The Railway Magazine – August 2019

84 •TheRailway Magazine•August2019

Preservation history made

at WelshHighlandgala

FFESTINIOG&WelshHighland
Railway’s (Ff&WHR) June 21-23
Welsh HighlandRailway –Past,
Presentand Futuregalatitle
referenced the 21st anniversary
of Ff&WHR trains running out
of Caernarfonand the newly
opened station buildingat the
terminus.
However, this gala carried
muchgreatersignificancefor the
‘future’element.
That relations between
Ff&WHR andWelsh Highland
HeritageRailway (WHHR) have
been difficultover theyears is
no secret.This eventshowcased
mutualco-operation and
evidencesuch problems are
beingconsignedto history. The
PeaceDividendwassignificant
and highly memorable.
Theheadline actwas WHHR’s
Hunslet 2-6-2TRussell,the
only surviving originalWelsh
Highland steam locomotive,
workingregular shuttle services
top-and-tail withaFfestiniog
locooverthe southern section of
the revived WHR.
Russellranthrough
AberglaslynPass to Beddgelert,
the first public trains it had
worked over thisroutesince
1937, and aside from the private
test operations last November,
this wasthe first time it had run
on WHR metals since2000, when
it worked between Caernarfon
and Waunfawr with‘Single-Fairlie’
Ta liesin.

Russellspecials

Twosold-out off-timetable

evening trainsfeatured

Russellhauling WHHR’s Welsh

Highland carriages from WHHR’s

Porthmadog station through

Pen-y-MounttoBeddgelert.

These trains,which many

believed theywould never see,

weresymbolically huge,and

presentedwholly air-braked

trains runningover an otherwise

vacuum-brakedrailway thanks

to F&WHR modifying itsown

regulatory regime to enable itto

happen.

Porthmadogto Pont Croe sor

top-and-tail shuttles also

stoppedat Pen-y-Mount,

enabling passengersto make

cross-platformexchanges with

WHHR trains.

These trainsfeatured the

WarOfficeLocomotiveTrust’s

Hunslet 4-6-0T No.303, which

had narrowly missed beingready

to appear at FfestiniogRailway’s

major Hunslet gala lastyear,and

FfestiniogRailway’s Baldwin

2-4-0DMMoelwyn,to produce

an appropriately FirstWorld War

top-and-tailcombination on the

Friday.

GrahamFairhurst’s Baldwin‘10-

12-D’4-6-0T No.608 (originally

No.1058) BLW45190/1917was

billedto debutat theevent (RM

April), butrestor ation wasnot

completed in time,its place

being filledby Ff&WHR locos.

Residentlocos seen onvarious

trains on the sections between

Porthmadog andBeddgelert

–the lineat thecentr eoft he

gala (normal servicetrains ran

over the full length of WHRto

Caernarfonand FRto Blaenau

Ffestiniog)–included England

0-4-0STTsPrinceandPalmerston,

‘Single-Fairlie’0-4-4TTa liesinand

new-build 2-6-2TLyd.

Operations on the WHHR

featured Ffestiniog-based

Hunslet 0-4-0STsBritomartand

Hugh Napiertop-and-tailing

Ffestiniogfour-wheel coaches,

alternating withresidentBagnall

0-4-0TGelertworking WHHR

stock.

LeightonBuzzardRailway-

basedDe Winton 0-4-0VBT

Chaloneralso appeared,primarily

between FR’s Harbour station

and Boston Lodge.

Welsh Highland HeritageRailway’s Hunslet 2-6-2TRussellhas steamto spare as it haulsapassenger servicethroughAberglaslynPass on

theafternoon of June21. Ffestiniog&Welsh HighlandRailway England 0-4-0STTPrinceis on the tail.CLIFF THOMAS

Left:HavingleftPontCroesor,

WHHR’s Hunslet 2-6-2TRussell

heads up theWelsh Highland

towardsAberglaslynPass and

BeddgelertonJune 21.On

thetail of this shuttlewas

FfestiniogRailway’s England

0-4-0STTPrince.CLIFF THOMAS

Right: TheWar Office

Loco motiveTrust’s visiting

Hunslet4-6-0T No.303 is the

centre of attent ion at Pont

Croesorasitdepartswith a

Portmadog-boundshuttle

on June21. On the tailwas

FfestiniogRailway’s Baldwin

2-4-0DMMoelwyn.CLIFFTHOMAS

Ffestiniog-based Hunslet 0-4-0STBritomart,withHugh Napieron

thetail,pulls atrain of vintage Ffestiniog stock–including‘Bug

Boxes’and the‘Sentr yBox’brakevan–awayfromWelsh Highland

HeritageRailway’s Pen-y-Mountstationon June 22.CLIFF THOMAS

SPECIA LREPORT

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