FUTURE OF THE FFESTINIOG
2020 will be a pivotal year for the Ffestiniog Railway, 150 years on from the Little Wonder trials which thrust it into the international spotlight. Following on from his look at the Boston Lodge redevelopment (SR503), explores the
New stations, engines... and extension!
“This is the year of the Ffestiniog Railway,” proclaims Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways general manager Paul Lewin. He’s not wrong.
With two ‘new’ engines – replica double Fairlie James Spooner and heavily rebuilt ‘Large England’ Welsh Pony – set to enter traffic this year, plus the recent excitement surrounding the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s initial support of the FR’s £4.2 million project to redevelop Boston Lodge works (SR502/3), 2020 is going to be a landmark in the Ffestiniog Railway’s history.
But it would be wrong to assume that life on the FR is focused purely on the Porthmadog end of the line. Far from it. All along the 13-mile route, there are many schemes aimed at improving the FR and ensuring its sustainability for at least the next 50 years.
ALL CHANGE AT BLAENAU
Take Blaenau Ffestiniog, for example. The quarries and mines nestled in the mountains overlooking the ‘slate capital of the world’ were the very reasons for the FR’s existence. Built on the site of the former terminus of the Great Western Railway’s Bala branch, the replacement station here has changed little since 1982, when services were finally reinstated over the entirety of the 13-mile route from Porthmadog, achieving the dream the early preservationists set out to fulfil back in 1954.
However, Blaenau Ffestiniog is arguably the one weak link in the FR’s otherwise enviably strong chain, and the railway would be the first to admit that the station is not the most attractive gateway to either the FR or the many attractions situated in the former quarries.
As Festiniog Railway Company chairman John Prideaux said in the railway’s in-house magazine: “The overall impression that the station gives a customer is at best utilitarian, and at worst depressing.” Hardly a ringing endorsement, but nonetheless the railway recognises Blaenau’s flaws and has identified ways to improve them. That’s something firmly on the FR’s radar thanks to two crucial catalysts: the growth of ‘adventure tourism’ in the former slate quarries, and a commitment from KeolisAmey, holders of the Welsh national rail franchise, to spend £1m on the station.
The FR station is situated alongside the terminus of the Network Rail branch from Llandudno Junction. Although commonly described as a joint station, the two termini are not actually physically connected, making it inconvenient for passengers from the Conwy Valley line to transfer onto FR services, and vice versa. Furthermore, the stations are separated from a pair of seldom-used running lines; the standard gauge run-round loop at the NR station is only used by railtours – which themselves rarely traverse the Conwy Valley branch – while the second FR platform track almost never sees a train.
Paul says: “The aim is to have a proper interchange station so trains on the Conwy Valley line arrive on one platform and our trains depart from another.”
In order to create the desired, proper interchange station, one plan is to relocate the standard gauge loop – potentially closer to the site of the former LNWR yard – remove the seldom-used second FR platform track and build in its place a split-level platform serving both NR and FR trains, with ramps to facilitate disabled access.
This would also allow for the creation of a proper joint station building, complete with booking hall and all the facilities the modern-day traveller demands and expects.
It is worth remembering that this is not an FR-led project; the Blaenau redevelopment will be done under the auspices of Transport for Wales but, says Paul: “We have submitted a paper to TfW outlining our needs and suggestions, and it’s for them to have consultants draw up some plans.”
While such reconstruction would certainly be an improvement upon the current station, it does not address one of the site’s major drawbacks: access.
When the station opened, it had been hoped that as many passengers would start their journey at Blaenau as from Porthmadog; in reality, more than twice as many journeys start at Porthmadog than Blaenau, where only approximately 20-25% of FR bookings originate.
Part of the problem is parking. While it is sited more or less in the centre of the town and has good connections to local bus services, very few people arrive here by car, primarily owing to a severe lack of parking. “Whether we like it or not, cars are the dominant access mode for visitors to the FR, and poor facilities for car users discourages potential FR passengers from starting or ending their journeys at Blaenau,” says John Prideaux.
There are a number of proposed solutions, from improving road access and increasing parking to relocating the station itself closer to the A470/A496 trunk road through the town. Nothing has been decided yet – as Paul says: “There are plans but no definite plan” – and the FR would have to contribute some funds itself, which would need to be secured, but if a way forward is agreed, a notional timescale would be 2021-24.
While the FR’s Blaenau terminus is certainly in need of attention, there is another arguably more exciting reason behind the railway’s desire to redevelop the station: it wants to rebuild a long-lost branch line…
BRANCHING OUT
Yes, the Ffestiniog Railway wants to reinstate part of the Dinas branch. Opened with the railway in 1836, Dinas served as the FR’s original northern passenger terminus from 1866 until 1870, when passenger trains instead terminated at Duffws (close to the site of the current terminus), but remained open for slate traffic until the whole railway closed in 1946. The track was lifted during the 1960s and the former trackbed has remained dormant ever since.
Why then, after 74 years, does the FR want to reopen this long-abandoned aspect of its history?
The answer lies at Llechwedd slate quarry. The growth of ‘adventure tourism’ in the quarry and associated slate caverns is a major draw for visitors to North Wales, and the FR sees the branch as a potential way of ferrying visitors from Blaenau to the quarry.
Paul says: “It’s a germ of an idea at the moment, but space is there to rebuild the branch, so it’s all achievable;
the trackbed and level crossing at Glan-y-Pwll is double-tracked so there’s no reason why we couldn’t do it.
“We have asked Transport for Wales that there is capacity to have a bay platform to allow shuttles to and from Llechwedd.”
A germ of an idea it may be, but work has already begun on clearing the trackbed to inspect its condition and ascertain what needs doing before trains can run again. “At this stage, we are trying to ensure the route between Blaenau and Llechwedd is maintained to allow for the potential reinstatement of the branch,” says Paul.
If and when the reinstatement goes ahead, shuttles will depart from the bay platform that the FR wants to include as part of the Blaenau redevelopment; the route will follow the alignment of the 1880 curve north from Glan-y-Pwll (A), and largely follow the alignment of the 1836-1899 route (B), diverting to avoid the slate tips which have encroached onto the trackbed. The present owners of that particular parcel of land (the FR company owns the existing branch from Glan-y-Pwll as far as the foot of the Holland incline, just beyond the site of Dinas station) have said they are willing to lease the land needed for the curve, while the owners of Llechwedd quarry are also prepared to lease the formation from the incline to the planned terminus of the reinstated branch.
Paul adds: “The quarry is really supportive of the idea because it’s so busy there now.”
Although Paul insists rebuilding the Dinas branch is still a long-term ambition, the railway is already investigating possible motive power for it – and it might not be steam. He says: “We’ll run steam there on high days and holidays, but we’re keen to see the shuttles using an environmentally sustainable fuel source.”
One of those potential fuel sources was planned to be on show at the railway’s ‘Fairlie Eventful’ gala in June (since cancelled owing to the coronavirus outbreak), marking the 150th anniversary of the famed Little Wonder trials which put the FR firmly on the narrow gauge map: a hydrogen fuel cell locomotive.
Developed by the Rail & Research Department of the University of Birmingham, Hydrogen Hero would have run in the new carriage shed at Boston Lodge during the event, and been a stark contrast to the rebuilt ‘Large England’ 0-4-0STT Welsh Pony, had the gala gone ahead.
There’s no guarantee that a hydrogen fuel cell locomotive will be used on the Dinas shuttles, but it indicates the direction in which the FR is heading with regards to those particular services. Would such trains be wildly at odds with the FR’s heritage image – something it has been at pains to portray in recent years – or are they in-tune with today’s ever-increasing concerns about society’s environmental impact, particularly in light of the preservation industry’s concerns over coal owing to DEFRA’s recently announced solid fuel ban?
HIGHLAND HIGHLIGHTS
That’s enough about Blaenau. What about the other end of the railway – or rather railways? This year marks the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Welsh Highland Railway, so it would be worth exploring what impact this 25-mile behemoth has had on its neighbour and ask: has it achieved what the FR wanted it to?
“Yes, without a doubt,” says Paul. “But we’ve had to work very hard to make it profitable. When we started rebuilding it, the original timetable envisaged a lot more smaller trains, but by using the Garratts and running bigger, heavier trains, that’s what has made it work.
It’s a germ of an idea at the moment, but space is there to rebuild the branch, so it’s all achievable PAUL LEWIN, F&WHR GENERAL MANAGER
“Back in the day, the doomsayers all said that, when the Welsh Highland opened, it would be the end of the Ffestiniog, or that both would ultimately suffer. Actually, we’ve seen an uplift in passenger numbers; before the WHR opened, the FR had been in gradual, gentle decline in terms of passengers since we reopened to Blaenau, but opening the WHR has created an even bigger draw for visitors to the area and passenger numbers have increased.
“Lots of people say that the FR competes with the WHR and vice versa; they don’t compete – they’re complementary. If you want a half-day out, you travel on the FR, if you want a full day, you go on the WHR,” explains Paul. “It’s normal for people to do the whole WHR on a Saturday and the FR on the Sunday morning. Many of our passengers travel on both, so we’re seeing lots of cross-pollination.”
Indeed, it would be very hard to argue that the Welsh Highland has been anything other than an unqualified success. Despite the entire 25-mile route between Caernarfon and Porthmadog being barely a decade old, the WHR is firmly in the premier league of steam railways. That status was firmly cemented on March 30 2019 when the railway opened not one but two new stations: Caernarfon and Waunfawr – one a modern building designed to meet the needs of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ 21st century customers, the other a delightful replica of one of the original WHR’s stations.
With its modern outline in stark contrast to the nearby Caernarfon Castle, design of the new Caernaforn terminus has proved controversial but, says Paul:
“It’s perfect for what we need it to do.” It is worth remembering that there was never a station here originally; indeed, there was no WHR, the original
2ft gauge line terminating instead at Dinas (the other Dinas, that is). The modern-day WHR route to Caernarfon is built on the old standard gauge trackbed.
“The big thing for the WHR at the moment is sustainability and maturity, and Caernarfon is a perfect example of that.”
As Paul points out, “We’re starting to complete old stations like Waunfawr and other heritage buildings because that’s what people want to see, and that’s a mark of maturity that we’re in a position now that we can do those sorts of things.”
Built in the style of the original North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways building, Waunfawr is a reminder that, despite the modern buildings and trackbed, and ex-South African Railways ‘NG/G16s’ and new-build carriages, the WHR has not entirely forgotten its past.
That was typified by the return of Russell – the only surviving original WHR locomotive – to the Aberglaslyn Pass, back in November 2018. That secret test run was highly symbolic, not only in that it returned the 1906-built Hunslet 2-6-2T to this emblematic part of the WHR for the first time in over 80 years, but it that it also marked a distinct thawing in historical animosity between the Festiniog Railway Company and the neighbouring Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, at which Russell is nominally based.
The spirit of collaboration between the two organisations for the benefit of both continued with the ‘WHR: Past, Present & Future’ event the following June, during which Russell hauled a number of heritage WHR trains to Beddgelert, top-and-tailed by FR ‘Small England’ 0-4-0STT Prince – an image which surely encapsulates the blossoming harmony between the ‘old rivals’. But what does that mean for the future?
“I think we’ve come to an understanding as to where each railway sits in the grand scheme of things,” says Paul. In other words, the plan is to play to each railway’s strengths. The WHHR has the heritage rolling stock, but not necessarily the resources, whereas the WHR has the resources, but not the stock.
Paul says: “I’d like to see more enthusiast-oriented trains and try to do those a couple of times a year, and we want to help enhance the WHHR’s heritage appeal.
“From a business perspective, it’s hard to make a case for enthusiast trains but from our members, volunteers and enthusiasts’ perspective, it’s something we love doing and in recent years we’re really embellished the heritage aspect of the WHR, with Russell, Waunfawr, replica carriages and so on, but such things are more for our members’ benefit than a business exercise.”
That approach is typified by the new Pickering brake third carriage currently under construction at Boston Lodge for the WHHR. It is to be dual-braked so it is compatible with both WHHR and F&WHR rolling stock. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words…
DOUBLE VISION
For anyone who still doubts the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ appreciation for history, look no further than Welsh Pony and James Spooner.
The former is an extensive rebuild of the sole surviving ‘Large England’ 0-4-0STT, while the latter is a replica of the 1872-built Avonside original, albeit updated to suit the 21st century FR. The extensive rebuild of Welsh Pony – which has included new frames, a new boiler, new cylinders and a new tender – is now on the home straight, with the locomotive now largely complete (see Narrow Gauge News), and it is planned to launch it into traffic at on June 19/20, despite the cancellation of its planned ‘Fairlie Eventful’ gala owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the motivation for restoring Welsh Pony was more conservation-minded (as it severely deteriorated owing to being plinthed outside Harbour station for many years), the idea to build James Spooner is all about sustainability, as it will replace the FR’s original preservation-era new-build double Fairlie, Earl of Merioneth, which has now been semi-permanently retired. In a classic case of the wheel coming full circle, James Spooner will run on the 1986 power bogies originally built for ‘the Earl’.
It won’t be ready in time for the gala, but James Spooner will appear later this year – a hitherto lost piece of the FR’s past resurrected for the future.
FORWARD THINKING
With concerns about coal, the environment, a shortage of volunteers and a challenging financial climate, these are uncertain times for Britain’s steam railways, but as it prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary in four years’ time, the Ffestiniog Railway is positioning itself to meet the challenges head-on.
That’s not to say the future is going to be easy – there is a nigh-on 40-mile railway to maintain (if you include the WHR), plus an increasing shortage in people with the requisite skills to keep steam-era machinery running to contend with – but the FR is already planning ahead.
If and when they happen, the developments at Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dinas will undoubtedly enhance this already impressive line, one that boasts an unrivalled heritage and which continues to make history to this day, as evidenced by the forthcoming launch of both Welsh Pony and James Spooner. As Paul says, the keystones to the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways are sustainability and maturity, and all the irons it current has in the fire are heating with those objectives in mind.
It won’t just be 2020 that’s the year of the Ffestiniog. There is a whole lot more to come.