The Festiniog Railway from 1950

The Festiniog Railway from 1950 PDF Author: Andrew Wilson
Publisher: Tempus Pub Limited
ISBN: 9780752423975
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
The Festiniog Railway can trace its history back to 1829 and it was constructed to serve the slate quarries in the area. It was built to the gauge of 2ft as this was the track width used in the quarries. Originally powered by gravity and horses, by 1863 steam had come to the line. In 1869 the first Fairlie-designed double locomotive appeared. The railway was built to serve the slate trade but by the First World War trade had declined due to a number of factors. Passenger traffic was by then the mainstay of trade and the summer tourists kept the line in profit. But the Second World War was to see the closure of the line. It lay after the war, neglected and vandalised, until 1950 when steps were made towards preservation. By 1954 that had become a reality and the wonderland of Wales was back up and running. Today it is one of the best known of Wales' narrow gauge railways.

Festiniog Railway: From Slate Railway to Heritage Operation, 1921–2014

Festiniog Railway: From Slate Railway to Heritage Operation, 1921–2014 PDF Author: Peter Johnson
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473896274
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 509

Book Description
Opened in 1836 as a horse tramway using gravity to carry slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog, by the 1920s the Festiniog Railway had left its years of technical innovation and high profits long behind. After the First World War, the railways path led inexorably to closure, to passengers in 1939 and goods in 1946.After years of abandonment, visionary enthusiasts found a way to take control of the railway and starting its restoration in 1955. Not only did they have to fight the undergrowth, they also had to fight a state-owned utility which had appropriated a part of the route. All problems were eventually overcome and a 2 mile deviation saw services restored to Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1982.Along the way, the railway found its old entrepreneurial magic, building new steam locomotives and carriages, and rebuilding the Welsh highland Railway, to become a leading 21st century tourist attraction.Historian Peter Johnson, well known for his books on Welsh railways, has delved into the archives and previously untapped sources to produce this new history, a must-read for enthusiasts and visitors alike.The Festiniog Railways pre–1921 history is covered in Peter Johnsons book, Festiniog Railway the Spooner era and after 1830–1920, also published by Pen & Sword Transport.

Festiniog Railway: The Spooner Era and After, 1830–1920

Festiniog Railway: The Spooner Era and After, 1830–1920 PDF Author: Peter Johnson
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473869889
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 334

Book Description
Festiniog Railway 1836–2014 describes the history of the worlds first steam-operated narrow gauge railway to carry passengers. It covers the history of the railway from its beginnings as a horse-worked tramroad in 1836, through its technical developments with the introduction of steam locomotives, Fairlie articulated locomotives and bogie carriages through its twentieth-century decline, to closure in 1946, and then to the preservation era and its development as a major twenty-first-century tourist attraction.Built to serve the extensive slate industry in the Ffestiniog area of North Wales by carrying slate from the quarries to the port at Porthmadog, from 1865 the railway also operated a passenger service to serve the local community, which also attracted tourists. Closed in 1946 the railway was revived in stages from 1955, when a prolonged compensation claim was mounted against a major state-owned company for land taken to build a power station. Volunteers from all over the world came together to restore and operate this important piece of world industrial heritage, including the construction of the 2 mile deviation needed to bypass the power station. Services were resumed between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1982.The Festiniog Railway runs through some of the most beautiful countryside in North Wales, with spectacular views of mountains and lakes. The railway also has a very impressive collection of modern and historic motive power and rolling stock. It is one of the most successful tourist attractions in Wales and is one of the most important industrial history sites in the world.

British railway enthusiasm

British railway enthusiasm PDF Author: Ian Carter
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 1526129744
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 329

Book Description
Now available in paperback, this is the first academic book to study railway enthusiasts in Britain. Far from a trivial topic, the post-war train spotting craze swept most boys and some girls into a passion for railways, and for many, ignited a lifetime’s interest. British railway enthusiasm traces this post-war cohort, and those which followed, as they invigorated different sectors in the world of railway enthusiasm – train spotting, railway modelling, collecting railway relics – and then, in response to the demise of main line steam traction, Britain’s now-huge preserved railway industry. Today this industry finds itself riven by tensions between preserving a loved past which ever fewer people can remember and earning money from tourist visitors. The widespread and enduring significance of railway enthusiasm will ensure that this groundbreaking text remains a key work in transport studies, and will appeal to enthusiasts as much as to students and scholars of transport and cultural history.

Steam on the Southern and Western

Steam on the Southern and Western PDF Author: David Knapman
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473892422
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Book Description
Steam on the Southern and Western is a personal record of railway views that were captured on black and white film in the late 1950s and 1960s, until the demise of steam on British Railways.The style of the book is the well-tried and- tested picture and captions format, and the majority of the pictures are black and white photography. Not every picture portrays a train as there are interesting branch line and infrastructure scenes to view as well. Furthermore, the book is intended to represent an eclectic mix of subjects and not to solely show main line scenes, for example.The book covers the Southern and Western regions of British Railways, with the Somerset and Dorset Railway included for good measure, as it fits neatly into the areas of the country for this volume. It also carries its share of photographs of British Railways standard locomotives in the locations appropriate to the regions. Where preservation starts to overlap with the still-active steam scene, some historic photographs are included.Photographs are grouped together by a particular location, for example, the Redhill to Reading line of the Southern, and Oxford on the Western. Each of these topic areas provides a flavour of the railway activity at the time. Overall, the book presents the reader with a gentle meander through the 1950's and 1960's railway scene and will stir the memories that so many of us have seen and still treasure today.
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