Blaenau branch

With the (fantastic) Ffestiniog railway already at Blaenau and other preserved lines elsewhere why would you need another one?

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Exactly! It's just another case of someone having to be "The big fish in the little pond" and have their own railway to play with - no matter how impractical it may be.
Ray.

 

Porthmadog has three.

 

2 of which are run by the same organisation, and the other is a much smaller, shorter line with a museum and other attractions - none of them really a threat to the others, indeed the WHHR could be seen as complementary to the others. Blaenau to Trawsfynydd is of a substantial project and I can't help but feel that it is overloading an already well providd for market too much.

Steve B

 

One has to wonder what the line's USP will be. The velo-rail idea might have been it but without it what really is the point of it?

 

How many existing Heritage Railways have USP's? Looking at pictures on their FB page, I'd have thought the scenery alone would be something to work in its favour, once you leave Blaenau of cause!

 

Yes. One of the reasons the FfR first got interested in the WHR revival was because of the perceived risk of a competitor.

 

Next FR extension to Trawsfynydd then???!!!

 

Why not? After all, the Festiniog & Blaenau Railway was built originally as a narrow gauge line.

 

And then down to the Bala Lake railway to stop the LLangollen railway reaching it and converting it back to standard gauge.

 

Why stop there? Carry on down to the coast and dual gauge the line through Barmouth up to Minffordd and you have a circular narrow gauge experience! I think I'm right in thinking that the way the standard and narrow gauge lines are arranged at Minffordd it would result in another spiral as well...

Then, of course, you could link up the Llanberis Lake Railway with the WHR at Caernarfon, and extend the WHR to Bangor, and the F&WHR could rule NW Wales!

Steve B

 

Shouldn't that be Ffantastic?

Tom

 

Nno!

 

I

It would be like Switzerland where the major towns have Standard Gauge and the villages have narrow (metre In their case?) gauge railways

 

Developments?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-37435111?

 

All the way to Corwen Interchange.

 

Don't worry; I've run along the south side of Llyn Celyn to an S-bend deviation below the dam at no more than 1 in 50. Adds about 1km with 150m minimum curvature.