The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways have cemented their place in heritage railway history with a spectacular four-day celebration marking the 70th anniversary of preserved passenger services on the Ffestiniog Railway.
Coinciding with the national Railway 200 campaign, the Railway 200 – FR Platinum Jubilee Weekend drew thousands of visitors to the stunning landscape of North Wales, showcasing more than two centuries of railway innovation and community spirit.
On Sunday, history was made with the headline event: the 200 Wheels on the Cob Cavalcade.
Twenty-five locomotives, many in steam, paraded across the iconic Cob embankment, cheered on by spectators and narrated by railway historians Tim Dunn and Anthony Coulls.
The celebratory moment culminated in Prince, the first engine in the Cavalcade, breaking through a ceremonial banner held by young local supporters.
The line-up of engines, spanning over 230 wheels in total, was a powerful visual tribute to 200 years of railway heritage.
Spanning four days, the spectacular event entertained both railway enthusiasts and first-time visitors with a packed programme of re-enactments, vintage rolling stock, historical locomotives and unforgettable photographic moments.
The event began with a poignant recreation of the very first preserved passenger service from 1955, complete with original carriages, chain-shunt manoeuvres and a special appearance by one of the few surviving volunteers from that pivotal day, Rob Smallman.
From the nostalgic to the groundbreaking, the event traced the evolution of the preserved railway through themed train services, heritage goods wagons, and a thrilling six-mile downhill gravity train ride running back from Dduallt.
Each day celebrated a chapter in the railway’s story from the earliest preservation efforts to the engineering feats of the Deviation line and the enduring work of modern-day volunteers.
Set within the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Slate landscape of North Wales’, the Ffestiniog Railway is the world’s oldest narrow-gauge railway with almost 200 years of history, taking passengers on a 13½-mile journey from the harbour in Porthmadog to the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Historic trains climb over 700 feet from sea level into the mountains through tranquil pastures and magnificent forests, past lakes and waterfalls, round tight bends clinging to the side of the mountain or tunnelling through it.
The Welsh Highland Railway is the UK’s longest heritage railway and runs for 25 miles from Caernarfon, past the foot of Snowdon and the picture postcard village of Beddgelert, then through the stunning Aberglaslyn Pass and on to Porthmadog.
Visit: www.festrail.co.uk
