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The Snowdonian Limited is the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s Top Train. It runs on Saturday 15th June, over the whole 40 miles of 2ft gauge route – there and back, starting at Porthmadog and visiting both Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The ten-car train is made up of corridor cars with buffet car, and the inclusive price of £200 include a light breakfast, a hog-roast lunch at Dinas and a wonderful afternoon tea at the tranquill cafe at Tan y Bwlch.
The train is named as a limited because the journey outward to Caernarfon is made behind one of the mighty WHR, Ex-South African Railways Beyer-Garratts nonstop – the only train of the year to do this.
After the superb scenery of the Welsh Highland Railway, you will have a chance to see the brand-new Station, recently built at Caernarfon, before the train takes you back for lunch at Dinas. There there will be the opportunity to catch a glimpse inside the workshop at Dinas, where the large NG15 2-8-2 is undergoing rebuild, and the Garratts are normally kept. After ascending and descending the WHR and crossing the Cambrian Line on the level, the train will run through the street in Porthmadog, before pausing at Boston Lodge Works where the Garratt will be exchanged for a number of Ffestiniog locomotives – exactly what is a secret! The train will then run up to Tan y Bwlch for tea, and after proceed to Blaenau Ffestiniog, before returning to Porthmadog – a full day out!
Snowdonian Limited guests are cordially invited to tour Boston Lodge on the Friday night. This year is especially interesting as not only will visitors see the new Double Fairlie James Spooner under construction, but also the third, original England engine Welsh Pony nearing the end of its restoration to working condition. Boston Lodge is currently having much work done to it and this will be explained. There is so much to see in this area, and this conducted visit offers unrivaled access to sights that cannot be seen elsewhere.
There are seats still available on this train. They can be accessed as follows: e-mail [email protected]; post Snowdonian 2019, Ffestiniog Railway, Harbour Station, Porthmadog, Gwynedd, LL49 9NF; phone 01766 515835. To see more details, visit: www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/specialevents/546.shtml
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