Description

Take a trip on the wondrous Ffestiniog narrow gauge steam railway! When it was built, horses were used to pull slate wagons more than 700 feet up the mountain to the quarries around Blaenau Ffestiniog. Enhanced by a full commentary, we travel on the oldest locomotive used on the line, Merddin Emrys, for the 74 minute journey from the quayside at Porthmadog.

Full description from the producer:

The Ffestiniog narrow gauge steam railway is one of the wonders of Britain’s heritage lines. When it was built, horses were used to pull slate wagons more than 700 feet up the mountain to the quarries around Blaenau Ffestiniog. The success of the line came about through the use of Double Fairlie steam locomotives, an ingenious design that was two engines in one which ran on twin bodies, front and back, with all of the wheels powered. Three of these locomotives are still in use today, and we travel on the oldest, Merddin Emrys, for the 74 minute journey from the quayside at Porthmadog.

We watch progress in real time through the eyes of four cameras which show us action on the footplate with its twin power levers, the fireman taking on water at Tan y Bwlch, and the loop at Dduallt where the line passes over itself onto the Deviation, a new line laid to by-pass the section lost to the Tanygrisiau reservoir.

There’s a full, knowledgeable commentary throughout which tells the history of the line, the tremendous work of the army of volunteers who resurrected it and keep it running, and points out places and features you’d otherwise miss. A Journey on the Ffestiniog Railway is the ultimate view of this fascinating line.

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