On Track To 150 Years Of Welsh History
By David Ellis
In 1863 a partnership of Welsh businessmen thought it would be a good idea to
cart slate from the Welsh inland mountains to the loading wharves on the coast
for export using steam trains. There were those from England who had a good
laugh over this idea. One of those was Robert Stephenson, who emulated his
father, the pioneering George Stephenson, as a railway engineer and locomotive
builder, and the engineer and builder of the Great Western Railway in England,
Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
England Dandy Railway Wagon. National Railway
Museum
The reason these eminent engineers were skeptical was because they were
building train tracks in England a comfortable 4-feet-8½-inches wide
(1,435mm) allowing powerful locomotives to haul passengers and freight in
comfort and speed whereas the proposed Welsh railway would comprise weak
unstable tracks only two-feet (597mm) wide.
The criticism was because it was believed and engines running on
such narrow gauge track would not have sufficient power to pull wagons loaded
with heavy slate. They believed it to be unsafe and a folly. But the demand for
slate was booming so the Welsh businessmen purchased four tiny steam engines for
their Ffestiniog Railway Company (Rheilffyrdd Ffestiniog Ac Eryrl in Welsh).
Prior to this their trains were powered simply by draught horses and
gravity.
Wales Ffestiniog Railway Fairlie at
Porthmadog
And now, because of that investment in the narrow gauge railway and the
introduction of those Lilliputian-size steam engines, Ffestiniog is the
world's longest surviving railway company. It is a member of The Great Little
Trains of Wales. In March 2013 they celebrate their sesquicentennial (150 year)
anniversary. It is a major tourist attraction and, together the Welsh Highland
Railway, they are expected to carry around 300,000 passengers a year.
One of those first steam engines that went into operation in 1863 and called
Princess is currently undergoing a make-over to play a role in the celebrations.
Interestingly since 1981 the Princess has been an attraction in a bar at an
Welsh pub.
Wales Princess in Spooners Bar
The trains were originally introduced to speed up productivity. Slate laden
wagon used gravity on their downhill journey to the Porthmadog wharves where
they were unloaded and hauled back uphill to the mine by horse, a distance of
around 21 kilometres. This process took an exceeding long time and as the
demand for slate increased so did the need to complete the round journey
quicker, and hence complete more trips in the same time.
Wales Narrow Gauge: The Princess c1871
The steam trains proved an instant success not only in the haulage of slate
but also in the transporting of passengers on the return trip when the wagons
were empty. The company soon saw the opportunity to increase their income so
began charging passengers for the trip. This lead to the introduction of tiny
passenger carriages that were added to the slate wagons.
Over time though, slate as a building material, loss of overseas markets
following the two world wars, the growth in the use of motor cars and the
introduction of charabancs (open-air, long wheel based sightseeing
vehicles), the tiny trains of the Ffestiniog Railway became out-dated and
run-down leading to the closure of the railway in 1946.
But dedicated rail affectionados are a hardy lot and refused to let it sink
and between 1954 and 1982 worked tirelessly and with no monetary reward to
refurbish the line and it's nine stations to attract tourists. Their work was
not without its challenges as part of the track had to be diverted four
kilometres around a newly built dam which required the blasting of a new 280
metre tunnel through granite.
Wales Ffestiniog Railway
As part of the restoration works three of the original steam engines were
restored and put back on track together with other original rolling stock,
including a "one of its kind" double-ended Fairlie. The service runs between
Ffestiniog to Porthmadog and traverses the breathtaking Snowdonia National
Park.
Unfortunately the Princess was not up to the task of hauling carriages along
the route but was recently moved to London to be spruced up to take part in the
150th anniversary celebrations of the world's premier narrow gauge steam railway
line.
You'll find further details at www.festrail.co.uk.
Wales Ffestiniog Railway Dwarfed by the Mountains
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