Welsh Narrow Gauge

"Welsh Narrow Gauge" draws exclusively on Paul Plowman's unpublished collection of photographs, which have been collated and edited by his son Graham Plowman.

The collection covers the 20-year period from 1964 to 1984 and includes pictures of the three principal narrow gauge railways which were operating during the period. By 1984 the possibility of rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway was still a dream and therefore not covered by our book.

The Vale of Rheidol Light Railway opened on 22nd December 1902 as a passenger railway between Aberystwyth and Devils Bridge, a distance of 10 miles, but also to serve the mines and logging along the Rheidol Valley. Using the Light Railways Act of 1896, authorisation from Parliament was obtained on 6th August 1897 for two sections of railway, its 'main' line to Devils Bridge and a ½ mile Harbour Branch.

Acquired by the Great Western Railway on 1st January 1922, the railway came under British Railways' control with Nationalisation on 1st January 1948. It remained as the last outpost of British Rail's steam operations and was eventually sold to the Brecon Mountain Railway in late 1989.

The Talyllyn Railway open in December 1866 to transport slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys above Abergynowlwyn down to a wharf at Towyn for shipment by standard gauge railway, a distance of 7 miles. However, a passenger service to Abergynowlwyn was also operated from the outset. With 2ft-3in gauge already established in the Bryn Eglwys quarries, this was continued instead of the more usual 1ft-11½in narrow gauge 'standard'.

In 1911 joint control of the quarries and the railway passed to Sir Henry Hayden Jones who continued to operate a passenger service at a loss until his death in 1950. By then the railway was considerably run down with only one locomotive, 'Talyllyn' able to be steamed. Thanks to the generosity of Sir Henry Hayden Jones' executors ownership passed to the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society in 1951, giving the railway the distinction of being the first statutory undertaking to be run by a preservation society - a World first.

Although Bryn Eglwys finally closed in 1947, the railway has since been extended to Nant Gwernol at the foot of the Bryn Eglwys inclines.

The Festiniog Railway operates between Portmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, a distance of 13 miles. The line was first opened in 1836 as a horse-drawn tramway to bring slate from the quarries of Bleanau Ffestiniog to the port of Portmadoc to be shipped by sea.

Over the years tiles for roofing became more popular. However, by the outbreak of war in 1939 this traffic had all but ceased. A freight service continued until 1946. The railway lay derelict throughout the war years but never actually closed. On 22nd June 1954 the company was purchased by Allan Pegler and the Festiniog Railway Society registered as a company on 24th December 1954.

Since 1954 the Festiniog Railway has been progressively reopened and developed between Portmadoc and Blaenau Ffestiniog, including a major deviation around the CEGB pumped storage scheme to become one of the major heritage railways in the United Kingdom.

Paul made several trips to North Wales, commencing in 1964 with another in 1965. On both these trips he walked the Festiniog Railway from Bleanau Ffestiniog to Tan-y-Bwlch up past Moel Ystradau, following the route of the old railway. In 1969 he visited Ddault to see the progress made with construction of the Festiniog spiral. A family holiday in a cottage close to Tan-y-Bwlch in 1978 and finally, in 1984, a walk from Bleanau Ffestiniog to Ddault following the line of the new railway completes the collection.