the weekend when the railway ran a special train for the subscribers to the Diamond Jubilee and Phase 5 Appeals, and a behind the scenes look at Minffordd Yard, Glan y Pwyll workshops and Boston Lodge Works, which is why I set off on Friday morning on the 225 mile four and a half hour drive from London to North Wales.

En-route I stopped off near Welshpool for this picture of the 09:30/07:24 Aberystwyth/Pwllheli to Birmingham International on the Cambrian line, normally these trains are a formed of a pair of class 158s but this service merits three. I really like MUs when they're MU'd.

Rather than head straight through Mid Wales aiming for Snowdonia I followed the Cambrian westwards and took this picture of the next westbound, the 10:09 from Birmingham International to Aberystwyth & Pwllheli, descending from the summit at Talerddig towards Commins Coch and Machynlleth in Welsh weather! The weather forecast for Friday and Saturday was sunshine and showers, for Sunday it was better; more sun, fewer showers, and that is about how it turned out.

I reached Tanygrisiau, the penultimate station before Blaenau Ffestiniog, at about 13:30. My first picture was of the normal service train, the 15:05 Blaenau to Porthmadog which was powered by the recently overhauled Double Fairlie David Lloyd George. DLG is a very good example of the railway's reproduction Victorian equipment. Ostensibly a sister to 1872 built Merddin Emrys it was in fact built at Boston Lodge in 1992 and is the most powerful locomotive on the railway. Returned to service in May this year and converted from oil to coal firing it rides on new power bogies with piston valve equipped cylinders. DLG drifts down past Rhiw Goch.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/14 14:55 by 86235.

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The first 'period' train of the weekend was hauled by single Fairlie Taliesin and consisted of one of the Victorian sets. The Ffestiniog was the first railway to acquire bogie coaches in Britain, the second car, number 15, is one of the first pair, built by Brown Marshall in 1872.

Another mainline picture. This time the 12:09 Birmingham International to Pwllheli approaching the new Pont Briwet bridge, it was problems with this bridge which had resulted in the suspension of service from Harlech to Pwllheli for eight months earlier this year.

Final picture from Friday, 0-4-0STT Prince, built in 1863, approaching the rebuilt Porthmadog Harbour Station with a rake of two axle, four wheel cars which formed the Early Victorian set



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/14 15:05 by 86235.

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The first train on Saturday was an 07:35 Quarrymens train from Porthmadog up to Blaenau. It was hauled by the other operational 0-4-0STT Palmerston. It arrived at Blaenau at 08:50.

The second train was the 09:30 to Tan y Bwlch, with the same rake that Taliesin was on the previous day. Prince was upfront.

The mist was hanging over the hills as Prince climbed towards Tan y Bwlch



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/14 14:54 by 86235.

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In the woods around Tan y Bwlch the rain and the falling leaves gave David Lloyd George some trouble starting its heavy service train - 11 bogie coaches - from the mid point watering stop

From Tan y Bwlch I hiked up to Dduallt, the location of the spiral where the railway had to build a new line in the 1970s to avoid the Tanygrisiau Reservoir, built for the Ffestiniog pump storage hydro electric power scheme. DLG is heading downhill on the Tan y Bwlch side of Dduallt, past the ruins of a cottage.

One of the joys of these events is the operation of gravity trains, using the original unbraked slate cars. Before the Ffestiniog acquired their first locomotives in 1863 operation was by gravity and horse power, the horse hauling the empties uphill then riding back with the loads, the railway having been built with a continual downgrade all the way from Blaenau. On Saturday the gravity train started at Dduallt, having been hauled uphill by Double Fairlie Merddin Emrys. Here it gets underway under the bridge carrying the line on its climb to the new formation.

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Knockout photos. Ffestiniog was one of the highlights of this summer's trip to the UK.

Later in the afternoon David Lloyd George again, this time crossing the Cei Mawr embankment - the largest dry stone wall embankment in Europe - on the 13:35 ex-Porthmadog Harbour.

A break from the Ffestiniog and a quick drive over to the Welsh Highland railway and the arrival of the 14:15 from Caernarfon, approaching Porthmadog over the flood plain of the Afon Glaslyn

Back at Porthmadog Harbour a close up of one of the slate wagons in the gravity train, as you can see there's not much to these wagons; chain link coupling, no suspension and no roller bearings

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Another shot overlooking the Cob, and Prince returning with the Victorian set, uncluding curly roof van (one of the reproduction items).

On Sunday the first train of the day was the Early Victorian set - the four wheel cars - behind Taliesin, here at Minffordd.

Minffordd Yard is the HQ of the railway's civil engineering operations. It used to be the transhipment yard for slate destined for domestic use via the Cambrian Railways. These old slate wagons are destined for a new undercover complex which the Diamond Jubilee and Phase 5 subscribers money will help pay for.

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Up at Glan y Pwyll we disembarked onto the track, all wearing our compulsory Hi Vis vests, to visit the workshops. A dedicated group of volunteers are restoring some of the railway's less glamarous equipment, like these Simplex diesel shunters and side tippler wagons used when the deviation was built. There's a large carriage shed where the railway stores much of the carriage stock over the winter, it is also home to Alco 2-6-2T Mountaineer. Built for service in WW1 Mountaineer was one of the stalwarts of the fleet during the 70s, 80s and 90s but is now awaiting a very heavy overhaul. The current priority is restoring one of the big England 0-4-STT Welsh Pony, so Mountaineer will have to wait for a year or two.

Back at Minffordd the special train with 2-4-0STT Linda awaiting the 13:35 ex Porthmadog which it was scheduled to cross. I wanted to take some more picture up country so left the special train and the walk round Boston Lodge, hopefully I'll do that in April next year when riding the Snowdonian.

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Last set. Above Tan y Bwlch DLG on the 13:35 ex-Harbour burst out of the tunnel. It's the restricted loading gauge of Garnedd Tunnel which determines what can and can't run on the railway.

In the Hafod y Lyn Woods on the Porthmadog side of Tan y Bwlch Merddin Emrys, the oldest Double Fairlie on the railway, on the final gravity train of the weekend hauling the slate wagons and occupants uphill

Final Up train of the weekend, Prince on the Victorian set on the 15:50 Harbour to Blaenau.

Hope you've enjoyed this look at this regular event on the Ffestiniog, it's great fun and well worth the effort to get to see, including the hiking

A few more pictures

http://nick86235.smugmug.com/Trains/2014/The-Ffestiniog-Railways-Victor/i-CGP8mLZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/14 00:18 by 86235.

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Wonderful post! Thanks!

Cheers,
Jack

"One of the joys of these events is the operation of gravity trains, using the original unbraked slate cars."

If the slate cars are "unbraked", how do they slow them / stop them enroute, and at the end of the line? Do they use a retarder system similar to hump yards?

Great photos of a great railroad. Wales is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been,

lynnpowell Wrote:
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> "One of the joys of these events is the operation
> of gravity trains, using the original unbraked
> slate cars."
>
> If the slate cars are "unbraked", how do they slow
> them / stop them enroute, and at the end of the
> line? Do they use a retarder system similar to
> hump yards?

Sorry I should have been clearer, some have handbrakes, others are unbraked but there's no automatic air or vacuum brake.

A wonderful photo representation of the Ffestiniog. My wife and I rode this back in 1989 and really enjoyed the trip.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed seeing them, I certainly enjoyed taking them!

Wonderful, enjoyed this picture set very much!

And special thanks for the looks to operating Garratt type loco Nick!

Nice shots of one of the world's great railways.

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots

Great pictures, thank you! I hope to visit there for the first time in the next two years. My wife has even agreed to stay at Portmerion "The Village." She just told me that I'm not allowed to walk around yelling, "I am not a number! I am a free man!"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/14 05:23 by meixel.

Very interesting and great shots to go along

meixel Wrote:
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> She just told me that I'm not allowed
> to walk around yelling, "I am not a number! I am
> a free man!"

Ha ha