Mechanised track relaying on the Ffestiniog

[John L Dobson]

See: https://www.facebook.com/festrail/photos/pcb.10154847544665716/10154847542580716/?type=1&theater

The site is at Dragon Curve on the Deviation Line above Dduallt. Sleepers (ties) and baseplates are life-expired and need replacing. The old ballast, which was a rather coarse material – the crushed arisings from boring the new Moelwyn tunnel in the 1970s – also needed replacing with better-graded material. The bogie wagons are class DZ low-sides from South Africa, originally bought for track-laying duty on the Welsh Highland, which have been renovated and fitted with new drop-down ends so that a JCB loader* can run from one wagon to the next to unload ballast. Three wagons are being converted for this work.

* Actually a small Komatsu on this occasion, I see on looking more closely at the photos!

[James Patten]

That's a cute little loader!