The Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog)

The Railway Today

The Welsh Highland Railway's Russell

Porthmadog is a picturesque Welsh town situated 'in the corner' where the Lleyn peninsula meets the main welsh coast, a delightful tourist centre in its own right the town also boasts three railway stations. The earliest and perhaps the most famous is the Ffestiniog Railway's Harbour Station but Porthmadog also has a Railtrack station linking it to the national rail network and, just across the road, the Welsh Highland Railway's new station.

The Welsh Highland is very much a railway in process of restoration, currently under a mile separates the railways headquarters from its more remote terminus at Pen y Mount farm but the rail journey, normally behind historic steam haulage, is well worthwhile. Included in the fare is a tour of the fascinating works at Pen y Mount where the restoration effort is based and coaches and other rolling stock may be seen in the process of restoration.

The Ffestiniog railway also have their own restoration project proceeding from the other end of the line at Caernarfon and their efforts recently received a massive boost when a bid for lottery money to restore the railway was successful, with this influx of funds there is hope for rapid progress towards a meeting of the two projects and reopening of the entire line. This project has its own page on Narrow Gauge Pleasure which you can find here.

Although the Welsh Highland Railway is quite short it was once amongst the longest narrow gauge railways in the country and many are striving to extend it back into its former haunts. Until recently the trackbed in the Aberglaslyn are was used as a footpath but now work is affot to restore this area to a working railway. I would suggest that anyone visiting the area of the railway should take the time to visit the pass of Aberglaslyn near Beddgelert which is a place of great scenic splendour.

For further information:

Visit the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) web pages.

History and Origins

The history and origins of the railway are covered on a seperate page, this is because I now have a WHR page for each of the two ends of the railway, I look forward to the day they become one!