View source for Welsh Highland Railway

{{Short description|Heritage railway in the Welsh county of Gwynedd}}
{{Distinguish|Welsh Highland Heritage Railway}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2012}}
{{Heritage Railway
|name           = Welsh Highland Railway<br />{{native name|cy|Rheilffordd Eryri}}
|image          = [[File:Welsh Highland Railway.png|center|300px]]
|caption        = 
|locale         = [[Wales]]
|terminus       = [[Caernarfon]] and [[Porthmadog]]
|linename       = Welsh Highland Railway Company
|builtby        = [[North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways]] (NWNGR), '''Welsh Highland Railway'''
|originalgauge  = {{Track gauge|1ft11.5in|lk=on}}
|preservedgauge = {{Track gauge|1ft11.5in}}
|operator       = [[Festiniog Railway Company]] and Welsh Highland Railway Limited
|stations       = 13 on WHR/RhE and 3 on WHHR
|length         = {{convert|25|mi|km|1}} and {{convert|0.75|mi|km|1|abbr=on}}
|originalopen   = 1922
|closed         = 1937
|stageyears     = 1961
|stage          = Welsh Highland Railway Society formed
|years          = 1964
|events         = WHR Society reformed as Welsh Highland Light Railway (1964) Limited
|years1         = 1980
|events1        = WHR Limited line opened for passenger service
|years2         = 1990
|events2        = [[Ffestiniog Railway|FR Co.]] became involved
|years3         = 11 October 1997
|events3        = WHR (Caernarfon) opened from {{Stnlnk|Caernarfon}} to {{Stnlnk|Dinas}}<ref name="phase1">{{cite web | url = http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/phase1.htm | title = Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway Phase 1: Caernarfon to Dinas, 1997 | access-date =3 September 2011 }}</ref>
|years4         = 7 August 2000
|events4        = Reopened – Dinas to {{Stnlnk|Waunfawr}}<ref name ="phase2">{{cite web | url = http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/phase2.htm | title = Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway Phase 2: Dinas to Waunfawr, 1999/2000 | access-date =3 September 2011 }}</ref>
|years5         = 18 August 2003
|events5        = Reopened – Waunfawr to {{Stnlnk|Rhyd Ddu}}<ref name="phase3opening">{{cite web | url = http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/phase3-opening.htm | title = Phase 3: Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu, 2000-3 Opening Day, August 18th 2003 | access-date =3 September 2011 }}</ref>
|years6         = 7 April 2009
|events6        = Reopened – Rhyd Ddu to {{Stnlnk|Beddgelert}}<ref name=phase4>{{cite web | url = http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/phase4/welcome.htm | title = The WHR Project: Phase 4 – Completing the Welsh Highland Railway | access-date=1 March 2009 }}</ref>
|years7         = 21 May 2009
|events7        = Reopened – Beddgelert to {{Stnlnk|Hafod y Llyn}}<ref name=phase4 />
|years8         = 27 May 2010
|events8        = Reopened – Hafod y Llyn to {{Stnlnk|Pont Croesor}}
|years9         = 4 January 2011
|events9        = Reopened – Pont Creosor to {{Stnlnk|Porthmadog Harbour}}
|years10        = 19 February 2011
|events10       = First through public passenger trains between Porthmadog and Caernarfon
}}
{{Welsh Highland Railway RDT}}

The '''Welsh Highland Railway''' (WHR; {{langx|cy|Rheilffordd Eryri}}) is a restored {{Track gauge|1ft11.5in|lk=on}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] [[heritage railway]] in the Welsh county of [[Gwynedd]]. It runs along a {{convert|25|mi|km|1|adj=on}} route from [[Caernarfon]] to [[Porthmadog]], and passes through a number of popular tourist destinations including [[Beddgelert]] and the [[Aberglaslyn Pass]]. At Porthmadog it connects with the [[Ffestiniog Railway]]<ref group=lower-alpha name=note_a /> and to the [[Welsh Highland Heritage Railway]]. In Porthmadog it uses the United Kingdom's [[Porthmadog cross town link|only mixed gauge flat rail crossing]].

The restoration, which had the civil engineering mainly built by contractors and the track mainly built by volunteers, received a number of awards. Originally running from {{rws|Dinas}}, near [[Caernarfon]], to {{rws|Porthmadog Harbour}},<ref name=BoydSC1972>Boyd (1972), pages=283</ref> the current line includes an additional section from Dinas to Caernarfon. The original line also had a branch to {{rws|Bryngwyn}} and the [[Slate industry in Wales|slate quarries]] around [[Moel Tryfan]], which has not been restored. (This branch forms a footpath "[[rail trail]]", the lower section of which has been resurfaced and supplied with heritage notice-boards.)

There is also the {{convert|3/4|mi|km|1|adj=on}} long [[Welsh Highland Heritage Railway]], which runs from [[Porthmadog (WHR) railway station|Porthmadog]] along the track bed of the former [[Cambrian Railways]] exchange siding and connects to the WHR main line at [[Pen-y-Mount Junction railway station|Pen-y-Mount junction]].

== History ==
[[File:WHR Garratt K1 at Snowdon Ranger.jpg|thumb|280px|WHR locomotive [[Tasmanian Government Railways K class|K1]], the first [[Garratt locomotive|Garratt]] articulated locomotive, at [[Snowdon Ranger railway station|Snowdon Ranger]] halt with train and Snowdonia behind]]
The original Welsh Highland Railway was formed in 1922 from the merger of two companies: the [[North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways]] (NWNGR) and the [[Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway]] (PBSSR),<ref name="whrhist">{{cite web | url = http://www2.whr.co.uk/s/history/history2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916153549if_/http://www2.whr.co.uk:80/s/history/history2 |archive-date=16 September 2008 |title=Welsh Highland Railway History: The Welsh Highland Railway| access-date=21 August 2008| first=Alun |last=Turner| publisher=Welsh Highland Railway Ltd}}</ref> successor to the [[Croesor Tramway|Portmadoc, Croesor and Beddgelert Tram Railway]]. It was never a commercial success; the carriages of the 1890s were outdated and uncomfortable for so long a ride, the journey took too long and the service had a reputation for being unreliable.

=== Forerunners: 1863–1921 ===
The [[Croesor Tramway]] had run from [[Porthmadog]] since 1863 up into the Croesor Valley and the slate quarries in this area. This was a horse-worked line laid to a nominal {{Track gauge|2ft}} gauge.

The NWNGR had originally built a {{Track gauge|1ft11.5in|lk=on}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] line from a junction with the {{Track gauge|uksg|allk=on}} [[London and North Western Railway]] line at [[Dinas, Gwynedd|Dinas]] to [[Bryngwyn Station|Bryngwyn]], with a branch from Tryfan Junction via [[Waunfawr]] to [[Llyn Cwellyn]] ([[Snowdon Ranger railway station|Snowdon Ranger]]). The line was opened in 1877 and was extended to South Snowdon ([[Rhyd Ddu railway station|Rhyd Ddu]]) in 1881, a total of {{convert|9|mi}}. This closed to passengers in 1914 but goods traffic continued up to its absorption by the WHR in 1922.

In 1902, the newly formed PBSSR took over the failed Portmadoc, Croesor and Beddgelert Tram Railway with the aim of extending it to South Snowdon slate quarry in the [[Nant Gwynant]] Pass. Work was abandoned by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, although the tunnels through the [[Aberglaslyn Pass]] were mostly completed.

=== Formation and construction: 1921–1923 ===
The name Welsh Highland Railway first appeared in 1921 when a 1914 light railway order (LRO) was processed. It was originally drawn up by the local Caernarfonshire authorities and aimed to link the PGSSR and NWNGR but had been delayed by the [[First World War]]. It was revived by two local politicians and a Scottish distillery owner, [[John Henderson Stewart|Sir John Henderson Stewart]]. In July 1921, Stewart also obtained control of the [[Festiniog Railway]], to obtain extra rolling stock for the WHR.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite book |first=Peter |last=Johnson |author-link=Peter Johnson (railway historian) |title=The Greatest Little Train |publisher=Steam Railway Magazine |issue=362 |date=May 2009 |pages=41–45}}</ref>

[[File:Beddgelert, Welsh Highland Railway, c1930.jpg|thumb|right|Welsh Highland Railway at Beddgelert, c1930 (Snowdon Mountain & Tramroad Hotels)]]
The LRO was passed in 1922, following a public inquiry. The budget was £75,000 and much of the funding was borrowed from the [[Department for Transport|Ministry of Transport]] and local authorities. According to the historian [[Peter Johnson (railway historian)|Peter Johnson]], this would become a burden as the railway needed to generate the unlikely sum of £3,750 profit each year to service the debt.<ref name="Johnson" />

Two further LROs enabled improvements to the railway's alignment at [[Beddgelert]], a new station site in Porthmadog and a link to the Festiniog Railway.<ref name="Johnson" /> [[Sir Robert McAlpine|McAlpine & Sons]] were contracted to refurbish the existing lines and complete the link between [[Rhyd Ddu]] and Croesor Junction, thus creating a railway that ran from Dinas to join the Festiniog Railway at Porthmadog.<ref name="cms.whr.co.uk">{{cite web |title=2: The WHR – Welsh Highland Heritage Railway |url=http://cms.whr.co.uk/index.php?page=history2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224034603/http://cms.whr.co.uk/index.php?page=history2 |archive-date=24 February 2012 |first=Alun |last=Turner |year=1990 |website=cms.whr.co.uk }}</ref> Like the modern day WHR, the railway was opened in stages. The former NWNGR section re-opened on 31 July 1922 and the remainder on 1 June 1923.<ref name="Johnson" />

=== Fall into receivership: 1923–1933 ===
The WHR venture was not a success and was beset with problems from the start. Indeed, 1923 was its most successful year.<ref name="Johnson" /> Much hoped-for revenue from quarry traffic never materialised as the slate industry had fallen into decline. Its passenger services were also unsuccessful and could not compete with the local bus services, which often took half the time to complete the same journey.<ref>{{Cite book | author=Klapper, Charles Frederick | title=Golden age of buses | year=1978 | publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul1984 [printing] | location=London | isbn=0-7102-0232-6 | pages=231}}</ref> Its rolling stock was out of date, it lacked locomotives and carriages and its marketing was inadequate. In 1924, winter passenger services were discontinued due to poor traffic. A dispute with the [[Great Western Railway]] over the costs of the crossing over its line at Porthmadog also caused problems, despite the crossing having been used since 1867 without any charges or problems. The railway even had to resort to escorting passengers across the crossing on foot.<ref name="Johnson" />

After 1923, it was unable to pay debenture interest and, in 1927, the county council sued and put the railway into receivership. Services continued and by 1933, it was run down and the local authorities decided to close it.<ref name="Johnson" />

=== Control by the Festiniog Railway Company: 1934–1937 ===
In 1934, the company agreed to lease the line to the Festiniog Railway Company for 42 years. It was a disaster, with the FR forced to pay rent even if the WHR made a loss.<ref name="Johnson" />

The FR Co. attempted to change the line's fortunes by re-focussing on the tourist market. This included painting the carriages bright colours, including yellow and blue, and promoting the [[Aberglaslyn Pass]] as a destination by renaming Nantmor station as [[Aberglaslyn]]. They also tried to promote round trip (return) journeys, with passengers taking the standard gauge line to [[Dinas railway station|Dinas]], travelling on the WHR and the [[Festiniog Railway]] to [[Blaenau Ffestiniog]] and then changing again to take the standard gauge railway to their original starting point.<ref name="cms.whr.co.uk" />

Despite these attempts, the FR Co. was unsuccessful: the last passenger train ran in 1936 and the last goods service in 1937. The early tourist industry did not provide sufficient visitors to make the railway pay, especially during the [[Great Depression|Depression]]. Competition from buses, which ran a faster and more regular service from [[Caernarfon]] and [[Beddgelert]], also played a part. The last passenger train ran on 5 September 1936 and, in February 1937, the FR decided not to run the WHR again.<ref name="Johnson" />

=== Fall into liquidation 1937–1941 ===
As there was no provision for the Ffestiniog Railway Company to hand back its lease and the WHR was bankrupt, the line became dormant. In 1941, the authorities decided to requisition the movable assets for use in the Second World War. Much of the rolling stock was sold off and most of the track was lifted. The [[Croesor Tramway]] section was left intact in case the slate quarries re-opened and remained until finally lifted in 1948–9.<ref name="Johnson" />

In 1943, the Ffestiniog Railway surrendered its lease and, in exchange for £550 compensation, it was allowed to keep 'Single Fairlie' ''Moel Tryfan'' (although it only paid £150).<ref name="Johnson" />

Various legal manoeuvres followed this, including a serious application to turn the route into a long-distance footpath. Although these plans were ultimately unfruitful, the statutory powers ensured that the [[track bed]] was kept mainly intact, rather than sold off bit by bit, which would have made restoration much more difficult and potentially expensive. However, some parts, such as the sites of {{stnlink|Rhyd Ddu}} and {{stnlink|Dinas}} stations, were sold off.

=== Restoration ===
{{Main|Welsh Highland Railway restoration|Welsh Highland Heritage Railway}}
[[File:Welsh Highland Railway K1 at Caernarfon station - geograph.org.uk - 2050926.jpg|thumb|right|Welsh Highland Railway K1 at [[Caernarfon railway station|Caernarfon station]]]]
The Welsh Highland Railway's restoration has a long, complicated and controversial history and includes several court cases and public inquiries.

The origins of the WHRL restoration efforts tentatively began in 1961 after disagreements within the volunteers of the [[Festiniog Railway]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Hopkins |first=John |title=The Welsh Highland Railway 1991–2003 |publisher=John Hopkins for WHR Society |orig-year=1999 |year=2003 |oclc=42445841}}</ref> Those volunteers who left the original group and a group of like-minded [[Railfan|railway enthusiasts]] joined to form ''The Welsh Highland Railway Society''. This group is the precursor of what eventually became WHR Ltd., which owns and operates the [[Welsh Highland Heritage Railway]] (WHHR). Legal problems meant they were unable to take over the old company so, in the 1970s, the group purchased the former standard gauge exchange sidings (the ''Beddgelert Siding'') near Tremadog Road, [[Porthmadog]], from [[British Railways]]<ref name="whrhistbrief">{{cite web |url=http://www2.whr.co.uk/en/heritage/brief |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616073259/http://www2.whr.co.uk/en/heritage/brief |archive-date=16 June 2009 |title=Welsh Highland Railway History: In brief |access-date=22 August 2008 |publisher=Welsh Highland Railway Ltd}}</ref> to use as a base. In 1980, they began running passenger services over the line that is now known as the [[Welsh Highland Heritage Railway]]. They also acquired an original WHR locomotive ''[[Russell (locomotive)|Russell]]'', which began working passenger services in 1987.

In the mid-1980s, a number of FR Co. employees became concerned about impact of possible competition from a rebuilt WHR and passed this view on to the FR management.<ref name="Johnson" /> In 1987, this resulted in a confidential offer to buy the WHR track bed from the official receiver for £16,000 to prevent the WHR being developed. In 1989, the offer became public, causing a backlash against the FR Co.<ref name="Johnson" />

In 1990, a change of directors resulted in the FR Co.'s decision to take over the restoration of the WHR.<ref name="Johnson" /> After a long legal battle between the two companies, the FR Co. won control of the WHR track bed and it re-opened the railway in stages, starting in 1997. The line was completed in 2011.

=== Extension ===
With Caernarfon Council having a longer-term plan to reinstate the town's rail transport link to [[Bangor (Gwynedd) railway station|Bangor]], speculation mounted that the FR/WHR would potentially later extend itself. However, the Ffestiniog Railway wrote to the council in January 2014 to confirm that they would not themselves be supportive of such a scheme in narrow gauge, but supported the reconnection of the town to the national rail network using standard gauge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/ffestiniog-railway-no-plans-extend-6556319|title=Ffestiniog Railway: No plans to extend link from Caernarfon to Bangor|work=Daily Post|date=27 January 2014|access-date=27 January 2014}}</ref>

== The present day WHR ==
The modern Welsh Highland Railway is a tourist railway owned and operated by the Festiniog Railway Company. It is longer than the original line and starts from Caernarfon rather than Dinas. The extension was built on the track bed of the former standard gauge railway. [[Dinas railway station|Dinas station]] is also built on the standard gauge railway site, rather than the original narrow-gauge site, with the line moving onto the original WHR alignment just south of the station.
[[File:WHR NG87 blue near Rhyd-Ddu.jpg|thumb|right|WHR NG87 in blue near Rhyd-Ddu]]
It is marketed by the FR Co. as ''The Welsh Highland Railway'' and ''Rheilffordd Eryri'' (In the [[Welsh language]], ''Eryri'' = "Snowdonia"). The WHR's connection to the [[Ffestiniog Railway]] means that the FR Co. controls almost 40 miles of narrow-gauge railway and it promotes both lines jointly as the ''Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways'' or ''Rheilffyrdd Ffestiniog ac Eryri''.

== The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway ==
{{Main|Welsh Highland Heritage Railway}}

The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway ([[Welsh language|Welsh]]: ''Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru'') is a {{cvt|1|mi|km}} long narrow-gauge heritage railway owned and operated by Welsh Highland Railway Ltd. (WHR Ltd.). It operates from its main station at Tremadog Road, Porthmadog to its terminus at Pen-y-Mount, where it connects to the Ffestiniog Railway Company owned Welsh Highland Railway.

WHR Ltd's primary focus is on recreating the atmosphere of the original Welsh Highland Railway. This includes replicas of original buildings, using original and replica carriages and rolling stock and the staff wearing period costume. It also has a museum at its [[Gelert's Farm Works]] and every train halts there on the return journey to allow passengers to visit it. There is also a [[miniature railway]] and a tea room at its main Porthmadog station.

=== Relationship with the Festiniog Railway Company ===
[[File:Porthmadog to Caernarfon first train 424.jpg|thumb|right|Porthmadog to Caernarfon train]]
Although WHR Ltd lost the battle for control of the WHR to the Festiniog Railway Company, they have also been involved in its restoration.

On 12 January 1998, both companies signed an agreement, commonly known as the "98 agreement".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whr.co.uk/heritage/ffr-agrmnt/98-jan-final |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322134205/https://www.whr.co.uk/heritage/ffr-agrmnt/98-jan-final/ |archive-date=22 March 2019 |url-status=live |title=Formal Agreement with FRC |publisher=Welsh Highland Heritage Railway |year=1998}}</ref> In return for dropping its objections to the Festiniog Railway Company's application to restore the railway; WHR Ltd would be allowed to construct the section of the railway from {{stnlink|Pen y Mount}} to Pont Croesor and then operate their own services over it until such time as the "Head of Steel" arrived at Pont Croesor from the north. The Pen y Mount to Pont Croesor section would then be handed over to the FR's construction company for incorporation into the rest of the WHR. Finally, in between its principal services, the FR would then operate trains from the WHR Ltd's [[Porthmadog (WHHR) railway station]] to unspecified destinations on the WHR, using WHR Ltd locomotives, rolling stock and (where possible) WHR Ltd staff. Revenue from these trains would be retained by the FR, but they would, in turn, pay a hire fee for the use of the locomotive and rolling stock and a track access fee for the use of WHR Ltd's line between Porthmadog (WHR) and Pen y Mount.

Another key part of the agreement defined the names of the two companies' operations during the period that the line was restored. The FR Co. promoted their section as ''The Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) (WHR C)'' and WHR Ltd. changed its operational name from ''The Welsh Highland Railway'' to ''The Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) (WHR P)''. When the two sections were connected in 2008, WHR Ltd. changed its operational name to ''The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway'' and the FR Co. started to promote their operation as ''The Welsh Highland Railway'' or, in a largely Welsh-speaking area, ''Rheilffordd Eryri''.

In the end, WHR Ltd was only able to build around a third of the way to Pont Croesor, with trains terminating at a location known as [[Traeth Mawr Loop]] (opened in 2007). The reasons behind this and the consequences, which continue to be a subject of debate, led directly to a breakdown of relations between the two companies in 2008. Since then efforts have been made to improve relations and these are still ongoing.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

== Welsh name ==
The original railway did not have an official Welsh translation of its name, despite the fact that North Wales has always been a heartland for the Welsh language. Local people tended to refer to it by informal names such as ''Y Lein Bach'' or ''Lein Bach Beddgelert'' (the little [[Beddgelert]] railway).

The restored railway is  known as ''Rheilffordd Eryri''.

== Rolling stock ==

=== Original locomotives ===
Two locomotives were inherited from the predecessor companies: ''[[Moel Tryfan (locomotive)|Moel Tryfan]]'' and ''[[Russell (locomotive)|Russell]]''. When these proved insufficient, Baldwin ''590'' was acquired by [[H.F. Stephens]] and several Festiniog Railway locomotives saw regular use on the Welsh Highland Railway throughout its entire pre-closure existence from 1923 to 1937. ''590'' was planned to be part of a larger fleet to replace ''Moel Tryfan'' and ''Russell'' but it gained so little popularity that Stephens never bought another. By 1936 ''Moel Tryfan'' was out of use at [[Boston Lodge]]. When ''Russell'' and ''590'' were withdrawn the following year, they were placed in Dinas shed, but when the Second World War broke out, the Ministry of War came to see about appropriating them for the war effort. After some examination of the engines and questioning of those who had worked them, ''Russell'' (regarded as a good engine) was removed for further use, and ''590'' (seen as an unreliable, rough rider with difficult controls and inadequate adhesion) was broken up at Dinas. Despite the unpopularity of ''590'', the WHHR (Porthmadog) is currently refurbishing a similar Baldwin to act as a replica.

During the ownership of the WHR by the Festiniog Railway Company, ''Moel Tryfan'' and ''Russell'' were cut down to allow them to traverse the Festiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog. ''Moel Tryfan'' proved suitable, but ''Russell'', even in cut down form, was not low or narrow enough to fit the FR's highly restrictive [[loading gauge]]. ''Russell'' is now owned by WHR Ltd and has been restored to its original profile. ''590'' notably retained its original form until its demise.

{|class="wikitable"
!Name or Number
!Wheel arrangement
!Builder
!Date built
!Notes
|-
|''[[Moel Tryfan (locomotive)|Moel Tryfan]]''
|{{nowrap|{{whyte|0-6-4|T}}}}
|[[Vulcan Foundry]]
|1875
|ex-[[North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways]]
|-
|[[Russell (locomotive)|''Russell'']]
|{{nowrap|{{whyte|2-6-2|T}}}}
|[[Hunslet Engine Company]]
|1906
|ex-[[Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway]]
|-
|''590''{{sfn|Whitehouse|1969|p=35}}
|{{nowrap|{{whyte|4-6-0|PT}}}}
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]] USA
|1917
|ex-[[War Department Light Railways]]
|}

=== Current rolling stock – Welsh Highland Railway ===
{{See only|List of Welsh Highland Railway rolling stock}}

=== Current rolling stock – Welsh Highland Heritage Railway ===
{{See only|List of Welsh Highland Railway Ltd rolling stock}}

== Operation ==
[[File:S1 BWH10-8-02.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Ffestiniog Railway No. 2 ''Prince'' works the heritage set in 2002 on the WHR]]

The railway is a [[Single track (rail)|single track]] line with [[passing loop]]s at {{Stnlnk|Dinas}}, {{Stnlnk|Waunfawr}}, {{Stnlnk|Rhyd Ddu}}, {{Stnlnk|Beddgelert}} and {{Stnlnk|Pont Croesor}} halt. There is also a loop at {{Stnlnk|Hafod y Llyn}}, which is normally locked out of use as a stabling point for engineering trains.

As with any single track railway, there are strict rules managing the movement of trains to prevent more than one entering a section. The line is managed from a single "[[Rail traffic controller|Control]]" office at [[Boston Lodge|Boston Lodge Works]], which also performs the same task for the [[Ffestiniog Railway]]. Control is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of trains, logs train movements on a train graph and acts as a single point of contact in emergencies. A system of [[Token (railway signalling)|tokens]] is used to control train access to single line sections.

Communication between train crew and Control always occurs using a landline at stations. There is no in-cab radio system and current regulations forbid use of such whilst in motion. As a backup system only, the guard carries a company [[mobile telephone]] for use in an emergency. This is not a primary system as cellular coverage is intermittent over the length of the line. [[His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate]], the organisation responsible for safety on British railways, insists on landlines as the main form of safety critical communication.

=== Signalling ===
[[File:WHR NG87 Afon Glaslyn.jpg|250px|thumb|A WHR train with [[South African Class NG G16 2-6-2+2-6-2|NG G16]] No. 87 passing the bridge over [[Afon Glaslyn]].]]
The WHR at present has two systems for block section control. The original [[Token (railway signalling)#Staff and Ticket|Staff and Ticket]] system is slowly being phased out in favour of a more flexible [[Token (railway signalling)#Electronic token systems|Electronic Token System]] (ETS).

'''Staff and Ticket'''

To enter any section of line still controlled by Staff and Ticket, the train crew must obtain permission from Control and the relevant [[Token (railway signalling)|token]]. Each section of line is a token ''block section''. The WHR uses the traditional Staff and Ticket system in which trains can either be issued with the section token staff or a numbered ticket. Tickets allow multiple trains to pass through a section in one direction one-at-a-time. The Controller advises the train crew which method they will be using. Tickets are kept in a locked box opened by a key on the token staff. This means the last train must use the token staff to pass through the section, so it can be used for trains to travel in the opposite direction. For additional protection, both the footplate crew and the guard must see the token or ticket before the train can depart.

==== Electronic Token System ====
One of the disadvantages of the staff and ticket system is that it is very inflexible. If a locomotive fails in a station, for example, a token staff may be at the wrong end of a section and will have to be moved by road. This situation does not occur under the Electric Token System (ETS), a more advanced system in which tokens can be obtained at either end of a section from a token instrument.

ETS has been used on the [[Ffestiniog Railway]] for many years and the FR Co. were anxious to obtain enough ETS instruments to equip the WHR. After a long search, sufficient ETS equipment to operate the entire railway has been obtained from the Irish railway company [[Iarnród Éireann]]. The equipment became redundant after Iarnród Éireann modernised its signalling systems in the early 2000s.<ref name="RailPep">{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaypeople.com/rail-news-articles/engineering-the-welsh-highland-railway-re-build-1595.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604152007/http://www.railwaypeople.com/rail-news-articles/engineering-the-welsh-highland-railway-re-build-1595.html |archive-date=4 June 2016 |title=Engineering the Welsh Highland Railway re-build |publisher=RailwayPeople.com |date=15 August 2008 |access-date=27 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/news.asp?dismode=article&artid=244 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915060841/http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/news.asp?dismode=article&artid=244 |archive-date=15 September 2008 |title=FR Company Information Release|publisher=Festiniog Railway |date=30 August 2008|access-date=30 August 2008}}</ref>

During the reconstruction of the WHR it was believed that installing cabling along the track bed would not be needed and the decision was made not to install cable ducts under any of the crossings. As a result traditional ETS as it was originally designed could not be installed without considerable civil engineering to install new ducts along the railway. Subsequently the FR Co. developed a more modern alternative method of connecting the ETS machines over the internet called microETS.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/microETS.html|title=The MicroETS system}}</ref>

'''Shunt Token'''

At all intermediate stations an additional "Shunt" token is used to allow shunting to take place (such as a locomotive "running round" a train). The shunt token can only be withdrawn (used) with permission from Control and if there are no trains approaching the station in the adjacent single line sections. Withdrawing the token prevents other trains from entering the station.

'''ATOTP'''

The majority of the points at passing loops are operated automatically using the Automatic Train Operated Trailable Points (ATOTP) system, rather than a manually operated lever or point motor. These work via a weighted lever and [[Hydraulic cylinder|hydraulic ram]] located in a cabinet to the side of the points. When a train is entering a station the weight holds the points in the normal position, allowing a train to pass over without a traditional [[facing point lock]] (FPL). When a train has obtained a token and has permission to leave the station loop it trails through the points, pushing them into the desired position, and causing the weighted lever to be lifted. In order to minimize damage to the points and wheel flanges of the rolling stock the hydraulic ram is used to slowly lower the weight back into its resting position over the course of 15–18 seconds.

==== Cae Pawb – The Cambrian crossing ====
Just outside Porthmadog, the railway crosses the [[Network Rail]]-owned [[Cambrian Line|Cambrian Coast Line]] using a [[Level junction|flat crossing]]. It existed on the old Welsh Highland Railway and was the source of much conflict between the old company and the [[Great Western Railway]] over the cost of WHR trains using the crossing. On the modern WHR, the crossing is called Cae Pawb. Cae Pawb means "everybody's field" and is a reference to the nearby field of allotments.

Information, from the engineers involved, is that the Network Rail line crosses on solid steel billets to the same head, foot and height measurements as the adjacent standard gauge rail, but that the narrow gauge crosses on rail of a similar section which is joined on either side in succession to 80&nbsp;lb/yd (36&nbsp;kg/m) rail and then to the normal 60&nbsp;lb/yd (30&nbsp;kg/m) rail used for the narrow gauge.

Cae Pawb is at the north-western end of the Network Rail [[Harlech]] to [[Porthmadog]] signalling section, which is controlled from [[Machynlleth railway station|Machynlleth Control Centre]]. Standard gauge trains are protected by signals and wide-to-gauge trap points on the WHR line, which are interlocked with the standard gauge [[European Rail Traffic Management System]] (ERTMS) signalling. The crossing is activated locally and ERTMS automatically gives permission for WHR trains to cross provided the standard gauge section is available. A crossing controller operates the crossing when passenger trains are running, with operation at other times being carried out by the train crew.

A set of replica white wooden crossing gates separate the narrow-gauge line from the standard gauge track and continue the Network Rail boundary fencing. They are left open when a crossing controller is present. The gates open inwards to prevent them blocking the standard gauge line. A replica signal box was constructed for this crossing but has now been installed at Pen y Mount to control the junction with the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway.

==== Porthmadog cross-town link ====
{{Further|Porthmadog cross town link}}
South of the Cambrian crossing, WHR [[Porthmadog cross town link|cross town link]] trains move direct to Porthmadog Harbour, where passengers alight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/maps/whrcl-ctrl-schematic-v2.pdf|title=Cross Town Rail Link Schematic|publisher=Ben Fisher|access-date=14 August 2010}}</ref>

At Harbour Station there is a platform between the Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog lines so that passengers may transfer from one train to the other. There are also the usual facilities including a respectable eating house.

=== Timetable ===
Historically, the WHR was split into two operational sections:<ref name="BSO">{{cite web|url=http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/phase4/bedd-sta.htm|title=Beddgelert (2): The Station|publisher=Welsh Highland Railway|access-date=14 August 2010}}</ref>
* '''Dinas''' to '''Beddgelert''' and '''Beddgelert''' to '''Porthmadog''' (using present day form)

For the 2009 timetable operation, a "two set" operation was employed, with rolling stock being based at Dinas. During the year, operations were extended from Rhyd Ddu: first to Beddgelert on 7 April 2009,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/beddgelert-opening.htm| title = Reopening to Beddgelert }}</ref> and then to Hafod y Llyn on 21 May 2009,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/hafodyllyn-opening.htm | title = Reopening to Hafod y Llyn }}</ref> site of a small halt on the original line. Although passengers could board and alight at Hafod-y-Llyn, its remote location meant that it could only be accessed by self-sufficient walkers and cyclists as there were no parking or other facilities at the halt and the platform was very short. It closed when {{Stnlnk|Pont Croesor}} was opened in 2010.

The Festiniog Railway Company had, at one point, planned to open the entire railway in 2007. Delays from government processes, an epidemic of [[foot-and-mouth disease]] and funding restrictions meant that the opening was repeatedly delayed, with the full opening not happening until 2011. The line could not be opened to Beddgelert until the track left the national park at Pont Ynysferlas; this restriction was imposed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority to be sure that the railway really meant what it said, but this suspicious attitude lost the railway a year's income from Beddgelert. From the end of May 2010, the line was extended a further {{convert|3|mi}} to {{Stnlnk|Pont Croesor}}. Shortly thereafter the railway announced that as it had approval for service by the Safety Directorate of the [[Office of Rail Regulation]] (ORR), the remaining section would be completed before the end of September 2010. The cause of this sudden rush was the transition from legislation enshrined in the Railways and Other Transport Systems (Approval of Works, Plant and Equipment) Regulations 1994 (ROTS) to new legislation enshrined in the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS). This should have happened in 2006, but heritage railways gained an extension of the transition period to 1 October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/599/pdfs/uksi_20060599_en.pdf |title=The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 |year=2006 |publisher=UK Government}}</ref> It was foreseen that this change in regime would bring additional costs to the railway, so it was decided to complete the line before that date. A minor delay was incurred by the necessity to build a new culvert where the new Porthmadog A487 bypass road was being built.

Following the visit from the ORR on 15 October 2010, approval was given for passenger operation. On 30 October 2010 the first passenger trains, departing from Caernarfon to Porthmadog and return, were operated for the benefit of sponsors of the project.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11658206 Video of Inaugural "Through" Train]</ref> The commissioning of the ERTMS signalling on the [[Cambrian Line]] was completed during a possession from Harlech to Pwllheli between 24 and 27 October.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Cambrian ERTMS ready to go live|journal=[[RAIL (magazine)|Rail]]|issue=656|date=3 November 2010|page=13}}</ref>

As a result of the A487 [[Porthmadog bypass]] works, the Ffestiniog Railway was severed just east of Minffordd station from 3 January to 16 February 2011 to build a new bridge. Therefore, the regular winter FR trains were scheduled to operate from Porthmadog to {{Stnlnk|Hafod y Llyn}}.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.festrail.co.uk/timetable-fr.htm?mn=3&sm=3-0 | title = Ffestiniog Railway Winter Timetable January to April 2011 | access-date = 20 February 2011 | archive-date = 21 March 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130321043735/http://www.festrail.co.uk/timetable-fr.htm?mn=3&sm=3-0 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The first through services between Caernarfon and Porthmadog Harbour station began on 19 February 2011, with regular services recommencing from 27 March 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.festrail.co.uk/timetable-whr.htm?mn=3&sm=3-1 | title = Welsh Highland Railway Timetable January to April 2011 | access-date = 20 February 2011 | archive-date = 22 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110722212901/http://www.festrail.co.uk/timetable-whr.htm?mn=3&sm=3-1 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

=== Whole of line operations ===
Although, with completion of the main track laying it is now possible to run trains from {{Stnlnk|Caernarfon}} through to {{Stnlnk|Blaenau Ffestiniog}},<ref name=BoydSC1972 /> there are initially no plans to do so on a regular basis. The WHR is built to a slightly larger [[loading gauge]] than the [[Ffestiniog Railway]] and therefore through trains would, of necessity, be exclusively of FR stock.

{{See also|List of Welsh Highland Railway rolling stock}}

=== Accidents and incidents ===
*On 4 March 1881, a passenger train was blown off the line near Snowdon Ranger Halt. The sole passenger on board was injured.<ref name=LM050381>{{Cite news |title=Gale and Snowstorm |newspaper=Liverpool Mercury |location=Liverpool |date=5 March 1881 |issue=10343}}</ref>
*On 10 June 2018, whilst hauling a passenger train, locomotive 143 was derailed near Clogwyn y Gwin South foot crossing due to the failure of part of the suspension of the front bogie. There were no injuries amongst the 74 passengers and seven staff on board.<ref name=RAIB0718>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-digest-062018-clogwyn-y-gwin-south-foot-crossing/derailment-of-a-passenger-train-near-clogwyn-y-gwin-south-foot-crossing-welsh-highland-railway-10-june-2018 |title=Derailment of a passenger train near Clogwyn y Gwin South foot crossing, Welsh Highland Railway, 10 June 2018 |publisher=Rail Accident Investigation Branch |access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref>
*On 16 April 2019, the diesel locomotive ''Vale of Ffestiniog'' passed a signal at danger and entered a single line section without authority while travelling light engine from Dinas to Porthmadog. The locomotive did not have sufficient brake force to stop on the steep downhill gradient through Beddgelert, as a result of in-house modifications to the brake system and poor adhesion conditions. There were no injuries, and no damage was caused.<ref name=RAIB0220>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-02-2020-runaway-locomotive-at-beddgelert-north-wales-16-april-2019 |title=Runaway locomotive at Beddgelert, North Wales, 16 April 2019  |publisher=Rail Accident Investigation Branch |access-date=4 October 2022}}</ref>
*On 19 December 2021 a derailment occurred on the bogie of the fourth passenger coach (no. 125), just after crossing Brynyfelin River Bridge. The line was closed for two days to recover the train.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

== Stations ==
{{Main|List of stations and halts on the Welsh Highland Railway}}

=== Original ===
* {{stnlnk|Dinas}}
* {{stnlnk|Tryfan Junction}}
** {{stnlnk|Rhostryfan}}
** {{stnlnk|Bryngwyn}}
* {{stnlnk|Waunfawr}}
* Bettws Garmon<ref name="whrroute">{{cite web
  |url=http://www2.whr.co.uk/en/heritage/history3
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505234710/http://www2.whr.co.uk/en/heritage/history3 |archive-date=5 May 2008 
  |title=WHR History - Chapter 3: The Route Described
  |year=1990
  |first=Alun |last=Turner
  |publisher=Welsh Highland Railway Ltd
}}</ref>
* Salem Halt<ref name="whrroute" />
* {{stnlnk|Plas-y-Nant}}
* {{stnlnk|Snowdon Ranger}} (aka Quellyn Lake)
* {{stnlnk|Rhyd Ddu}} (aka South Snowdon)
* Pitts Head<ref name="whrroute" />
* Hafod Ruffydd Halt<ref name="whrroute" />
* [[Beddgelert railway station|Beddgelert]]
* [[Nantmor railway station|Nantmor]]
* Hafod-y-Llyn Halt<ref name="whrroute" />
* Hafod Garregog Halt<ref name="whrroute" />
* Croesor Junction<ref name="whrroute" />
* Ynysfor Halt<ref name="whrroute" />
* {{stnlnk|Pont Croesor}}
* Portmadoc New (1933) station<ref name="whrroute" />
* Portmadoc New (1923) station<ref name="whrroute" />
* {{stnlnk|Porthmadog Harbour}}

=== Restored Welsh Highland Railway / Rheilffordd Eryri ===
* {{stnlnk|Caernarfon}} 0 miles (0&nbsp;km) Inaugural Train departed 11 October 1997
* {{stnlnk|Bontnewydd}}
* {{stnlnk|Dinas}} 2.7 miles (4.3&nbsp;km)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://web.bethere.co.uk/steven.harris/gradient/grad0.htm |title=Map<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=24 April 2011 |archive-date=23 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723044905/http://web.bethere.co.uk/steven.harris/gradient/grad0.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{stnlnk|Tryfan Junction}} Sponsors' Train stopped here in 2010. Reopened in 2011.
* {{stnlnk|Waunfawr}} 6.5 miles (10.4&nbsp;km)
* {{stnlnk|Plas-y-Nant}}
* {{stnlnk|Snowdon Ranger}}
* {{stnlnk|Rhyd Ddu}} 12.1 miles (19.4&nbsp;km)
* {{stnlnk|Meillionen}} (Forest Campsite)
* {{stnlnk|Beddgelert}} 16.8 miles (27.0&nbsp;km)
* {{stnlnk|Nantmor}} (opened 27 May 2010)
* {{Stnlnk|Hafod y Llyn}} (closed)
* {{stnlnk|Pont Croesor}} 22.3 miles (35.9&nbsp;km) (opened 27 May 2010)
* {{stnlnk|Pen-y-Mount Junction}} 23.9 miles (38.4&nbsp;km) (not open, WHR platform to be built)
* {{stnlnk|Porthmadog Harbour}} 24.7 miles (39.7&nbsp;km) Inaugural Train arrived 30 October 2010

=== Welsh Highland Heritage Railway / Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru ===
* {{stnlnk|Porthmadog (WHHR)}}
* {{stnlnk|Gelert's Farm Halt}}
* {{stnlnk|Pen-y-Mount Junction}} (current terminus)
* [[Traeth Mawr Loop]] (Never a station. Temporary terminus loop in 2007 & 2008, now removed.)

== See also ==
* [[British narrow-gauge railways]]
* [[Slate operations on the Welsh Highland Railway]]
* [[South African Class NG G16 2-6-2+2-6-2]]
* [[South African Class NG15 2-8-2]]
* [[Two foot gauge railways in South Africa]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist |group=lower-alpha |refs=
<ref name=note_a>The spelling of many [[Welsh placenames]] has changed over the past 50 years, as use of the [[Welsh language]] and modernised spelling has gained ground. For example, "Ffestiniog" has replaced "Festiniog".</ref>
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Boyd-SCaerns1}}
* {{Boyd-SCaerns2}}
* {{cite book |last=Carter |first=Ian |date=2008 |title=British Railway Enthusiasm |location=Manchester |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-6566-8}}
* {{cite book |author=Hopkins, John C. |title=Rheilffordd Eryri/The Welsh Highland Railway: 1991 to 2003, 4th edition 388pp |publisher=The author|year=2003}}
* {{Johnson-IHJW}}
* {{Johnson-PWHR}}
* {{cite book |author=Turner, Alun |title=The Welsh Highland Railway: A History, 4th edition|publisher=Stenlake Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-84033-263-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Waite |first1=James |title=Narrow Gauge Through Porthmadog |series=Narrow Gauge Album No. 6 |date=2023 |publisher=Mainline & Maritime |location=Chippenham, Wilts, UK |isbn=9781900340861 |url={{GBurl|3cOWzgEACAAJ}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Whitehouse |first=P.B. |title=Steam on the Shed |year=1969 |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing]] |location=[[Shepperton]] |isbn=978-0-7110-0080-3 }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Welsh Highland Railway}}
* [http://www.festrail.co.uk/ Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways – official site]
* [http://www.festrail.co.uk/timetable-whr.htm?mn=3&sm=3-1 Welsh Highland Railway timetables] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722212901/http://www.festrail.co.uk/timetable-whr.htm?mn=3&sm=3-1 |date=22 July 2011 }}
* [http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/index.htm Welsh Highland Railway – official construction site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428032915/http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/index.htm |date=28 April 2012 }}
* [http://www.isengard.co.uk/ Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway – unofficial site]
* [http://www.welshhighlandrailway.net/history1.htm Welsh Highland Railway History]
* [http://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/WHR WHR Current and Historic Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826053108/http://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/WHR |date=26 August 2012 }}
* [http://www.whr.co.uk/ Welsh Highland Heritage Railway – official site]

{{Festiniog Railway Company}}
{{WHR}}
{{Ffestiniog Railway}}
{{Heritage railways in Wales}}
{{Historical Welsh railway companies}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Welsh Highland Railway| ]]
[[Category:Beddgelert]]
[[Category:Betws Garmon]]
[[Category:Bontnewydd, Gwynedd]]
[[Category:Caernarfon]]
[[Category:Dolbenmaen]]
[[Category:Llanfrothen]]
[[Category:Llanwnda, Gwynedd]]
[[Category:Porthmadog]]
[[Category:Heritage railways in Snowdonia]]
[[Category:Narrow-gauge railways in Snowdonia]]
[[Category:1 ft 11½ in gauge railways in Wales]]
[[Category:HF Stephens]]