Author Topic: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations  (Read 7419 times)

John L Dobson

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Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« on: March 21, 2013, 11:30:22 AM »
Steam 150 – A Narrow Gauge Odyssey.
3-6 May 2013:

In 1863, the Ffestiniog was still a new railway, barely 30 years old and business was brisk. Capacity was becoming an issue. Plans were drawn up for doubling the 13 miles of track between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Porthmadog, but the cost would have been prohibitive. A radical and unproven alternative for getting the empty slate wagons back to Blaenau had been suggested: steam power, something that had never been tried on so narrow a gauge over such a distance.

2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the delivery of the world's first successful two foot gauge steam locomotives – Princess, Prince, Mountaineer and Palmerston. Remarkably, three of them still exist on their original railway. Prince and Palmerston are in full working order and Princess has been cosmetically restored for the occasion, as has the slightly younger Welsh Pony.

A series of major events – featuring street theatre and period costume - celebrating 150 years of steam on the Ffestiniog Railway starts on Friday 3 May. It is intended to give an insight into the events of 1863 starting with the humble horse and then the arrival of a new, strange machine to the area. The event will tell a much wider story in our special corner of Wales: the global story of narrow gauge that started in the Top Left Hand Corner of Wales then spread around the world.

The story is made even more compelling by the presence of not only the first, diminutive narrow gauge steam locomotives, but also their ultimate evolution – the massive Garratts used on the Welsh Highland Railway. The F&WHR is the only place in the world that 150 years of steam evolution can be seen in action, side by side.

Saturday will focus on the arrival of steam and the departure of the horse, a day of early FR history where the double Fairlie features, but only as a hopelessly-modern anachronism. On Sunday we see an explosion of new lines opening up across the world and Fairlies, Hunslets and other locos being developed for export across the globe. Monday showcases the ultimate narrow gauge trains represented with long trains, larger locos and heavy haulage across the African veldt.

Come along and meet some of the characters from the past. Witness their wonder at the arrival of steam and watch as they help the story along. Steam 150 isn’t an event just for the steam enthusiast.
This event promises to be the largest event for some years and the first bi-railway event. Don't miss it.

The weekend includes:

-      All four England locos. Line ups, train haulage, old loco shed line ups including ‘nightglow’ photography
-      Horses
-      Theatrical dramatisations
-      Long slate empties trains
-      Gravity train operation
-      A reconstruction of the delivery of Princess
-      Double-headed Hunslet ladies reprising their Queen of the Hill title
-      Slate trains on the Welsh Highland
-      Loco line ups: Englands, first to last, ‘built at Boston Lodge’ etc.
-      1963 gravity train operation. One for the FR connoisseurs: come and see a re-creation of a re-creation! (Check out: http://tinyurl.com/FR1963)
-      England engine heavy haulage
-      Additional through trains on WHR
-      Garratt heavy-haul freight and mixed trains

Check out the FRCo website (www.festrail.co.uk) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/festrail) for details as they’re finalised.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS:

 FRIDAY: Ffestiniog Railway
• Round-trips from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ff., including an additional
16:00 train to connect with the late afternoon Conwy Valley Line service.
• Additional 11:40 train from Porthmadog, terminating at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Additional mid-afternoon vintage shuttle to and from Tan-y-Bwlch.
• Evening Porthmadog to Minffordd shuttles, to view re-enactments of the
1963 'Centenary of Steam' gravity train between Rhiw Goch and Minffordd.
Welsh Highland Railway
• Standard ‘Blue’ service of two round-trips from Porthmadog and Caernarfon.
(NOT included in 'Steam 150' Event and Friday Rover tickets)

SATURDAY: 'Horses to England Engines' Ffestiniog Railway
• Horse haulage demonstration and early morning dramatised re-enactment of
the 1863 delivery of Princess - from 08:00 at Harbour Station.
• England locomotive hauled slate empties to and from Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Four standard service trains between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Additional 09:25 train from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog.
• Footplate rides with Hugh Napier at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Additional vintage shuttles running to and from Tan-y-Bwlch.
• Additional mid-afternoon vintage train to and from Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Freight trains across the Cob hauled by all four England locomotives.
• Boston Lodge Works open to holders of 'Steam 150' tickets.
• Evening shuttles between Porthmadog and Boston Lodge Halt from 19:00 until 22:00 - top‘n’tailed by a Garratt and a Fairlie - in connection with...
• Nightglow photography with England locos outside Old Engine Shed.
• Ffestiniog Railway Society AGM evening train to Tan-y-Bwlch
- restricted to FRS members only.
Welsh Highland Railway
• ‘Yellow’ service with three round-trips from Porthmadog and Caernarfon.
(NOT included in 'Steam 150' Event and Saturday Rover tickets)
• Additional 17:45 Porthmadog to Rhyd Ddu round-trip with Double-Fairlie and FR carriage-rake. (included in 'Steam 150' Event and Saturday Rover tickets)

SUNDAY: 'Global Narrow-Gauge Expansion' Ffestiniog Railway
• Morning line-up of all available England locomotives at Harbour Station.
• Three standard round-trips from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Also 16:20 Minffordd to Blaenau Ffestiniog continuation of ‘through’ train from Caernarfon - returning to Porthmadog as 17:45 ex-Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Additional vintage shuttles running to and from Tan-y-Bwlch.
• England locomotive hauled slate trains to/from Dduallt and Rhiw Goch.?• Gravity train from Dduallt - past England loco and slate empties at Minffordd.
• Footplate rides with Hugh Napier at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Boston Lodge Works open to holders of 'Steam 150' tickets.
Welsh Highland Railway
• ‘Yellow’ service with three round-trips from Porthmadog and Caernarfon.
(NOT included in 'Steam 150' Event and Sunday Rover tickets)
• England hauled slate empties to and from Pont Croesor.
• Additional train to Pont Croesor to view England loco and slate empties.
(included in 'Steam 150' Event and Sunday Rover tickets)
• Additional 'Queens of the Hill' train - double-headed by Linda and Blanche - from Porthmadog to Caernarfon, returning via FR train from Minffordd. Both locomotives will have been turned to run chimney first to Caernarfon. (A separate 'Queens of the Hill' ticket is required for travel on this train)
• 'Queens of the Hill' train continues to Blaenau Ffestiniog - following change of locomotives - before a return to Porthmadog, enabling a full round-trip over the nearly eighty-mile Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways system!
(A 'Steam 150' Event or Sunday Rover must be held for this portion of the journey)



MONDAY: 'Ultimate Narrow-Gauge - Grand Finale' Ffestiniog Railway
• Variety of locomotive line-ups at Harbour Station prior to service trains.
• Four standard service trains between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• 16:00 service train double-headed by England locos Prince and Palmerston.
• Mid-morning train to/from Tan-y-Bwlch hauled by two small Hunslet locos.
• Afternoon vintage shuttle to and from Tan-y-Bwlch.
• England locomotive hauled slate empties to and from Dduallt.
• Boston Lodge Works open to holders of 'Steam 150' tickets.
Welsh Highland Railway
• ‘Yellow’ service with three round-trips from Porthmadog and Caernarfon.
(NOT included in 'Steam 150' Event and Monday Rover tickets)
• Early morning - Prince and Palmerston top‘n’tail an extra 12-carr. train from Porthmadog-Boston Lodge-Hafod y Llyn (WHR)-Boston Lodge-Porthmadog. (included in 'Steam 150' Event and Monday Rover tickets)
• Additional 'England to Beddgelert' vintage train with a single England loco
- with the locomotive turned to run chimney first towards Beddgelert.
(Limited capacity on this train - a 'Steam 150' Event or Day Rover plus a separate
'England to Beddgelert' ticket required for travel. Advance Booking recommended)
• Morning Garratt hauled heavy goods train from Dinas to Porthmadog.
• Afternoon trip working of wagons from Porthmadog to Pont Croesor.
• Two Garratt locos double-head the 15:40 Porthmadog to Caernarfon train.
(NOT included in 'Steam 150' Event and Monday Rover tickets)
• Wagons added to 15:40 ex-Porthmadog at Pont Croesor - continues as a heavy-haul mixed train as far as Dinas, then passenger only to Caernarfon.


And one for later…
From 11 to13 October, one of the FR’s lauded Vintage Weekends takes on the title “1863 and all that”. The event will feature a much more traditional and authentic combination of original stock and locations. This year we’ll also be really doing as much as we can to take people back 150 years. The trains provide a flavour and the weekend will also include costumes, technology, food, customs and beer and wine from that period in history where anything seemed possible and the Top Left Corner of Wales was at the forefront of railway technology development.
For further information contact andrew.thomas@festrail.co.uk or ring 01766 516072 or 07919 414871
« Last Edit: March 21, 2013, 11:35:04 AM by John L Dobson »
John L Dobson
Editor, FR Magazine

Steve Smith

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Re: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2013, 07:05:15 PM »
What a splendid pageant that will be, John! Anyone hoping to attend had better reserve tickets, rooms and restaurant seating quickly. I should think the economic activity meter for Northwest Wales will surely jump up for May 3-6.

In the meantime, everybody be nice to the weather gods!

John L Dobson

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Re: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2013, 03:31:34 PM »
The Steam 150 'A Narrow-Gauge Odyssey' weekend was an enormous success. A quick estimate of gross takings, including Value-Added Taxes, for the 4 days 3-6 May is £114,000 ($172,000) compared with £30,000 ($45,000) for the same 4 days a week earlier. Most of the activity was achieved using 'in-house' resources – there were no expensive hired-in locomotives or visiting rolling stock. Set-up expenses were about £6,000 ($9,000). I've just finished putting the summer issue of the FR Magazine together with a full report and many photos. It will be out by 1 July

The WHR Beer Festival over 3 days, Friday-Sunday, last weekend was equally – indeed embarrassingly – successful. Despite ordering considerably more beer than last year (there were some 66 different 'real ales' in cask quantities, and about a dozen different ciders) the visitors drank us dry by the Saturday evening!
John L Dobson
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Steve Smith

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Re: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2013, 01:39:09 PM »
Thank you for the report, John. What a fine reward for what was surely a lot of effort by many staff and volunteers!

Ira Schreiber

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Re: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2013, 02:20:48 PM »
Thanks, John.

How is the Cob project doing?

Ira Schreiber

John L Dobson

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Re: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2013, 03:34:14 PM »
AFAIK the Cob project is on schedule. The signal box and the relay room are both substantially complete, about a third of the new platform has been defined, but still needs surfacing and several of the new tracks are being laid. There's a limit to what can be done while trains are using the existing platform, see below.
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Editor, FR Magazine

Ira Schreiber

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Re: Ffestiniog & WHR 150th Anniversary of Steam Celebrations
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2013, 07:38:41 PM »
Thanks for the update.