We rode from Beddgelert to Caernarvon and back, on a wet day! The railway also runs from Beddgelert to Portmadoc, which is reputedly the a very scenic section, especially through the Aberglasyn Pass. We will have to do that trip another time. All views taken from the train.
The Welsh Highland Railway is Snowdonia’s newest railway....a spectacular 25 mile scenic route between Caernarvon Castle and Portmadoc Harbour. The trains - hauled by the world's most powerful narrow gauge steam locomotives, mainly sourced from South Africa - climb from sea level to over 650ft on the foothills of Mount Snowdon. The majority of the engines are steam, however diesels are used times.
The Welsh Highland Railway came about from an amalgamation, in 1922, of several old railway developments in the area, some dating back as far as 1828. It was in trouble from the start as from 1923 its patronage began to decline every year. The passenger service became seasonal and the goods service ran only as and when required. The slate industry was declining, tourists began using charabancs and locals the buses, and cheap ex-military lorries came on the market. The railway somehow battled on until the last passenger train ran on 5th September 1936. In 1941 much of the railway’s equipment was requisitioned for the war effort. After the war there were several plans to turn the route into a long-distance footpath. Although they were never carried out they were probably the reason that the trackbed remained mainly intact.
In the early 1960s the first determined efforts to revive the railway began, but little progress was made until 1993 when the Welsh Highland Railway Society was formed to focus volunteer efforts for its reconstruction. In 1997 work started on an additional section between Dinas and Caernarfon which had been closed by British Rail in 1964 and then became a cycle track. Progress since then has been hampered by the foot and mouth disease epidemics, but after a visit by the Prince of Wales, the railway was opened as far as Rhyd Ddu on 18th August 2003. Further sections have since been completed and opened in stages until the complete route to Portmadoc Harbour came into operation this year (2012).
The funding of over £14 million for this restoration came from the Millennium Commission, European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Development Agency, Wales Tourist Board, the Welsh Assembly, the EU, sponsorship from the WHR Society and private donations. There are still station buildings to be completed, new carriages to be built and the ongoing task of maintaining 40 miles of track and 80 miles of fencing.