The Welsh Highland Railway will celebrate its centenary in style with a three-day event organised by the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway, the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway alongside societies which support the railway.
The event will take place from Friday the 23rd to Sunday the 25th of June, with tickets available to buy now. June's event follows on from 2022's preview gala, in which Russell and Palmerston operated vintage trains to Rhyd Ddu.
The special event will see the recreation of scenes from the Welsh Highland Railway's original service days, physically illustrating the railway's history and movement into its modern-day life as a popular tourist attraction.
Friday the 23rd of June will see the event centre around the railways pre 1923 history and its opening. Saturday the 24th of June will see a focus on the Welsh Highland Railway “Just like the Photos” alongside its closure. Sunday the 25th of June will see a celebration based around the railways ‘revival' moving into the popular railway we know and love today.
The event will feature the following locomotives:
- North Wales Narrow-Gauge Railway and Welsh Highland Heritage Railway locomotive Russell – originally built by Hunslet of Leeds in 1906
- Baldwin number ‘794' will appear as War Department Baldwin ‘590'.
War Department Baldwin ‘590' was built in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works USA for work behind the trenches during World War 1 after which it was purchased by the Welsh Highland Railway alongside ‘Russel' No 901 operating both goods and passengers services until the railway's closure in 1936.
War Department Light Railways (WDLR) 794 was sister locomotive to WDLR 590 and in 2003 was placed on a long-term loan from the Imperial War Museum with the Welsh Highland Railway where she finally saw restoration work begin. The restoration process has taken place at the Vale of Rheidol workshops in Aberystwyth, with the locomotive set to arrive in Porthmadog shortly.
Tickets for the event are as follows:
- Day Rover – £75
- Three-Day Rover – £150
- Child Day Rover tickets for those 15 years or younger – £10
- Child Three-Day Rover tickets for those 15 years or younger – £20
To find out more about the Welsh Highland Railway's exciting Centenary Celebrations or to book your tickets, please visit: https://www.festrail.co.uk/whr-centenary/
