Ffestiniog Railway
Place, Caernarfonshire
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One of the Great Little Trains of Wales, this
and the Welsh Highland Railways run on 2ft (some say 1ft 1.5 inches) gauge
line.
Currently the Ffestiniog operates over a 13½ mile of track, linking with the national
network at Minffordd, and at Blaenau Ffestiniog. By 2009 the plan is for you to
be able to travel for 40 miles from Caernarfon right through to Blaenau
Ffestiniog on narrow gauge steam railways. The link between Caernarfon and
Porthmadog is currently under construction.
The
Ffestiniog Railway is
the oldest independent railway
company in the World it was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832. It
was built as a gravity and horse drawn line to transport slate from the quarries
in the mountains around Blaenau Ffestiniog. The slate industry flourished, as
did the railway and the town of Porthmadog. Slates from Blaenau Ffestiniog were
exported all around the world, a lot of it in ships built in Porthmadog.
It opened as a horse-drawn tramway in 1836 to
transport slate from the Blaenau Ffestiniog quarries to the harbour at
Porthmadog, the horses hauling the empty wagons to the top of the line, then
riding down on the 'Dandy' wagon at the rear of the train. The increase in
cargoes (100,000 tons by the 1890s) led to the introduction of steam locomotives
from the middle of the 19th century.
This railway introduced many
innovative engineering solutions to cope with the rapid increase in output
from the quarries and in the number of passengers it carried. Engineers from
around the world came to study the Ffestiniog Railway and, as a result, it
has influenced the design and construction of railways in many countries.
It now travels through areas of Snowdonia
not accessible by road so providing an interesting opportunity to see these
areas.
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Planning Grid
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Location: |
Ffestiniog Railway,
Caernarfonshire |
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Grid Reference: |
SH 570383 |
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Getting there: |
The station is situated on the A487 at the
eastern end of the town |
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Access: |
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Parking: |
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Facilities: |
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Things To Do,
See and Photograph: |
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What to take: |
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Nature highlights: |
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Address: |
Ffestiniog Railway, Harbour
Station, Porthmadog, Gwynedd |
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Postcode: |
LL49 9NF |
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Telephone: |
01766 516000 |
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Opening times: |
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Charges: |
(Some, other options available)
All Day Rover (round trip Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog or vice
versa), Adult £17.50; Concessions £15.75;
Half-way trip (To/from Tan-y-Bwlch from Porthmadog or Blaenau
Ffestiniog) Adult £10.80, Concessions £9.75
Travel First Class in Observation Car or traditional vintage carriage
compartments for additional charge of £4.00 (single), £8.00 (return),
(Concessions £3.60 Single, £7.20 Return)
Early Bird and Sunset Fares Valid on the 0840am and 6.20pm departures
from Porthmadog. £13.20 (Adult); £11.90 (Concessions)
Children under 3 travel free, One child 3-15 years
travels free with each paying adult, while additional children travel
half-fare.
Dogs and bicycles £2.50
Special
Three-in-One ticket - giving one return journey on any three days in seven
on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) and the
Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog). The fares are £32.00 Adults and £29.00
Concessions. Children £16.00. |
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Photo Restrictions: |
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Other Restrictions: |
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Special Needs Access: |
Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog
stations have ramped access and specially adapted toilet facilities.
Carriages on some trains have extra wide doors for standard width
wheelchairs. Advance notice is required. |
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Special Needs Facilities: |
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Children Facilities: |
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Dogs Allowed: |
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CIN Page Ref: |
Ffestiniog_Railway |
Date Updated: 06/2008 |
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can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always
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