Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
| Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru) | |
|---|---|
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| Lyd2 No. 60 awaits work in Gelerts Farm Works yard | |
| Locale | Wales |
| Terminus | Porthmadog and Pen y Mount |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Welsh Highland Railway Ltd |
| Built by | Welsh Highland Railway Ltd |
| Original gauge | 1 ft 11 1⁄2 in (597 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Welsh Highland Railway Ltd |
| Operated by | Welsh Highland Heritage Railway |
| Stations | 3 |
| Length | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 1 ft 11 1⁄2 in (597 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1980 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1961 | Welsh Highland Railway Society formed |
| 1964 | WHR Society reformed as Welsh Highland Light Railway (1964) Limited |
| 1980 | WHR Ltd opened for passenger service |
| 1987 | Original locomotive Russell restored |
| 2003 | Original locomotive Russell taken out of service for expensive major overhaul. |
| 2005 | Celebrates 25 years of passenger train service |
| 2007 | Extended to Traeth Mawr |
| 2008 | Last train to Traeth Mawr |
| 2009 | Operational name changed to Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. Terminus reverts to Pen y Mount. |
| 2014 | Original locomotive Russel back in service. |
The origins of the WHHR lie in a small group of railway enthusiasts, including some disgruntled volunteers from the Festiniog Railway, forming the Welsh Highland Railway Society in 1961, to preserve and rebuild the original WHR which had operated from 1922 to 1936. Construction of the line started in the 1970s following the acquisition of land from British Railways running alongside the Cambrian Coast line at a location known as Beddgelert Sidings. A substantial works and engineering facility has been constructed on the site of the former farm that was situated in the triangle of land between the Beddgelert Siding and the Cambrian Coast Railway. The works have been expanded with newly constructed shed accommodation in addition to the utilisation of some of the original farm buildings, which include one of the oldest buildings in Porthmadog. There has been, for some time, a museum part to the works tour and from 2009, with construction of a new building, this will be more than doubled in size and its nature.
The original Welsh Highland Railway has been reconstructed by the Festiniog Railway Company and the Welsh Highland Railway Limited. Both companies will have running rights over the WHR main line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog Harbour and the WHHR branch from Pen-y-Mount Junction to the existing WHR Ltd. station in Porthmadog. The precise terms of these running rights, however, is not yet settled.
The railway is now nearly entirely run by volunteers. There is a group for the young volunteers, known as 'The Young Highlanders'. The group was formed in 1996 by Mark Herbert (publicity manager), Tim Heeks (volunteer) and the late Gordon Roe (volunteer).
In 2014, 'Russell' returned to service after an expensive major overhaul. The cost was about £250,000. Russell had been out of service since 2003.
The railway currently operates a frequent service from March to November from their main station, which is located opposite the Network Rail station in Porthmadog on Tremadog Road. Trains run for 1-mile (1.6 km) to Pen-y-Mount Junction, where the railway connects with the WHR mainline On the return journey, the train stops at Gelert's Farm halt, allowing passengers to visit a museum and a 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge miniature railway.
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Wikipedia