First up today was No.143 with the ECS for The Aberglaslyn which arrived in the WHR platform at 09:40. The heavily laden Mountain Spirit departed behind Merddin Emrys at 10:40.

At 12:50 Blanche was running round The Quarryman and shunted the rake to the yard 7 minutes later as No.143 arrived with the return working of The Aberglaslyn. Linda arrived light engine from Boston Lodge at 13:11. No.143 returned to its train and ran round at 13:26. Linda was substituting for Blanche it seems as it shunted the yard at 13:34 and at 14:35 Blanche went light engine to the depot. Merddin Emrys arrived in the FR platform at 13:54 with the return working of the Mountain Spirit. At 15:10 Linda prepared the return working of The Quarryman.

F&WHR 25/6/24

Tuesday was forecast to be a day with temperatures of 15-21C and sunny periods after an overcast start. The weekly forecast suggests temperatures rising to a more seasonable 21C before cooling again by next weekend. Tuesday's train service had the usual five FR trains (both Mountain Spirit train and Woodland Wanderer trains and The Quarryman). There are also the two through trains on the WHR. All three webcams were available today.

No.143 departed on time on The Harbourmaster. James Spooner was present at 10:30. on the Mountain Spirit. Merddin Emrys pulled in at the same time with the Woodland Wanderer and promptly ran round.

No.130 arrived at 12:35 with the Snowdonia Star.

F&WHR 24/6/24

Monday was forecast to be a day with temperatures of 13-18C and sunny periods after an overcast start. The weekly forecast suggests temperatures rising to a more seasonable 21C before cooling again by next weekend. Monday's train service had two FR trains (the the 10:40 Mountain Spirit train and the 1:50 Woodland Wanderer and just one WHR train, the 11:30 Gelert Explorer. All three webcams were available today.

The ECS for the Mountain Spirit arrived at 1:05 behind James Spooner with cab roof removed. The loco then went to fuel and water. At 13:45 Vale of Ffestiniog had brought the Woodland Wanderer rake over to the WHR platform and was waiting in the WHR run round for the return working of the Mountain Spirit to arrive. James Spooner pulled into the FR platform at 13:54. The loco uncoupled and went to fuel and water while the Funkey coupled to the rear of the race to take the ECS away. The Funkey ECS turn seems to be a regular duty on days when there is only one Mountain Spirit/Woodland Wanderer.

At 14:15 the Fairlie worked out of the yard to couple to the Woodland Wanderer. The ECS left at 14:19 and the Fairlie coupled up to the Woodland Wanderer. The train left on time at 14:55. At the end of the day James Spooner was running round the returned Woodland Wanderer at 17:18.The ECS left at 17:23 to close the day's activities.

No.143 arrived back at Porthmadog at 16:22 having swopped duties with No.87 at Beddgelert which returned to Caernarfon on the Gelert Explorer this afternoon. The ECS departed at 16:37. Lyd arrived back at Porthmadog at 17:00 in misty conditions.

Brecon election result sets new challenge for Heart of Wales line

First up was No.87 with the ECS for the 10:05 Harbourmaster arriving in the WHR platform at 09:40. No.87 must have arrived with a Garratt swop at Beddgelert yesterday afternoon off the Gelert Explorer, replacing No.130. Linda and Merddin Emrys arrived with t he ECS for the Mountain Spirit at 09:58 into the FR platform. The pair ran round each other and then round their train at 10:12 with Linda piloting the Fairlie. It is not certain why Linda was required to assist today. Maybe the train is heavily laden or possibly Merddin Emrys has a steaming problem. Merddin Emrys was running round Woodland Wanderer at 10:48 in the WHR platform having arrived before the Mountain Spirit's departure. Departure came on time as the rain set in for the day.

No.130 departed with the Snowdonia Star at 14:07 in the rain and wind. James Spooner was running round the Woodland Wanderer in the FR platform. Blanche complete with tender cab was shunting the seawall siding at 14:20 as the afternoon Mountain Spirit departed with James Spooner. Merddin Emrys was shunting the Woodland Wanderer back to the FR platform after the Fairlie swop. At 15:00 Blanche shunted The Quarryman back to the FR platform.

Up at Tan-y-bwlch Merddin Emrys ran round the Woodland Wanderer at 15:50. Blanche arrived on The Quarryman at 16:05. No.87 arrived back again on the Harbourmaster at Porthmadog at 16:35 and Merddin Emrys hauled in the Woodland Wanderer at 17:00. The ECS Harbourmaster departed for the depot at 17:02. The Fairlie ran round the Woodland Wanderer at 17:10. The final arrival was James Spooner at 17:30 hauling the return working of the Mountain Spirit.

No.130 was on The Harbourmaster today and had arrived with the ECS by 09:40. Merddin Emrys hauled the ECS for the 10:10 The Harbourmaster into the FR just before the Garratt left with a friendly wave to the webcam from the driver. The Fairlie ran round by 09:19 and coupled up. James Spooner turned up with the ECS for the Woodland Wanderer at 10:35.

Up at Tan-y-bwlch at 11:20 Harlech Castle was stabled in the loop with the early morning PW train as Merddin Emrys passed with the Mountain Spirit. The PW train waited for the Woodland Wanderer to arrive at 11:45 before returning to Minffordd at 11:50. James Spooner then ran round. Down at Porthmadog at 13:00 Blanche was shunting The Quarryman to the yard to free up the FR platform for the next arrival. Five minutes later No.87 was running round the Snowdonia Star having tanked up with water from the fuelling point. At 13:25 James Spooner was running round the recently arrived Woodland Wanderer and shunting it clear of the FR platform to leave space for the return working of the Mountain Spirit.

James Spooner arrived back at 13:50 into the FR platform and detached to refuel and tank up with water while Merddin Emrys completed the Fairlie swop, coupling to the other end at 13:58 to form the 14:20 Mountain Spirit. The new Fairlie worked out of the yard to shunt the Woodland Wanderer out of the seawall siding after the 14:20 had departed. James Spooner departed at 14:55, At 15:05 Blanche started shunting to prepare the 15:25 return working of The Quarryman reversing the rake into the FR platform at 15:15 and departing on time.

First up was Harlech Castle which entered the WHR platform with the Romanian Ballast wagon No.4023 at 07:40. The short train advanced to the starter at 07:45 and departed for the WHR at 07:51. At 13:13 Vale of Ffestiniog hauled the ECS for Woodland Wanderer rake into the WHR platform before shunting to the yard light engine. James Spooner arrived at 13:53 with the returning Mountain Spirit. The Funkey then extracted a spare carriage from the seawall siding at 13:55 which was taken to Boston Lodge. The Funkey returned to collect the ECS Mountain Spirit at 14:20. Meanwhile, the Fairlie had refuelled, tanked up with water and shunted onto the Woodland Wanderer which departed on time after the ECS had left.

F&WHR 9/6/24

Sunday was forecast to be an overcast day with temperatures of a chilly 8-13C. Sunday's service was just 1 FR train (the 10:40 Mountain Spirit). There was also just one train on the WHR (the Gelert Explorer). All three webcams were available today. The Mountain Spirit was hauled by Merddin Emrys again and was heavily loaded being it was the only FR train available today for those that had limited flexibility about days they could travel.

Corris Southern Extension YouTube June 2024

Work started planning the southern extension of the Corris railway into the Snowdonia National Park in 2003 but had to wait for planning permission, fund raising and material so construction did not start until 2015. The railway now has all the fill material it needs to complete the project. Another 2 years of delay has recently been incurred in building the stream bridge at the south end of the worksite. While the Highway Authority would have paid for the bridge, the SNPA planning authority was not happy with the design so the Coedwig Bridge is now the last problem in completing this first stage of the Corris Southern Extension.

Work has started south of the bridge to build an area where a run round loop can be constructed. Later phases will see the railway extended along its roadside shelf to Pont Evans level crossing and finally to the Forestry Commission Car Park near Tan-y-coed giving a total length of 2.75 miles. This will become the main starting point as there is very limited car parking at Corris. Ideally the railway should continue on its roadside shelf to the next level crossing near Pantperthog where the tourist attraction The Centre for Alternative Technology lies just across the river bridge. There is currently no plan to extend to an exchange station in Machynlleth (6 miles) in the NR Yard, the original terminus of the steam line, which would require an expensive new bridge across the Afon Dyfi.

Click on the YouTube link to watch 15 minutes 14 seconds of video showing progress with the Corris Southern Extension. This video is copyright Corris Railway and was published on 24/5/24. It is best viewed at 1080p with Chrome and was videod on a camcorder by Corris staff.

The extension to Pont Evans is about 600m in all and an area for a run round loop south of the Coedwig bridge has already been created. Permission to cross the minor road at Pont Evans level crossing T Junction will be sought in due course after the railway has gained experience operating over the 1 in 30 section to Coedwig Loop. The Corris Railway is still seeking donations to help with its extension and full details can be found here.

Map courtesy Corris Railway.

North Wales Coast Sea defence works

Following concerns about rising sea levels and storms cutting the North Wales Coast Line and flooding both houses and holiday camps between Rhyl and Llandulas a study reported areas of concern and gave options. A contract has now been given to Jones Brothers of Ruthin who helped reconstruct the WHR. A report in New Civil Engineer reveals the £13m contract and what is entailed between the Foryd Estuary and Pensarn which will see the sea wall raised by about 75cm. The sea wall along this area of coast was constructed about 100 years ago by Whitley Bros. relatives of your webmaster. The narrow gauge railway equipment (including skips) used in the 1920s was dumped at Rhosesmor Sand and Gravel whose quarry provided the aggregate. The railway equipment was still present at Rhosesmor around 1960. The quarry area has since been landscaped.

With rising sea levels and more frequent storms local authorities are trying to prevent another disaster like the Towyn sea incursion of 1990 which flooded homes and cut the Chester-Holyhead line for several days. See BBC story.

F&WHR 8/6/24

Saturday was forecast to be a day of sunny periods with temperatures of a chilly 6-15C. Saturday's service was a reduced version of the standard Saturday service with just 2 FR trains (the Mountain Spirit train and The Quarryman). There were also the two through trains on the WHR and the Beer Festival shuttles between Caernarfon and Waunfawr. All three webcams were available today.

Merddin Emrys was on the Mountain Spirit passing through Tan-y-bwlch at 11:17. James Spooner arrived with a 10 coach ECS which  included the Woodland Wanderer in the FR platform at 11:12 even thought no public train was booked. The loco ran round at 11:30 and departed at 11:33 passing through Minffordd at 11:45. This special was being run in association with Vintage Trains Ffestiniog Express which had S7029 Clun Castle and 47773 top and tail from Dorridge to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The steam loco was left at Llandudno Junction for some reason. Maybe the Conwy Valley is not passed for Castles? Presumably the participants are having a ride to Tan-y-bwlch being due in at Blaenau Ffestiniog at 13:04 and destined to leave at 16:10.

Blanche arrived at the signalbox light engine at 12:00 and shunted the yard 5 minutes later. No.143 arrived with the Snowdonia Star at 12:28 while No.130 was on The Harbourmaster. No.143 ran to refuel and water in the yard at 12:32. Linda arrived with The Quarryman at 12:54 and Blanche shunted out of the yard, immediately coupled to the rear and shunted the rake to the yard to clear the platform for the returning Mountain Spirit. The Garratt emerged from the yard at 13:00 to run round its train ready for the return journey. Linda shunted out of the yard at 13:20 light engine before heading to Boston Lodge. The Ladies had exchanged duties on The Quarryman as Blanche shunted the yard and coupled to The Quarryman. Meanwhile the Fairlie shunted the first 5 coaches to the seawall siding. Blanche propelled The Quarryman into the WHR platform. The Fairlie brought 5 coaches back to the rake in the FR platform. This strange manoeuvre was apparently because a coach had seized brakes and the rake was partly blocking the point allowing The Quarryman to exit the yard.

At 14:15 the excursion was stopped at Tan-y-bwlch so that participants could avail themselves of refreshments at the cafe. Blanche departed on time from Porthmadog for Blaenau Ffestiniog with the return The Quarryman and Merddin Emrys left with the ECS for Boston Lodge shortly after.

F&WHR 7/6/24

Friday was forecast to be a chilly overcast day with temperatures of 11-14C. Friday's service was the standard Friday service with just 1 FR train (10:40 Mountain Spirit) and the Beer Festival shuttles between Caernarfon and Waunfawr on the WHR. All three webcams were available today.

The only train today was hauled by a Fairlie. As a result the train was heavily laden departing Tan-y-bwlch at 11:27. James Spooner was noted hauling the ECS back to the depot at 14:25 to close the day's activities.

F&WHR 6/6/24

Thursday was forecast to be a chilly day of sunny periods and showers with temperatures of 9-14C. Thursday's service was the standard Thursday service with 3 FR trains (two each Mountain Spirit and Woodland Wanderer plus The Quarryman) and the two through WHR trains. All three webcams were available today.

First up was Garratt No.130 which arrived with the ECS 10:05 Harbourmaster at 09:22. The loco was carrying a white disc on the front and departed on time. James Spooner arrived shortly afterwards in the FR platform with the ECS for the 10:40 Mountain Spirit and ran round at 10:20. Harlech Castle was waiting at Tan-y-bwlch with the morning PW train to pass the morning public trains.

Linda pulled into Porthmadog at 12:49 with The Quarryman, not long after the No.143 arrived with the Snowdonia Star. The Garratt emerged from the yard at 12:55 to complete the run round. Linda shunted its rake to the yard at 13:00, clearing the FR platform for later arrivals.

NLHF Boston Lodge progress 2/6/24

Click on the YouTube link to watch 7 minutes 9 seconds of video showing progress with the NLHF Boston Lodge refurbishment project. This video is copyright F&WHR and was published on 24/5/24. It is best viewed at 1080p with Chrome and was videod on a 4K camcorder by John Wooden (F&WHR).

Fitting out of the Small Loco Shed continues with buffer stops fitted and large diameter water pipe routed through the roof space. Locos can be filled up with water in the shed in future. The fan of sidings outside the shed has been levelled and all the point rodding fitted. Fitting out the new shed is nearing completion.

Earl of Merioneth display 5/6/24

Earl of Merioneth was taken to Glan-y-pwll headshunt on 5/6/24 with a freight train made up of B wagons and FR wagons and a brake van and  posed against the slate tips. Upnor Castle was present to assist with shunting. There are some photos by Dave Thurlow on the Friends of F&WHR Facebook page. The train was later returned to Boston Lodge for storage. The General Manager states that the next step is for the loco to go on display but that options remain open.

F&WHR 5/6/24

Wednesday was forecast to be a chilly day of sunny periods with temperatures of 7-13C. Wednesday's service was the standard Wednesday service with 3 FR trains (one each Mountain Spirit and Woodland Wanderer and The Quarryman) and the three WHR trains (two The Aberglaslyn and the Gelert Explorer). All three webcams were available today. Photos of Sunday's PTG specials would be welcomed.

By 10:00 No.143 was present in the WHR platform with The Aberglaslyn. At 10:05 Merddin Emrys was running round the Mountain Spirit in the FR platform. Harlech Castle was present in the westbound platform at Tan-y-bwlch with the early morning PW train returning to Minffordd and waiting to pass the Mountain Spirit. Linda pulled into Porthmadog at 12:50 with The Quarryman. Five minute later The Aberglaslyn returned and the Garratt immediately detached and shunted to the yard to refuel and tank up with water. Linda ran round its train and shunted the rake to the yard to clear the FR platform for the return of the Mountain Spirit. The Garratt shunted out of the yard at 13:17 to rejoin its train for the afternoon working.

Vale of Ffestiniog brought in the ECS for the afternoon Woodland Wanderer at about 14:20 as there was no morning working and Merddin Emrys emerged from the yard to couple to the rear. The Funkey shunted to the yard and at 14:45 it took the ECS from the Mountain Spirit back to the depot. The last loco of the lunchtime rush came as Linda shunted its rake back to the FR platform for the return of The Quarryman at 15:00.

This easterly view (5/6/24) shows Vale of Ffestiniog bringing the ECS rake for the afternoon Woodland Wanderer into Porthmadog. Merddin Emrys can be seen approaching the rear to couple up. Click on the image to enlarge and click again to expand fully where available. Image copyright F&WHR taken on a webcam.

Corris visitor arrives 4/6/24

The oldest surviving Corris loco has joined the newest there this June. The 1878 built No.3 Sir Haydn will visit from the Tal-y-llyn Railway where it has been since 1951 following closure of the original Corris Line. It will be in action alongside Falcon No.10 completed in 2023. There is a Gala on 15/6/24 where all three locos including Tattoo No.7 will be in action.

Rail-Ale Festival 7-8/6/24

It is less than 48 hours until the doors open for the F&WHR's two-day real ale festival at Dinas Station, near Caernarfon...
The list of beers, ciders and perries has just been released by the festival organisers and is now available to download from https://bit.ly/RA24-Tasting-Notes.

As well as the 58 Beers, 23 Ciders and 4 Perries on offer at Dinas, there are a further 10 Beers on tap at the Snowdonia Parc in Waunfawr. Don't forget, you can make use of the Festival Shuttle trains to travel between Caernarfon, Dinas and Waunfawr! More details and advance tickets available from the festival website @ rail-ale.com

F&WHR 4/6/24

Tuesday was forecast to be an overcast day with heavy rain at times but clearing up in the late afternoon with temperatures of 6-15C. Tuesday's service was the standard Tuesday service with 5 FR trains (both Mountain Spirit and Woodland Wanderer and The Quarryman) and the two through WHR trains. All three webcams were available today. Photos of Sunday's PTG specials would be welcomed.

The first train today was the ECS for the 10:05 The Harbourmaster hauled by No.143 which arrived in the WHR platform at 09:14 in the rain. At 10:05 James Spooner pulled into the FR platform with the ECS for the 10:40 Mountain Spirit as the WHR service departed. The loco ran round at 10:20. Merddin Emrys with the ECS for the 11:10 Woodland Wanderer pulled into the WHR platform at 10:25.

No.130 arrived with the Snowdonia Star at 12:24. The loco detached and shunted to the yard to refuel and tank up with water a few minutes later. The loco returned to the train at 12:50. Linda arrived on The Quarryman at 12:55 and the Garratt ran round its train. At 13:10 Linda coupled to the rear of its train and shunted its rake to the seawall siding clearing the platform for later arrivals. Merddin Emrys pulled in at 13:20 with the return of the Woodland Wanderer. The loco ran round 10 minutes later to shunt the rake clear of the platform to the seawall siding for the return of the Mountain Spirit. James Spooner arrived at 13:54 with the return Mountain Spirit to complete the lunchtime arrivals.

The Fairlie swop took place just 2 minutes after the arrival and the 14:20 was ready to depart. The 14:05 return Snowdonia Star started on time but came to a sharp stop before resuming at 14:11 for an unknown reason. James Spooner shunted light engine to the WHR platform and propelled the Woodland Wanderer into the FR platform at 14:38. Vale of Ffestiniog arrived light engine in the FR platform at 14:47 as Linda shunted the yard, Vale of Ffestiniog departed with the Woodland Wanderer at 14:57. James Spooner must have been substituted and this may have been the first time. At 15:07 Linda shunted the return The Quarryman rake out of the yard and departed in a torrential downpour at 15:35 to complete the lunchtime activities. The footplate staff could have done with the demountable cab or the backsheet in this poor weather.

Up at Tan-y-bwlch the Funkey pulled the rake forwards at 15:45 and propelled them back into the westbound platform at 15:49 leaving the eastbound platform clear for The Quarryman.

New TRAWS route proposed

A new route for the proposed TRAWS North Wales-South Wales rail service has been proposed which involves less new construction and may garner more political support that existing plans via Aberystwyth. The proposers are taking advantage of the focus on Welsh politics caused by the General Election to gather support for the scheme. Instead of reopening Aberystwyth-Carmarthen with its expensive new tunnel exit from Aberystwyth, the route uses a section of the Cambrian east from Machynlleth to join the Mid Wales railway from the former Moat Lane Junction near Caersws to a junction on Shrewsbury-Swansea Central Wales Line at Builth Road which is then followed to Swansea.

The section to be restored between Moat Lane Junction and Builth Road Junction is much shorter than Aberystwyth-Carmarthen and also less developed. It also avoids reversals at both Machynlleth and Aberystwyth. Reinstated loops might be required at Caemmaes Road, Llanbrynmair and Caersws with a new curve onto the Mid Wales at the site of Moat Lane depot near Caersws. The Mid Wales route through Llanidloes would be reclaimed from the current A470 bypass and the A470 rerouted around the east of the town via a new bypass. South of here the trackbed is largely clear via a summit of over 1000 feet at Pant-y-dwr before the route enters the Wye Valley. Rhayader comes next and then there is junction with the existing Central Wales Line just south of the existing Builth Road station where a new station would be required. There is an opportunity to construct a deviation of about 10km between Rhayader and Llandrindod Wells to serve one of the few centres of population in this area but it would require a short tunnel around the north of Rhayader. Additional loops might be required on the Central Wales between Builth Road and Llanelli depending on the frequency of service..

The proposers must be hoping that candidates for Montgomeryshire and Brecon & Radnorshire might campaign to reopen the rail route to reconnect a North-South rail route within Wales. Both of these seats were held until recently by Liberal Democrats who will be campaigning hard to reclaim them from the Tories.

F&WHR 3/6/24

Monday was forecast to be a day of sunny periods at first and light cloud later at Porthmadog with temperatures of 13-15C. Monday's service was for just two FR trains with the morning Mountain Spirit and afternoon Woodland Wanderer and one WHR train, the Gelert Explorer. All three webcams were available today. Photos of Sunday's PTG specials would be welcomed.

The ECS for the 10:40 Mountain Spirit arrived behind James Spooner (with cab roof fitted) at 09:54. The loco ran round 10 minutes later.

Llangollen diesel gala 1-2/6/24

The Llangollen Railway had its first Diesel & Industrial Gala of the new regime at the weekend. 08202 arrived from the AVR at Bitton (for a 12 month stay) had its first trip out along the line on the 15:40 shuttle to Glyndyfrdwy. It was very popular!

PTG Tour images 2/6/24

Mark Lewis has published an excellent set of photos of the PTG Tour from Sunday 2/6/24. See Facebook story.

F&WHR 2/6/24

Sunday was forecast to be a day of sunny periods at Porthmadog with temperatures of 12-18C. Sunday's service was for just one FR trains with the morning Mountain Spirit as special trains would be operating for PTG Tours. No public services were operating on the WHR. A train was signalled out of the FR platform at 08:00 and Vale of Ffestiniog emerged with a four coach train with an Observation car on the rear at 08:09. This was a planned visit to Boston Lodge for the PTG Tour group. Returning to Porthmadog the PTG Tour was booked to go to Caernarfon with James Spooner, the locos first solo trip to Caernarfon. After a prompt return to Porthmadog the PTG Tour will be taken to Blaenau Ffestiniog behind Lyd followed by a booked meal at Spooners with guest speakers. All three webcams were available today. Photos of Sunday's PTG specials would be welcomed.

This easterly view (2/6/24) shows James Spooner ready to depart on the PTG Special to Caernarfon. The 5 coach train is probably part of The Harbourmaster rake as  the Mountain Spirit rake is in use later this morning on a public service train. Click on the image to enlarge and click again to expand fully where available. Image copyright F&WHR taken on a webcam.

James Spooner coupled to the rake presumably at Boston Lodge Halt (and the Funkey was dropped off) to haul it back to Porthmadog at about 09:30, departing for Caernarfon in sunny weather at 09:37. For those staying in Portmerion PTG had organised a champagne and croissants meal in the Observation Car at some stage during the day. The afternoon Mountain Spirit was cancelled on Sunday to free up the path for the PTG Special.

The public service train for the 10:40 Mountain Spirit arrived ECS at about 10:10 and the loco was noted running round at 10:15. The train returned to Porthmadog at 13:50 and Merddin Emrys ran round at 14:05. The ECS departed at 14:09 for the depot.

The PTG special took water at Rhyd Ddu and Waunfawr on return where it got a good dousing! The weather was fine so the cab roof was detached for the whole journey. The return working of the PTG Special arrived in Porthmadog at about 15:45 and the loco detached and went to the yard to refuel and water. Meanwhile, Lyd which had also been watered in the yard shunted to the front of the four coach train. The train departed at 16:10 for Blaenau Ffestiniog.

This easterly view (2/6/24) shows Lyd passing through Minffordd with its 4 coach PTG Special in sunshine, heading for Blaenau Ffestiniog. Click on the image to enlarge and click again to expand fully where available. Image copyright F&WHR taken on a webcam.

The train arrived back from Blaenau Ffestiniog just before 19:00 and was promptly signalled for a propel movement out of the FR platform. The train left at 19:09 with Lyd propelling the four coach rake across The Cob to Boston Lodge to close the day's activities.

F&WHR 1/6/24

Saturday was forecast to be a day of sunny periods at Porthmadog with temperatures of 8-19C. Saturday's service was for 3 FR trains with the morning Mountain Spirit, afternoon Woodland Wanderer and The Quarryman from Blaenau Ffestiniog. The two through WHR trains will also run. The reduced Saturday service is because the F&WHR believes that the Spring Bank Holiday traffic will have started going home by this weekend. Sunday's PTG special on the FR is rostered for Lyd on the FR and James Spooner on the WHR All three webcams were available today. Photos of Sunday's PTG specials would be welcomed.

Help wanted for Beer Festival

It is now only a week away from the legendary RailAle 2024! Tickets and times are available at www.rail-ale.com
To help prepare for the event, the WHR Society needs some extra help! Here is a message from Dafydd Thomas for anyone who might be able to support:
“We will be doing the last jobs to prepare Dinas for the Real Ale Festival next Wednesday & Thursday, 5-6/6/24 and could do with a little extra help, if you can only do half a day, it would be gratefully received.
We will kick off from 08:00 on Wednesday morning but would be glad to see you there at anytime up to 17:00.
We also need some help clearing it away on Monday, 10/6/24. If you can help, please contact me at dthomas@crhe.uk for further details.”

Beer Festival shuttles

There will be diesel hauled shuttles on both Friday and Saturday 7-8/6/24 probably hauled by Caernarfon Castle. Most will operate between Caernarfon and Waunfawr but some of the lunchtime turns will turn back at Dinas. Trains continue until almost midnight both days.

If you intend to join one of the weekend or Tuesday Gang days, please contact the appropriate organiser. If you are interested in weekday working or have any queries about track work volunteering, please contact Paul Bradshaw. See Contacts page.