European Railroad Discussion > Ffestiniog Ry, Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog-Wales (Jul '26)

According to the local museums, the Ffestiniog was the most successful of the slate carriers.
It ran from the slate mines and quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniong down to the harbor at Porthmadog.
The railway originally used horse power to take the empty slate carts up to the mines.  Once the slate was loaded in the freight cars (wagons), the horses would ride downhill to the port in a seprate horse car.
The Ffestiniog was an early adopter of narrow gauge steam power.
Here are some pics from July 2026:
1. The line is high above the river
2. Abandoned mine, with the slide used to bring slate down to the loading area
3. Train ready to return downhill from Blaenau Ffestiniog

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4. Note this narrow gauge railway (1 ft 11-1/2 in) has outer guide rails in certain spots
5. This line has a loop over itself; this is Ddualtt, showing the track at the lower level of the loop
6. View of the upper level bridge that forms the loop. The loop was created after a line relocation/rebuilding 

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7. Gateman at a manual crossing gate
8. Over-and-under station at Minffordd. The ramp at right is for passengers to transfer from the Ffestiniog Railway to the standard gauge line below.
At left are some narrow gauge remnants.

Thanks for looking

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