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Good Morning! Good to know that Jeff is being properly taken care of and on the mend. Sad news is that he lost his toe. Walking wil become even more difficult for him. He remains in Petra´s and my prayers. Calif. Dennis - there is something about teeth and age. Here is a little poem for you: The old teeth, they got rotten, the dentist made them soon forgotten! The new and dear ones just, came in time to bite the dust! Ready to join me in on today´s excursion on the Ffestiniog Railway? OK, let´s board the train and I will tell you a little tale of this truly extraordinary railway. The Ffestiniog Railway is the oldest narrow gauge railway in the world. It was incorporated by an act of the British Parliament in 1832 and served the slate quarries in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dinas. In the early years, horses were employed to pull empties uphill to Blaenau Ffestiniog, while the return trip with loaded slate cars was made just by gravity, as the right of way has a constant grade all the way from Blaenau Ffestiniog down to Porthmadog. Imagine a 13.5 mile ride on an open car, braked by 3 men sitting on the front, the rear and the middle car! What an adventure! Gravity trains are still run today - on special occasions. Watch this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4xidyu-UMI" target="_blank">video</a>, only seeing is believing! In 1863, steam power was introduced to pull the empties uphill with little 0-4-0 locos, out of which one is still in service, while another ones adornes the interior of Spooner´s bar in Porthmadog´s station building. The slate business was in full bloom in those days, as it was a preferred roofing material, especially in Germany. The increase in shipments via Porthmadog Harbour made it soon apparent, that the locos were not powerful enough to deal with the increase in traffic. Plans were made to establish a second track, but were soon given up, when Mr. Fairlie introduced his Fairlie Patent, double-boilered bogie loco in 1869. These locos proved to be a real success for the line. Though the first one on the line, appropriately named "Little Wonder" was scrapped, most of the original locos are still in operation and provide the main motive power for the railway. The outbreak of WW I meant an abrupt decline of the slate business, never to reach the same level again. Tourism developed in the 1920´s, providing a new source of revenue, but WW II put an end to that. Passenger services ceased in September 1939 and freight services were terminated in 1946. The original Act of Parliament which permitted the building of the line, made no specific provision for its closure or abandonment. Although the main line had ceased functioning, the company could not dismantle the railway, so the track and infrastructure were left in place. An amending Act of Parliament could have been sought to repeal the old one but the Company did not have the money. However, without maintenance, the line soon became overgrown and unusable. From 1949, various groups of rail enthusiasts attempted to revitalise the railway. In 1951, railway enthusiast Alan Pegler was approached by friends to buy and clear the outstanding debt on the derelict Ffestiniog Railway, to enable its purchase. Lent £3,000 by his father, he and the volunteers obtained control of the company on 24 June 1954. Pegler was appointed the new company's first Chairman, with the objective to operate the railway as a tourist attraction, and gradually restore the line to working order. Pegler later released complete control of the company without any personal financial gain to Ffestiniog Railway Trust, which still owns and runs the railway today. The Ffestiniog Railway thus became the first preserved railway in the world. Enough talking, let´s enjoy the ride up to Blaenau Ffestiniog! <img src="http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/SirMadig/Wales08_2006_031_zps5afe0783.jpg" alt=" " /> <img src="http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/SirMadig/Wales08_2006_035_zps76e6c9f6.jpg" alt=" " /> <img src="http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/SirMadig/Wales08_2006_047_zps26436dc1.jpg" alt=" " /> If you have some time to spare, here is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50xhD8iptLM" target="_blank">video</a> of trains on both the FR and the WHR. Enjoy! Have a great day!
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