Porthmadog Harbour railway station reopens after ^1.3m rebuild

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Porthmadog Harbour railway station reopens after ^1.3m rebuild


The first train arrives at the newly reopened Porthmadog Harbour station

Trains have returned to a heritage railway station in Gwynedd reopened after a three-year, ^1.3m rebuild.

Porthmadog Harbour Station has been completely rebuilt by local contractors with volunteers and staff of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways.

Chairman John Prideaux said it had been an ambitious project completed despite the recent terrible weather.

Daily services will now operate from the new station and an official opening ceremony will take place on 22 May.

A Ffestiniog Railway service for Blaenau Ffestiniog was the first to leave Porthmadog Harbour on Saturday, followed shortly afterwards by a Welsh Highland train for Caernarfon.


The station has reopened after a ^1.3m rebuild


The station serves the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways


An official reopening celebration will be held in May

Thanking all those involved, Dr Prideaux said: "Rebuilding and resignalling Harbour (station) has been an ambitious project. It involved a huge number of volunteers, excellent local contractors and staff and called on skills more usually associated with the national network than with a heritage railway. The quality is outstanding and much remarked on by outside observers. It has also been a great example of teamwork, an exemplar of cooperation - staff with volunteers, Ffestiniog loyalists and Welsh Highland supporters and teams from departments who would not usually be working on an infrastructure project.

"It has been carried out over three winters, and in some terrible weather including 100mph gales," he added. "Completing such a complicated project on time and despite adverse conditions reflects huge credit on all the volunteers and staff who have been involved."

[JayMac]

That's my mind made up then. As soon as funds allow I'm heading for Caernarfon to take a WHR service down to Porthmadog. And then on to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Oy - mind your language! 

[JayMac]

My browser's spell check has a bit of hissy fit whenever I throw Welsh place names at it.

Suggestions it gave for:

Blaenau Ffestiniog - Blacken Stiffening (oo-er!)
Porthmadog - Portsmouth (could be worse)
Caernarfon - Carnation

[eightf48544]

That's my mind made up then. As soon as funds allow I'm heading for Caernarfon to take a WHR service down to Porthmadog. And then on to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Hi bng would suggest you do trip in other direction. Start at Blaenau Ffestiniog and go to Caernarfon.

That way you get the steep climb from Beddgelert to Rhdy Ddu with it's S bend. Also do it before the leaves come as there too many mature trees by the line especialy on the Ffestiniog, which obscure the views.

[smokey]

Best way,  IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) to visit Caernarfon is National Rail to Llandudno Junc, Conway valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog then take Festiniog Line to Portmadog then WHR to Caernarfon, stay a couple of nights, Trip on Snowdon Muntain Railway is then on cards.

To return WHR back to Porthmadag then Coast line via Barmouth to Shrewsbury and onwards home.

Note: Coast line is shut north of Harlech at time or posting.

[JayMac]

Best way,  IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) to visit Caernarfon is National Rail to Llandudno Junc, Conway valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog then take Festiniog Line to Portmadog then WHR to Caernarfon, stay a couple of nights.
To return WHR back to Porthmadag then Coast line via Barmouth to Shrewsbury and onwards home.

Note: Coast line is shut at time or posting.

On the date I have planned, after an overnight stay in Lladudno, the best option to do the WHR and FR in one day is to start at Caernarfon at 1000 (bus from Llandudno). This allows a decent break in Portmadog for lunch, then the 1335 to Blaenau to connect with National Rail to Llandudno Junction, then home. Going the other way, starting at Llandudno Junction, the connections are less good and there would only be a 20 minute break in Porthmadog between the two narrow gauge trips.

Trip on Snowdon Muntain Railway is then on cards.

Won't be visiting the Snowdon Mountain Railway. I have a policy of avoiding anywhere I know of that employs the parasites that are ParkingEye to 'manage' their car parks. Recently on the SMR, ParkingEye invoiced a user of the car park after he returned 1 hour 23 minutes late to his vehicle following an accident where he injured himself on the mountain. No compassion when he appealed to ParkingEye. They still want their ^100 for that 83 minutes. SMR refused to intervene.



Edited to correct overstay time. 1 hour 23 minutes, not 23 minutes.

[Southern Stag]

The Snowdon Mountain Railway also makes Heathrow Express look good valid. Fares start at just ^27 for the round trip to the summit. ^35 for steam haulage. I visited Snowdon last year and it was much more fulfilling, and kinder of the wallet, to walk to the summit.