Welsh Highland Heritage Railway

The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (formerly Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog)) is the operating name (from February 2009) for the railway and registered charity that operates from a base on the northern outskirts of Porthmadog, in north west Wales. The parent company name is Welsh Highland Railway Limited.

History

The origins of the WHRL lie in a small group of railway enthusiasts, including some disgruntled volunteers from the Festiniog Railway, forming the Welsh Highland Railway Society in 1961,^[1] to preserve and rebuild the original WHR which had operated from 1922 to 1936. Construction of the line started in the 1970s following the acquisition of land from British Railways running alongside the Cambrian Coast line at a location known as Beddgelert Sidings. A substantial works and engineering facility has been constructed on the site of the former farm that was situated in the triangle of land between the Beddgelert Siding and the Cambrian Coast Railway. The works have been expanded with newly constructed shed accommodation in addition to the utilisation of some of the original farm buildings, which include one of the oldest buildings in Porthmadog. There has been, for some time, a museum part to the works tour, and from 2009, with construction of a new building, this will be more than doubled in size, and its nature.

The original Welsh Highland Railway has been reconstructed by the Festiniog Railway Company and the Welsh Highland Railway Limited. Both companies will have running rights over the WHR main line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog Harbour and the WHHR branch from Pen-y-Mount Junction to the existing WHR Ltd. station in Porthmadog. The precise terms of these running rights, however, is not yet settled.

Operations

The railway currently operates a frequent service from March to November from their main station, which is located opposite the Network Rail station in Porthmadog on Tremadog Road. Trains run for 1-mile (1.6 km) to Pen-y-Mount Junction, where the railway connects with the WHR mainline On the return journey, the train stops at Gelert's Farm halt, allowing passengers to visit a museum and a miniature railway.

For 2007 and 2008, an additional short section of line was in use between Pen-y-Mount Junction and Traeth Mawr Loop. This line was built as part of an agreement signed in 1998 with the Ffestiniog Railway and allowed WHR Ltd. to run on the original Welsh Highland Railway trackbed for the first time. As part of the agreement, the section closed and became a construction site when the Ffestiniog Railway constructed WHR mainline from Caernarvon was connected in 2008.

Stations

• Porthmadog (WHR) railway station
• Gelerts Farm Works Halt
• Pen-y-Mount Junction railway station
• Traeth Mawr Loop (no passenger access - Temporary 2007-2008)

Rolling stock

See also

• British narrow gauge railways
• South African Class NG 15 2-8-2

References

Further reading

• Various, (1961-2008). The Journal. Welsh Highland Railway Ltd. 
• Boyd, James I.C. (1988). Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 1. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1365-6. OCLC 20417464. 

• Boyd, James I.C. (1989). Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 2: The Welsh Highland Railway. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1383-4. OCLC 145018679. 

• Hopkins, John C. (2003). Rheilffordd Eryri/The Welsh Highland Railway: 1991 to 2003, 4th edition 388pp. The author. 
• Johnson, Peter (1999). Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway. Ian Allan Publishing Lts. 
• Johnson, Peter (2003). An Illustrated History of the Welsh Highland Railway. Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-565-5. 
• Turner, Alun (2003). The Welsh Highland Railway: a History, 4th edition. Stenlak Publishing. ISBN 1-84033-263-8. 

Videos

• Train going through Cynfal Crossing
• Opening of Traeth Mawr Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
• Pen-y-Mount

External links

• Welsh Highland Heritage Railway - official site
• More technical and historical information
• Welsh Highland Railway (C) - official site
• The Welsh Highland Railway Project - official construction site
• Welsh Highland Railway - unofficial construction site
• The Pont Croesor Extension
• Welsh Highland Railway History
• Live.com map of route