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Die Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) ist eine Schmalspur-Museumsbahn in Wales. Die Spurweite beträgt 600 mm.

Ursprünglich verlief die 1923 eröffnete Strecke zwischen Dinas in der Nähe von Caernarfon nach Porthmadog, und es gab Abzweigungen nach Bryngwyn und zu den Schiefersteinbrüchen in Moel Tryfan. Es war die längste Schmalspurstrecke in Wales. The Eisenbahn war jedoch kein kommerzieller Erfolg, und der Betrieb wurde schon 1937, nach nur 14 Betriebsjahren, eingestellt. Die Gleise wurden während des Zweiten Weltkriegs zur Schrottgewinnung abgebaut.

Die Wiederherstellung der Strecke läuft seit dem Ende der 1970er Jahre und soll bis Ostern 2009 abgeschlossen sein.

Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Walisische Bezeichnung der Strecke 2 Geschichte 2.1 Die ursprünglichen Lokomotiven 3 Restoration 3.1 Groundwork 3.2 Controversy and Complication 3.3 Two Welsh Highland Railways 3.4 Anwohnerproteste 4 Locomotives 4.1 WHR Porthmadog 4.2 WHR Caernarfon 5 Bahnhöfe 5.1 WHR Caernarfon 5.2 WHR Porthmadog 6 The Future 7 Route 8 Weblinks

[Bearbeiten] Walisische Bezeichnung der Strecke

Die wiederhergestellte Strecke ist in der Walisischen Sprache sowohl als Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru als auch als Rheilffordd Eryri bekannt. Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru wird seit 1980 von der Gruppe verwendet, die den Streckenteil ausgehend von Porthmadog wiederherstelt. Rheilffordd Eryri - wörtlich Snowdonia-Eisenbahn - ist ein Markenname, der auf dem von Caernarfon ausgehenden Streckenteil verwendet wird. Für die ursprüngliche Welsh Highland Railway hat es niemals eine offizielle walisische Bezeichnung gegeben, obwohl sie durch das Kernland der walisischen Sprache führte. Einheimische haben ihr nur inoffizielle Bezeichnungen gegeben, wie z.B. y lein bach Beddgelert (die kleine Beddgelert-Eisenbahn, nach einem Ort an der Strecke).

[Bearbeiten] Geschichte

Die Welsh Highland Railway entstand 1922 aus der Fusion zweier Gesellschaften - der North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway und der Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway. Letztere war die Nachfolgegesellschaft der Croesor Tramway.

Die North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway (NWNGR) hatte eine Streke mit 2 Fuß (610 mm) Spurweite von Dinas an der normalspurigen London and North Western Railway nach Snowdon Ranger gebaut, die 1877 eröffnet worden war. 1881 war die Strecke nach South Snowdon verlängert worden. 1916 wurde der Passagierverkehr auf dieser Strecke eingestellt, aber der Güterverkehr wurde bis zur Gründung der WHR im Jahr 1922 fortgesetzt.

1902 begann die Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway mit der Fertigstellung des Abschnitts zwischen Rhyd Ddu über Beddgelert nach Portmadoc. Die meisten Arbeiten waren bereits erledigt, als 1914 der Beginn des Ersten Weltkriegs zur Einstellung der Arbeiten führte.

Nach dem Krieg wurde das Projekt wiederaufgenommen, auch um in dieser schwierigen Zeit Arbeitsplätze zu schaffen. Im Sommer 1923 konnte die Welsh Highland Railway die Strecke eröffnen. Sie arbeitete dabei eng mit der benachbarten Ffestiniog Railway zusammen.

Die Bahn war wirtschaftlich kein Erfolg und mußte 1927 Konkurs anmelden. Die Schieferindustrie der Region hatte an Bedeutung verloren, und der Güterverkehr blieb deshalb weit unter den Erwartungen. Auch die Passagierzahlen im Personenverkehr ließen zu wünschen übrig, denn die Bahn fuhr zu langsam und unregelmäßig. Die Fahrt zwischen Dimas und Porthmadog dauerte etwa 2 Stunden und 10 Minuten, auf der Straße jedoch nur höchstens halb so lang.

Aus diesen Gründen bemühte man sich jetzt um Touristen. So wurde zum Beispiel der erste schmalspurige Speisewagen eingesetzt, und die Waggons wurden in leuchtenden Farben lackiert. Aber auch damit hatte die Bahn keinen Erfolg; die zahl der Touristen blieb zu gering, außerdem begann die Zeit der Weltwirtschaftskrise.

1934 wurde der Betrieb von der Ffestiniog Railway übernommen, jedoch schon 1936 (Personenverkehr) bzw. 1937 (Güterverkehr) eingestellt. Die Gleise - mit Ausnahme der Abschnitte zwischen Porthmadog und Croesor Junction sowie zwischen Hafod Ruffyn and Pitts Head - wurden 1941, während des Zweiten Weltkriegs, zur Schrottgewinnung abgebaut. Als die Steinbrüche in Croesor Valley nach dem Krieg nicht mehr eröffnet wurden, wurden 1948 auch der größte Teil der verbliebenen Abschnitte entfernt; die letzten Reste wurden jedoch erst in den späten 1950er Jahren von der Ffestiniog Railway abgebaut.

[Bearbeiten] Die ursprünglichen Lokomotiven

Zwei Lokomotiven wurden von den Vorgängerbahnen übernommen: Moel Tryfan and Russell. Als sich diese als unzureichend erwiesen, wurde die Baldwin-Lokomotive 590 angeschafft. Während die WHR im Besitz der Ffestiniog Railway war, kamen auch Lokomotiven dieser Bahn zum Einsatz.

Name oder Nummer	Bauart	Hersteller	Baujahr	Herkunft
Moel Tryfan	C2' n2t	Vulcan Foundry	1875	North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway
Russell	1'C1' n2t	Hunslet Engine Company	1906	Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway
590	2'C n2t	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1917	War Department Light Railways

[Bearbeiten] Restoration

[Bearbeiten] Groundwork

The project to restore the Welsh Highland began in 1961, when a group of enthusiasts formed the Welsh Highland Railway Society with the aim of restoring part or all of the railway. The society formed a limited company to operate the railway, this company is now called the Welsh Highland Railway Limited (WHRL), also known as Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog). By 1980, they had succeeded in opening a short length of line at Porthmadog, forming the railway's southern terminus. This railway is laid on a former standard gauge spur from the Cambrian Railways, originally intended as the start of a railway to Beddgelert. In 1987 WHRL completed the restoration of the original line's only surviving steam locomotive Russell. This engine's complex history has been the subject of several books, and it is one of the most famous narrow gauge locomotives in the world.

In order to begin the restoration of the original line, the WHRL needed to gain access to the trackbed of the original railway. This was still owned by the original company, but its legal status was complicated (not helped by death of all its directors, officers and even shareholders, the destruction of its registered address, and finally the death of the company's receiver). One of the many problems was that shares could not change ownership fully, as the company had to be informed of all such changes, before they were completed.

One of the remaining shareholders in the original company was Gwynedd Council, the successor to Caernarfonshire County Council, which had run up debts maintaining the railway's structures since closure. In the late 1980s WHRL and Gwynedd Council began a project to gain joint legal control of the trackbed and to begin rebuilding the railway in stages. The scheme involved Gwynedd Council receiving ownership for a nominal sum (it was still owed a lot of money), and then leasing it back to the new company.

[Bearbeiten] Controversy and Complication

The involvement of the Ffestiniog Railway (FR) in the future of the Welsh Highland was first revealed in 1990, and came as a shock to many in the UK railway preservation community. Much negative publicity was generated for the Ffestiniog when leaked correspondence suggested that its sole aim was to block the development of a rival. The Ffestiniog's bid remains controversial even today.

The first attempt by the FR was to buy the trackbed, and then give it to Gwynedd County Council, provided it was never used as a railway. (This was revealed in leaked documents in the first public enquiry [1])

A group called Trackbed Consolidation Limited (TCL) had also formed in 1983 with the objective of reviving the original WHR company - which still owned the operating rights to the railway. TCL approached the board of Ffestiniog Railway and proposed a project for restoring the railway. Thus the second attempt was to try any acquire a majority of the shares, however this was ruled 'wholly misconceived' by the high court.

The third attempt, at the suggestion of the court, was for the FR Trust to apply for a 'Light Railway Transfer Order'. By the early 1990s the situation had reached a public enquiry at which an inspector was faced with two options: the partnership between the WHRL and Gwynedd Council, and the proposal led by the Ffestiniog Railway. The inspector chose the first option, but the then Transport Minister, John McGregor, over-ruled the decision (on the day he resigned), in favour of the FR, mainly on the grounds that the Ffestiniog scheme would not involve a public body.

After the overturning of the first public enquiry, the FR Trust formed a subsidiary company called the Welsh Highland Light Railway, also known as the WHR (C), to rebuild the railway. This second section of the revived Welsh Highland, between Caernarfon & Dinas, was opened in 1997.

In 1998 the FR applied for a Transport and Works order in order to complete the railway from Dinas to Porthmadog. The WHRL - the original revival company - agreed to withdraw its objection in return for a role in the rebuilding project. The agreement 1998 agreement was signed in 1998, and meant the FR would begin rebuilding from the north end of the line and the WHRL would expand its railway from the south onto the original WHR trackbed for the first time.

But before the rebuilding could go ahead, a second public enquiry had to take place. Again the inspector found against the proposal, and was overturned by the Deputy Prime Minister, just before such powers were transferred to the new Welsh Assembly Government.

Since then several sections of the WHR have been opened, and more work is continuing, as described below.

The completed railway on its original course will be owned by the FR. The Porthmadog (WHR) to Pen-y-Mount section remains the property of the WHRL.

WHRL will have operating rights allowing it to run its heritage trains north from its terminus at Porthmadog, and the the FR will have similar rights to run into the Porthmadog (WHR) terminus.

[Bearbeiten] Two Welsh Highland Railways

The Ffestiniog Railway set about rebuilding the line. With the aid of grants from the Millennium Commission, and the European Union, it started construction from the northern end, with the result that today there are two parts of the Welsh Highland Railway open, one in Porthmadog (which opened in 1980) and one for twelve miles out of Caernarfon (which opened from 1997 to 2003).

The Ffestiniog Railway's "Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon)" opened the first stretch of line on the abandoned standard gauge trackbed between Caernarfon and Dinas in 1997, and sections of the original narrow gauge route opened between Dinas and Waunfawr in 2000 and between Waunfawr and Rhyd Ddu in 2003. Trains are hauled by Garratt type steam locomotives, built in Manchester but having worked in South Africa and Tasmania.

The Caernarfon end of the line is now 13 miles long, constructed with the help of a grant from the Millennium Commission. It was inaugurated by a visit from HRH Prince Charles in June 2003.

Funding for Phase Four, the final section of the line, was announced in September 2004, thanks to a package of grants from the European Regional Development Fund, the Welsh Assembly Government and private donations. In October 2005, volunteers of the WHRL laid the first lengths of track of phase four at the present southern terminus of Pen-y-Mount.

At the Porthmadog end, the WHRL's line, known as the "Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog)" continues to develop the heritage atmosphere of the old railway. Original locomotives and stock are being restored to a high standard. The WHRL has received much acclaim for the interactive tour of the sheds, which all passengers get as part of their train ride. In 2005, the WHRL celebrated 25 years since the rebirth of the Welsh Highland with increased passenger numbers, and the entry into service of a second original Welsh Highland carriage.

[Bearbeiten] Anwohnerproteste

Eine Minderheit unter den Einheimischen hat gegen den Wiederaufbau der WHR protestiert. Ihre Befürchtungen richteten sich vor allem gegen die von der Bahn angezogenen Touristen und gegen eine Verschandelung der Landschaft. Dies entspricht den Befürchtungen, die es schon im 19. Jahrhundert gegen den Bau der Eisenbahn gegeben hat.

Ein Anwohner in der Nähe von Plas-y-Nant hat einen Haufen Schrott und Müll auf die Trasse gekippt, nachdem er gehört hatte, daß der Weiterbau der Strecke aufgenommen wird, der jedoch leicht entfernt werden konnte. Ernsthafter war ein Zwischenfall vor dem Besuch von Prince Charles in Rhyd-ddu, als ein Test-Zug, der einen sauberen Ablauf des Besuchs garentieren sollte, fast auf einen fußballgroßen Felsen auffuhr, den jemand auf die Schienen gelegt hatte.

[Bearbeiten] Locomotives

[Bearbeiten] WHR Porthmadog

No	Name	Wheel arrangement	Date built	Builder	Notes
	Russell	2-6-2T	1906	Hunslet	The only surviving original WHR engine
	Karen	0-4-2T	1942	Peckett
	Gelert	0-4-2T	1953	Bagnall
	3023	0-4-2T		Bagnall	Sister loco to Gelert. Awaiting restoration (and a name!).
120	Beddgelert	2-8-2	1949	Societe Anglo-Franco-Belge	Ex-SAR NG15 Class
	Lady Madcap	0-4-0ST	1896	Hunslet
590		4-6-0	1917	Baldwin	Baldwin Class 10-12-D imported from India, original number 794 but renumbered 590 to match the original, scrapped WHR locomotive.

See all Welsh Highland Railway Stock

[Bearbeiten] WHR Caernarfon

No	Name	Wheel arrangement	Date built	Builder	Notes
K1/K2		0-4-0+0-4-0	1909	Beyer-Peacock	ex-Tasmania Government Railways K Class, the world's first Garratt. Restored, under testing for use on the line.
87		2-6-2+2-6-2	1937	Cockerill	ex-SAR NGG16 Class Garratt, Black unlined livery. Unrestored.
133		2-8-2	1953	Société Anglo-Franco-Belge	ex-SAR NG15 Class Unrestored.
134		2-8-2	1953	Société Anglo-Franco-Belge	ex-SAR NG15 Class Unrestored.
138	Millennium/ Mileniwm	2-6-2+2-6-2	1958	Beyer,Peacock	ex-SAR NGG16 Class Garratt, green livery. In service.
140		2-6-2+2-6-2	1958	Beyer,Peacock	ex-SAR NGG16 Class Garratt, red livery (currently stripped with restoration proceeding)
143		2-6-2+2-6-2	1958	Beyer,Peacock	ex-SAR NGG16 Class Garratt, black livery. This was the last locomotive built by Beyer, Peacock and Company in Manchester. In service.

[Bearbeiten] Bahnhöfe

[Bearbeiten] WHR Caernarfon

• Caernarfon
• Bontnewydd
• Dinas
• Waunfawr
• Plas-y-Nant
• Snowdon Ranger
• Rhyd Ddu

[Bearbeiten] WHR Porthmadog

• Pen-y-Mount
• Porthmadog (WHR)

[Bearbeiten] The Future

At the southern end of the line, the Welsh Highland Railway Limited is also making progress. Despite the setback at the public enquiry, it has formed a partnership with the Ffestiniog Railway, enshrined in the 1998 agreement, and is now helping the restoration by building northwards from its current terminus at Pen-y-Mount towards Pont Croesor, at the Porthmadog end, See The Pont Croesor Extension

The Welsh Highland Railway Limited has concentrated on the heritage and educational side of the project, developing a successful museum attraction alsonside the railway in Porthmadog, where it owns the only original steam engine from the railway, and three out of the four surviving original coaches.

It is planned to open the through route from Caernarfon to Porthmadog around 2009.

[Bearbeiten] Route

NWNGR Section: Dinas - Tryfan Junction - Waenfawr - Bettws Garmon - Snowdon Ranger - South Snowdon (approx. 9 miles).

PBSSR South Snowdon - Beddgelert - Croesor Junction - Portmadoc New (approx. 11 miles). The line was never completed as planned in 1904-08. The PBSSR line was to have been electrically worked and to run from Croesor Junction to Beddgelert and then up Nant Gwynant as far as Llyn Gwynant, near to the new power station at Cwm Dyli built by the parent North Wales Power and Traction Co. However, as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway had taken powers to build from Rhyd Ddu (or 'Snowdon') to Beddgelert, the two companies decided to join their railways at Beddgelert, which left a legacy of sharp curves and uncomfortably steep gradients of 1 in 28 around the junction. The line was modified to a gradient of 1 in 40 and completed by the Welsh Highland Railway in 1923.

[Bearbeiten] Weblinks

See also History of the Welsh Highland Railway

• Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) - official site
• Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) - official construction site
• Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) - Ffestiniog page
• Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railwayunofficial site.
• The Pont Croesor Extension
• Ffestiniog Railway's Heritage Group Wiki - contains further WHR information