Steaming Through the Mountains

BRITISH NARROW GAUGE STEAM AT ITS PEAK!
ROBIN JONES
PEAK!ITSATSTEAMGAUGENARROWBRITISH
JONESROBIN
STEAMINGTHROUGHTHEMOUNTAINSROBINJONES
9 781906 167523
0 0 6 9 9 >ISBN:978-1-906167-52-3 £6.99
This is the first in our EUROVISIONS series - an informative guide to contemporary railway operations in
mainland Europe. We begin with the steam-operated narrow gauge system of the former German
Democratic Republic because it is utterly fascinating - a plethora of locos working at full bore, making lots of
noise and putting out loads of clag while running through some of the most beautful countryside in Europe.
The programme starts with the numerous lines in the Saxony area around Dresden, then moves to the
fantastic Harz mountain system before finishingon the Baltic coast. Stunning footage is supported by
detailed area and route maps, a 'how to get there' guide and an informative commentary. Whether you
are planning to visit the area or simply to sit back and enjoy the action from yourliving room, EUROVI-
SIONS ONE is the perfect introduction to the narrow gauge of East Germany.
Lines Featured:
Preßnitztalbahn 750mm gauge
Jöhstadt - Steinbach
Fichtelbergbahn 750mm gauge
Cranzahl - Oberwiesenthal
Museum Schönheide 750mm gauge
Schönheide - Stützengrün
Zittauer Schmalspurbahn 750mm gauge
Zittau - Jonsdorf & Oybin
Weißeritztalbahn 750mm gauge
Freital Hainsberg - Dippoldiswalde
Lößnitzgrundbahn 750mm gauge
Radebeul Ost to Radeburg
Döllnitzbahn 750mm gauge
Oschatz - Glossen
Harzer Schmalspurbahne 1000mm gauge
Wernigerode - Nordhausen - Quedlingburg
Rügensche BäderBahn 750mm gauge
Göhren - Lauterbach Mole
Mecklenburgische Bäderbahn 900mm gauge
Kühlungsborn - Bad Doberan
A third volume for those who like their entertainment loud, dirty and steamy. A superb selection of shots
shows everything from humble tank locos on private railways to the brand-new Tornado charging along
Britain’s main lines. Some 60 different types feature in a stunning array of steamy fun.
Highlights include: 70013 Oliver Cromwell at Severn Tunnel Junction; 75029, 76079 and 80135 on the 1 in
49 climb between Grosmont & Goathland; 92212 on the Mid-Hants; 71000 Duke of Gloucester on Dainton;
5690 Leander at Gargrave; 6024 at Teignmouth; 30777 Sir Lamiel at Pangbourne; 46115 Scots Guardsman
on Shap; 6100 Royal Scot on the West Somerset; 45212 at Oxenhope; 7822 at Trebles Holford; Jinty 47324
at Summerseat; Prairie 5643 at Carrog; 44422 at Hailes; 957 on Oakworth bank; 69621 departing from
Dunster; 662 at Blue Anchor; 8F 48151 on the Wick line; 49395 at Ropley; 63601 at Mytholmes; 62005 at
Beasdale; 61994 at Strathcarron; Tornado on the former Eastern, Western and Southern Regions; 34067 &
70013 on the Folkestone Harbour branch; 34070 Manston on the Swanage Railway; 60019 Bittern on
Stoke Bank; 34059 at the Bluebell; 6233 climbing Shap; 35028 on the VSOE; 34007 at Ropley; 60009
Union of South Africa at Durham; evocative dusk shots of 70013, 46233, and 4965 & 5043; 34046 &
34028 double-heading at Bicknoller; a pair of Black 5s on Whiteball; 2968 & 7325 on Filton Bank . . . and
much more. Post free price is £19.95.
Please note: Carry On Clagging 3 - Steam Edition and Eurovisions both feature, motion menus,
chapter points and of course our commentary-off optionSteaming Through the Mountains | 3
Author:
Robin Jones
Design:
Leanne Cropley
Anita Waters
Fran Lovely
Front cover:
Darren Hendley
Production editor:
Janet Richardson
Production manager:
Craig Lamb
Brand manager:
Sarah Downing
Publisher:
Dan Savage
Commercial director:
Nigel Hole
Advertising:
Carol Woods
Business development director:
Terry Clark
Managing director:
Brian Hill
Published by:
Mortons Media Group Ltd,
Media Centre, Morton Way,
Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR.
Tel: 01507 523456
Printed by:
William Gibbons & Son,
Wolverhampton
ISBN 978-1-906167-52-3
A HERITAGE RAILWAY
PUBLICATION
STEAMING THROUGH
THE MOUNTAINS
6 The Jewel of Tywyn
TheTalyllyn Railway
14 The Ffantastic Ffestiniog
The Ffestiniog Railway
26 Great Slate!
Quarry lines including the Padarn and
Penrhyn railways and the Llanberis
Lake Railway.
34 Journey to the top of Snowdonia
The Snowdon Mountain Railway
42 Beyond the ‘end of steam’
The Vale of Rheidol Railway
48 The Corris comeback
The Corris Railway
50 Beneath England’s highest peak
The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
58 The earl and his countess
The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway
66 Island of steam
The Isle of Man, Groudle Glen and Great
Laxey Mines railways.
72 Through the Aberglaslyn pass:
The greatest railway adventure of
them all?
The Welsh Highland Railway
84 Trams to Glyn Ceiriog
The Glyn Valley Tramway
Chapters
88 Across the roof of England!
The South Tynedale Railway
92 An awakening in
North Devon
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
100 Through the sand dunes
The Fairbourne Railway
104 From Slate to Shoreline:
Alongside the lake of beauty
The Bala Lake Railway
108 Towards Britian’s
highest tunnel
The Brecon Mountain Railway
110 Snowdonia in Exile!
The Launceston Steam Railway
113 Further adventures of a
Penrhyn pair
The Teifi Valley Railway
116 Hebridean steam
The Isle of Mull Railway
118 Himalayan heaven
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
126 The one that got away!
The Leek & Manifold Valley
Light Railway
130 High in the Lowther Hills
The Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway
Earl of Merioneth made history in 1979 when it became the first double
Fairlie to be built by the Ffestiniog Railway in the 20th century. ROGER DIMMICK/FR
© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be
produced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or any information
storage retrieval system without prior
permission in writing from the publisher.
4 | Steaming Through the MountainsYet it was the adaptation of steam to run on
lines of 2ft gauge or less that opened up many
new horizons, not just for the quarryman but
also the tourist.
It may have fallen flat on its face in 1936
first time round, but in 2009, the Welsh
Highland Railway, a 26-mile steam highway
from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, won a
clutch of national awards, even before it was
fully opened throughout.
The awesome scenery along the route
culminating in the Aberglaslyn Pass and its
many tunnels is breathtaking beyond belief,
and those who followed in the footsteps of
Tom Rolt many generations later had restored
no less than one of the world’s greatest
mountain routes of them all. It easily
competes with the legendary British-built
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which as
highlighted in this volume, still makes
steepest of mountains and go where no
railway has ever gone before.
Steam on the narrow gauge as we know it
began with the slate industry, which was as
important to the post-Industrial Revolution
economy of North Wales as coal mining was
to the south.The introduction of steam
locomotives by pioneer railways like the
Festiniog revolutionised the transhipment of
goods in such difficult terrain, where horse
and gravity traction had hitherto been the
only economic options.
It must be remembered that the world’s
first demonstration of a steam locomotive, by
Trevithick in 1804, took place on a narrow
gauge railway; that is, one where the rails were
narrower than the later ‘standard gauge’ of 4ft
81
⁄2in. In the case of the PenydarrenTramroad,
a short hop from today’s Brecon Mountain
Railway, the gauge was 4ft 4ins.
S
ixty years ago, a canal and motor car
enthusiast calledTom Rolt switched his
attention to steam railways, and
founded the preservation movement.
Theacornthatwasplantedbythewriterofa
lettertoaneveningnewspaperin1949ledtothe
TalyllynRailwaybeingsavedfromclosure18
monthslater,andgrewintothetoweringtree
thatistoday’spreservationmovement,withmore
than120operationallinesandmuseumvenues.
Rolt wrote a book called Railway
Adventure. However, what he accomplished
on theTalyllyn was just the start of a far
bigger adventure, one that would soon eclipse
even his wildest dreams
The heritage railway sector is a great British
success story, which was built on a far greater
one: not just the invention of the steam
locomotive by RichardTrevithick two
centuries ago, but its adaptability to climb the
Once the highest point on the Southern Railway, Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 0-4-0 well tank Sid defies the Arctic blasts on Exmoor to
steam into Woody Bay on Saturday 20 February 2010. TONY NICHOLSON/L&BSteaming Through the Mountains | 5
excellent use of Manchester-built steam
locomotives today.
When I was midway through grammar
school, I completed an English project on the
narrow gauge railways of North Wales. My
teacher reluctantly gave me top marks, while
remarking that it was a technical subject that
really did not fit within the remit of his class.
Nevertheless, I still went on to study
Shakespeare and Dickens and obtain an
English degree, and ended up as founding
editor of Heritage Railway magazine.
Back then, the preservation movement was
just 20 years old; and in Wales, apart from the
Snowdon and Vale of Rheidol lines which had
always operated over their entire length, the
Talyllyn, Welshpool & Llanfair were still
extending to the present terminii, while very
much behind the scenes there were stirrings
that spawned the Bala Lake and Llanberis
Lake railways. While the odd magazine advert
suggested the Welsh Highland could be
revived, few ever thought it possible – but
look what we have today!
We have compiled a splendid portfolio of
narrow gauge upland lines, not just in their
‘homeland’ of North and central Wales but
right across the country.
If you never visit another heritage railway
again, just take the time out to ride on the
Welsh Highland – it really is too magnificent
for words.
Visit the superbly restored time capsule
that is Woody Bay station on the Lynton &
Barnstaple – and soak up the wonderful
ambience near the top of Exmoor.
Experience the breathtaking vistas of
the Snowdon Mountain Railway, or the
sylvan glades of the Vale of Rheidol and its
fabled waterfalls.
Ride in the immaculate Victorian
coaches on the Talyllyn and see just what
inspired Tom Rolt to kick-start the whole
movement.
And if you fancy writing the next page in
the great 'Railway Adventure' yourself, try
rebuilding a line for yourself: there are some
excellent revival schemes, such as the twin-
pronged Glyn ValleyTramway restoration
and that of the Penrhyn Railway, not to
mention the L&B.
For me, I’m not only happy finally
updating that school assignment 40 years on,
but delighted to now be able to expand it to
cover the rest of the British highlands and in
one case, the Himalayas.
So here is a steamy celebration of six
decades of solid achievement – and rest
assured, there is more to follow!
Robin Jones
The centenary of the birth of railway preservation pioneer Tom Rolt was marked by a
special VIP train on 11 February 2010. Lined up at Tywyn Wharf are, left to right, No 7 Tom
Rolt, No 3 Dolgoch (the ‘engine that started it all’) and No 4 Edward Thomas. ROBIN JONES
A superbly restored Talyllyn Railway slate wagon at Tywyn Wharf station. Slate quarrying
and mining was a principal driving force behind the use of steam locomotives on narrow
gauge railways in the mid-19th century. ROBIN JONES
T
oo many of us today take theTalyllyn
Railway for granted. With around
120 heritage railways and museum
centres operating in the British Isles, it is so
easy to forget that once upon a time there
was just one.
And since the advent of cheap
Mediterranean package holidays in the 70s
brought a sharp downturn in the British
holiday market, and families deserted ‘rainy’
Wales by the planeload, it is refreshing to
revisit the coast of Cardigan Bay on a sunny
day, and be reminded again of the sheer
beauty of the glaciated slate valley through
which the Afon Fathew makes its way to join
the bigger Afon Dysynni running fromTal-y-
llyn Lake to the sea... overlooked by its tiny
but unique railway.
Extended by the revivalists who took it over
in 1951 to seven-and-a-quarter passenger-
carrying miles in 1976, it is small beer when
compared to the likes of the 20-mile-long
West Somerset Railway, the North Yorkshire
Moors Railway, which due to the popularity
of theTV drama series Heartbeat carries
around 350,000 passengers a year and now
runs over the main line to the coast at Whitby,
or the Great Central Railway at
Loughborough, the world’s only double track
standard gauge heritage line.
Yet all of these owe theTalyllyn an
enormous debt of gratitude, for the little 2ft
3in gauge line in central Wales kick-started
today’s preservation movement.
Was it the lure of vintage steam which
brought its saviours from Birmingham to
Tywyn in 1950, or was it the beautiful
landscape through which the little railway
runs like the slenderest piece of golden thread,
or maybe the unique combination of both?
It is too easy, spoiled by nowadays having
so many heritage railways to visit, for some
enthusiasts having ridden on theTalyllyn to
think “been there, done that”, strike it off
their list to do and rarely return. Indeed, its
rare gauge means that it is severely restricted
in terms of visiting locomotives or the
acquisition of new engines to add extra
repeat visit appeal; and unlike many of its
counterparts in the heritage sector, it cannot
physically extend any further, and so what
you see today is pretty much what it will be
like in 25 years' time or more.
YettheTalyllynisarailwayforallseasons.
Onethatdeservesmanyareturntrip:themood
ofthevalleychangeswiththeweather,anda
placidmountainstreamcanwithinhoursturn
toaragingtorrent.Thelinereallydoesdeserveto
bevisitedinallseasons,whenthemagicalnew
vistasthatsuddenlyopenupcanbesavoured.
Foritispartandparcelofatrueromanceof
thelandscape,andatimelessgemin
itself.Offeringsuperbvisitor
facilities,itmaybe
consideredaperfect
heritageline.
The jewel of Tywyn
A line-up of engines in Tywyn Wharf yard on 11 February 2010 to mark the
centenary of the birth of Talyllyn Railway saviour Tom Rolt. They are, from left
to right, No 7 Tom Rolt, No 2 Douglas and No 4 Edward Thomas. ROBIN JONES
xxxxxx | xx
The Talyllyn story of course does not
begin in 1951, when the volunteers began
running public services, but in the local
slate industry.
In 1843, a slate quarry opened at Bryn
Eglwys, in the lofty heights above the
village of Abergynolwyn.The slate was
carried by packhorse to the wharf
at Pennal, transferred to boats for a river
trip to Aberdyfi (Aberdovey) and was
loaded onto ships, a complicated procedure
which limited the quarry's output.
With Lancashire textile manufacturers
looking for new ways of making money
following the outbreak of the American Civil
War, which cut off supplies of cotton, the
lease of the quarry was bought in 1861 by the
McConnells family of Manchester, who then
sought a more cost-effective way to swiftly
transport the slate.They looked at existing
narrow gauge railways like the Festiniog and
Corris, which had been designed and built
purely to carry slate, with passenger traffic
being introduced later.
The standard gauge Aberystwyth & Welsh
Coast Railway, later part of the Cambrian
Railways main line and subsequently the
Great Western Railway, reachedTywyn in
1963, so McConnell decided to build his line
from the quarry toTywyn, the nearest point
where slate could be transferred to the
standard gauge railway.
James Swinton Spooner, whose father had
designed and built the Festiniog and whose
brother had introduced steam locomotives to
it, was commissioned to draw up plans for the
8 | Steaming Through the Mountainsnew railway. However, this one was to be
different from the others that had gone
before, in that from the outset it was to carry
both passengers and freight.
Building began in 1864, and under the
terms of an Act of Parliament passed on 5
July, 1865, a passenger railway was laid
betweenTywyn and Abergynolwyn with a
goods-only extension to what is now Nant
Gwernol. From the terminus, three cable-
hauled inclines took wagons up to and down
from the quarry, and there was also a cable-
worked incline down to Abergynolwyn
village, which very usefully kept the residents
supplied with coal.
Two new locomotives were ordered and
built by Fletcher Jennings of Whitehaven,
and were delivered toTywyn in 1864 and
1866.They were an 0-4-2 saddle tank, No 1
Talyllyn, and No 2 Dolgoch, an 0-4-0 well
tank. Four carriages and a guards van were
also built along with several wagons.
Captain HenryTyler from the Board of
Trade inspected the line in September 1866
and made several recommendations, one
being that carriage doors should only open on
Since 1957, the railway has operated its own postal service, with letters and postcards
being collected from Tywyn Wharf, Dolgoch Falls and Abergynolwyn stations.
ROBIN JONES COLLECTION
No 2 Dolgoch on an up train in Dolgoch Woods. ALEX EYRES/TRSteaming Through the Mountains | 9
one side because of the tight clearances.This
unusual state of affairs remains the case today.
In October 1866, the railway began an
unofficial passenger service, despite not
being authorised by the Board ofTrade and
with passengers being carried 'at their own
risk' and possibly free of charge until the line
was officially sanctioned. In November that
year,Tyler reinspected the railway after
which he approved its formal opening for
passenger service.
The first public passenger timetable was
issued in December 1866 and the first
purpose-built, steam-worked, narrow gauge
public railway in Britain opened for service.
There were stations at Pendre and
Abergynolwyn with the halt
at Rhydyronen opening 1867, followed
by Brynglas and Dolgoch Falls in 1873.
The 2ft 3in gauge was shared by only three
other public railways in Britain: ‘sister line’
the Corris Railway, the subsequent but short-
lived Plynlimon & HafanTramway at nearby
Talybont and the Campbeltown &
Machrihanish Light Railway which crossed
the Mull of Kintyre.
The line was a success in its early years,
helping the quarry expand production greatly,
and in 1880, Bryn Eglwys employed
300 workers and was producing 8000 tons of
finished slate per year, all exported via the
railway. Passenger traffic was also substantial,
rising from 11,500 passengers carried in 1867
to more than 23,000 in 1877.
Late Victorian times saw more and more of
the new breed of tourists, wealthier families
with more leisure time on their hands,
discover the delights of mid-Wales, and they
used charabancs to bridge the gap taking in
theTalyllyn and Corris railways viaTal-y-llyn
Lake and Cadair Idris, returning via the
Cambrian Railways main line.
However, in the 1880s, demand for slate
declined and brought hardships to many
smaller quarries like Bryn Eglwys, where
production had halved to 4000 tons by 1890.
Despite a brief flurry of demand in 1896
when strike action at Penrhyn Quarry in
North Wales led to a new lease of life for
smaller quarries elsewhere, and added
investment by McConnell, the overall
downward trend continued, and when his
lease on Bryn Eglwys ended in 1910, there
seemed nobody willing to take it on.
Many families in the locality faced ruin
because of the closure of the quarry. Happily,
a benefactor was found in the form of local
landowner Henry Haydn Jones who bought
the company in 1910, the same year he
became Liberal MP for Merioneth.
He reopened the quarry in January 1911,
but had no money to invest in it, and it had to
rely on producing the harder-to-sell hard slate
from the broad vein, while resorting to the
dangerous practice of narrowing the columns
that supported the roofs of the underground
chambers of the narrow vein which was
comprised of the more marketable soft slate.
The national housebuilding boom
following World War One saw production rise
to around 4000 tons a year, while the growing
tourist market saw summer passenger levels
rise to the point where slate wagons with
planks of wood fitted to form crude bench
seats were pressed into service to cope with
demand. An unusual tourist servi...