Having a blast

The Ffestiniog Railway has accomplished much during its seven decades in preservation. Here is a timeline of its key milestones.

Long-serving Ffestiniog Railway volunteer and current FR Magazine editor JOHN DOBSON recalls his early encounters with the railway back in the 1950s.

In the hills above Blaenau Ffestiniog lie the remains of RHOSYDD QUARRY . Once a hub of industry, now abandoned and left to decay, it’s a place that echoes with whispers of the past.

With a large room to fill, Cliff Thomas created a wonderful tribute to the preserved narrow gauge railways of Wales, as well as the dramatic scenery in which they operate.

ABOVE: The 1990s were a colourful time with the last of the Trainload liveries, the shadow freight colour schemes and the new privatised company liveries. On January 23, 1996, Loadhaul 37517 leads Tra

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