Festiniog and Blaenau Railway
Wooden viaduct on the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway near Tan-y-Manod, c. 1875
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| Locale | Gwynedd, Wales |
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| Dates of operation | 1868–1883 |
| Successor | Great Western Railway |
| Track gauge | 1 ft 11 3⁄4 in (603 mm) |
| Headquarters | Blaenau Ffestiniog |
Coordinates: 52°59′17″N 3°55′37″W / 52.988°N 3.927°W
The Festiniog & Blaenau Railway (F&BR) was a narrow gauge railway built in 1868 to connect the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog with the slate quarries around Tanymanod and the village of Llan Ffestiniog, 3 1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) to the south. At Blaenau Ffestiniog it made a direct connection with the Festiniog Railway (FR) with which it was closely associated during its fifteen-year life. The railway was purchased by the Great Western Railway in 1883 and converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge to extend the Bala Ffestiniog line, a branch of the GWR's line from Ruabon to Barmouth.
The promoters owned the land on which the line was built, so no parliamentary process was needed to incorporate the company or proceed with building, though the operators sought and obtained Board of Trade inspection before opening as if that were a statutory requirement.
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