WHR Stop Press
Welsh Highland Railway Society
Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Group (Link fails continuously)
Brian Garrett Photography (Link fails 10 Nov 2021)
Welsh Highland Railway - The Welsh Highland Railway, running through the beautiful scenery of Snowdonia National Park and the Aberglaslyn Pass, is a wonderful place to visit. Two ex-South African Railway (SAR) NGG16's Garratt steam locomotives, numbers 138 and 143, both ran the length of the railway between Porthmadog and Caernarfon during this particular day in August 2019.
The revival and restoration of the Welsh Highland Railway is one of the greatest heritage railway achievements of the 21st Century, yet its success followed more than one hundred years of failure. Supported by public loans, its first incarnation combined the moribund North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways, some of the abandoned works of the Porthmadog Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway, and part of the horse worked Croesor Tramway. Opened in 1923, it was closed in 1937 and the track was lifted in 1941. Serious talk of revival started in the 1960s but restoration did not start until 1997, with the neighbouring Ffestiniog Railway at the helm, supported by generous donors and benefactors, the Millennium Commission, the Welsh Government, and teams of enthusiastic volunteers. Author Peter Johnson steers a course through the railway's complicated pre-history before describing the events, including a court hearing, three public inquiries, and a great deal of controversy, leading to the start of services between Caernarfon and Porthmadog in 2011. A postscript describes post-completion developments.
The rebuilding by the Ffestiniog Railway of the Welsh Highland Railway, Rheilffordd Eryri, a narrow gauge line through the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, was one of the most controversial of the millennium projects. In this paperback illustrated album, compiled by the East Anglian Group supporting the Welsh Highland Railway from the photographs and memories of their members, the changes and memorable events (both positive and negative) that have occurred on the WHR between 1994 and 2019 are shown.
Only two books on the Welsh Highland Railway are shown here but a search of Amazon Books found 18 other titles about the railway.
Step 1: To download this Wallpaper click on the small photo above which will enlarge it. After it is enlarged to its full size use your mouse to right click on the enlargement and a dialog box will appear. Within the dialog box select the option "Save image as..." A second dialog box will pop up showing the folders on your personal computer. Select your desired folder then click on the "Save" button. The image will then be downloaded to your computer.
Step 2: To install the image as Wallpaper on your screen right click on the Windows Start Button and select Settings - Personalization. Select the Browse button to locate the image where you previously saved it and Choose the image. Windows will install the image for you.
I would like to point out a number of photos in this article were used without naming the photographer who took them. The photo image files did not contain any reference to the photographer's name, consequently, there was no credit given with the photo as would normally happen when the photographer is known. My apologies if you have been offended. My posting to the Welsh Highland Group on Yahoo generated an immediate response to this article by Dan Crow. I wish to thank him for his comment below:I have a correction for the Welsh Highland Railway story:
"In 1877 he completed a line between Caernarfon and 5 miles from Dinas" - the initial NWNGR/WHR did not start at Caernarfon. A standard gauge line ran from Caernarfon to Afon Wen via Dinas. The NWNGR started at Dinas and the initial railway ran from there to Bryngwyn. A branch was opened in 1878 to Snowdon Ranger which was extended to Rhyd Ddu in 1881.
Dan Crow - 1 Nov 2009.
