Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: Ffestiniog rail railway train narrow-gauge steam Wales

This is a causeway of sorts called "The Cob," across the bay that separates Boston Lodge from Porthmadog. It actually predates the railway by many years, having been completed in 1811 by William Madocks, a local "agricultural improver," who also founded Porthmadog. Many people don't know that Wales was relatively undeveloped until the 19th Century, although there are Medieval castles like Conwy.

This is the Ffestiniog's main locomotive works, Boston Lodge. It's small, but over the years most of the railway's locomotives have been built here. Naturally, heavy overhauls are also conducted here.

One of the Ffestiniog's freight customers over the years was the Maenofferen Quarry, and there's still a yard here. However, business has always been sporadic. The first use of the railway was between 1848 and 1850 (the quarry predates the railway by about 36 years, having been started in 1800), then 1857-1865, when there was a pause, and then the longest continuous freight service was in 1865-1962, even the period from 1946-1954, when the Ffestiniog wasn't operating and the quarry operated its own trains by leasing the section of the line to Duffws, where there was a connection with the LMS and later BR.

Here's the station under the trees.

Here's another shot of Minffordd station. The actual passenger (as opposed to freight) station is hidden back in the trees on the right.

Here's a shot of Minffordd station, which is also served by Arriva, although Arriva have dedicated facilities. Wikipedia counts these stations as separate from each other. However, the mainline station, if it can be called that, is not the Conwy Valley Line but the former Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway Railways line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli, completed in 1871.

Here's the station sign. As on other narrow-gauge lines, the passenger coaches on the Ffestiniog are very small by rail standards, although not necessarily cramped. They're often non-corridor, and all of them lack vestibules.

Here you can see the boxy water tower.

This is Tan-y-Bwlch station, which is the most important intermediate station on the line.

Here's an alternate of the last shot.

Here's a shot on one of the first curves, showing the Fairlie Double-Bogie steam locomotive. The Ffestiniog is the largest operators of these locomotives in the world, having had them since the 1870's. Interestingly for emissions, maintenance, and other reasons, two were built after BR phased out steam (the Ffestiniog has always been private anyway), in 1979 and 1992.

This was shortly after departing Blaenau Ffestiniog. You can't see it yet in this photo, but the Ffestiniog is still mostly steam.