Page 55 - WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE DISCOVERING ENGLAND
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Opposite top: The Ffestiniog Railway runs through the Welsh coun-
tryside. Above: Merddin Emrys, built in the Ffestiniog’s own work-
shops in 1879 and Prince, the world’s oldest working narrow gauge
steam loco, built in 1863. Below: Station masters get passengers on
the right track. Right: Vintage Ffestiniog Railroad poster.
isolated rural railways, both the Ffestiniog
and Welsh Highland offer connections to Brit-
ain’s mainline rail network at Porthmadog and
Blaenau Ffestiniog, allowing easy access for
travelers without cars.
Closed to passenger trains in 1936, the Welsh
Highland Railway cost $45.3 million to rebuild
with financing coming from the Welsh gov-
ernment, lottery proceeds and private fund-
raising efforts. It was a job well done, bringing
modern improvements to a right-of-way that
had languished for many years.
Today, the trains carry passengers on a coast-
to-coast run from Porthmadog to the im-
posing walls of Caernarfon Castle, a World
Heritage Site that was the setting for Prince
Winter 2014 winedineandtravel.com 55
