The Ffestiniog Railway, Wales
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:16 PeterT |
![]() Authorised, by Act of Parliament, as "The Festiniog Railway" (note the original spelling), in 1832; the railway opened on 20th April 1836, as a horse-drawn tramway, linking the slate quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog with the quays at Porthmadog, from where it was shipped to a variety of destinations. Initially, trains descended by gravity on the average gradient of 1/80, with horses used to haul the loaded slate wagons across the flat embankment (The Cob) which formed the final section of the journey. Horses were used to return the empty wagons to the quarries. An increasing demand for roofing slates required one of two solutions, and steam locomotives were introduced, in 1863, rather than doubling the line through difficult mountain terrain. The slate industry was in serious decline before WWII, and the railway closed, for good, in 1946. As it happens, that was just the end of one chapter in the Ffestiniog Railway's long history. In 1954, the Festiniog Railway Society came into existence, with the intention of re-opening the line to Blaenau Ffestiniog. This massive project was completed, in stages, by 1982. What we see, today, is a tourist railway, running through magnificent scenery, utilising some locomotives and rolling stock from the Victorian era. In this gallery, images will be grouped, by grid square, starting at the harbour station of Porthmadog, and finishing at the mountain town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. This will assist the logical editing of images, to provide a "journey" along the line. [Topic currently unlocked] |
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Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:16 PeterT |
SH5738![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Some "Quirks and Curiosities": ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:18 PeterT |
SH5837![]() ![]() ![]() Boston Lodge works: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:19 PeterT |
SH5838![]() ![]() Just scrapes into this grid square: ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:19 PeterT |
SH5938![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Volunteers' hostel: ![]() Interchange sidings: ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:20 PeterT |
SH6038![]() ![]() ![]() Quirks and Curiosities: ![]() ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:20 PeterT |
SH6039 |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:21 PeterT |
SH6139![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:22 PeterT |
SH6240![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Fri, 1 Oct 2010 17:22 PeterT |
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