The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:          10¼" (260mm)

Length:       4 miles (6.4km)

Opened:      1857 (Standard gauge) 6 April 1982 (present railway)

Location:   

Wells & Walsingham Light Railway
Stiffkey Road
Wells-next-the-Sea
Norfolk
NR23 1QB

Web:      https://www.wwlr.co.uk

Email:    wellswalsinghamrailway@gmail.com

Tel:         01328 711630

 

Date of visit:     24th - 25th September 2021

Key Facts

• The railway claims to be the longest 10¼ inch gauge railway and the smallest gauged public railway in the world
  
• The trackbed for the line was once the standard gauge railway which ran from Wymondham to Wells where there was a terminus
• Wells on Sea Station was also the terminus for the Heacham to Wells branchline
• The original railway was built quite cheaply and so follows the undulations of the landscape and hence includes some fairly stiff gradients (up to 1 in 66)
• The Wells and Walsingham Railway was established by Lieutenant-Commander Roy Wallace Francis  (1922 - 2015) a former British naval office
• The railway's principal locomotives are two 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt steam locomotives (Norfolk Hero and Norfolk Heroine) and a Bo-Bo diesel loco (Norfolk Harvester)
• The railway runs five trains each way during the summer season and four trains each way during the spring and autumn
• There is a shop with a small range of refreshments available at Wells on Sea station
• There is a large, free car park at Wells and the village (pay and display) car park at Walsingham is a five minute walk from the station

 

Route

My Impressions

I started my visit by going straight to the main station at Wells, where I familiarised myself with its layout and facilities.

The ground floor of the signal box includes a shop and a café serving a basic array of drinks and snacks.

Immediately behind the signal box is the engine shed and turning to the opposite end of the platform is the carriage shed. Spare stock is also stored on the siding behind the platform loop.

There is a large grassy car park, picnic facilities a play area for children and a gift shop selling locally produced paintings, ornaments and clothing accessories.

Ere long, a steam whistle announced the imminent arrival of a train from Walsingham.

I watched the train disgorge its passengers and the rather magnificent Garratt loco (Norfolk Heroine) run round its train.....

A few minutes later, the train departed for Walsingham

Most of the passengers decided to sit in the open topped carriages to make the most of the gorgeous late September sunshine with which we were blessed during my visit.

The following day, I revisited the line. This time going straight to Walsingham station where a large group of passengers was patiently awaiting the arrival of the first train of the day.

Once more, Norfolk Heroine had been rostered ......

.... and, after running-round, ........

...... she made a swift and efficient departure with quite a heavy train.

I hastened back to my car and then sped up the road, parked and was able to observe the train passing through Wighton

Returning to the car, I was then able to watch the train climbing the bank out of Warham

Another short car journey and I was able to catch the train's arrival into Wells, where the loco ran round and took on more coal and water.

Before long, the train departed once more.

I then drove down to Wells harbour where I found a very pleasant eatery and bought a few essential supplies, before returning to the station for my afternoon's adventure. .......

..... a cab ride!

Despite its diminutive size, the cab, while cosy, was sufficiently large to accommodate myself and the driver who described in detail the actions required to keep the locomotive performing at its optimum.

A 1 in 80 gradient out of the station is followed by a very short 1 in 440 gradient .........

...... then another 1 in 76 gradient - all within the first mile!

There then followed a 1 in 66 decent then a 1 in 96 ascent, and so the driver (who acts as fireman) has his work cut out ensuring the correct balance between fire and water level, as it runs from one end of the boiler to the other, maintains sufficient steam pressure for the climbs, without wasting steam on the descents.

In addition, there are five ungated level crossings and two intermediate halts to contend with so the train's speed has to be optimised for the conditions and there is much rather creative use of the whistle to alert drivers and warn potential passengers of the train's imminent arrival.

After three miles, there is a long and steady 1 in 80 climb .........

...... into Walsingham station, where a knot of passengers was awaiting our arrival.

After a sprightly run-round, we departed ......

There was time to admire the surrounding landscape which, at this time of year is quite picturesque with the lengthening shadows from the afternoon sun.

The passengers also seemed to be enjoying the sunshine and vistas of the Norfolk countryside - not to mention the ride!

As we approached Wells, I was alerted by the driver to a local avian resident perched on a branch just above the track.

On cue, the buzzard swooped down the track ahead of the train before swerving off to the left. A rather poignant and impressive end my rail-borne experience.

We slowly and, to my mind, rather majestically, coasted into the station.

This is an experience which will live with me for a long time. What a lovely little railway in a beautiful setting and an extremely picturesque part of the world. 

I can thoroughly recommend this railway for a visit. There is plenty to see and do in the area for all ages - and I can also endorse the quality of the dressed crab sandwiches available from the eateries in the town.

Video

Welsh Highland Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:         1' 11½"

Length:       25 miles

Opened:      1863 - extended 1923 - closed 1937 - re-opened in phases from 1997 to 2011

Location:

    
View Narrow Gauge Railways in a larger map
View Narrow Gauge Railways in a larger map

Web:      http://www.festrail.co.uk

Email:    enquiries@festrail.co.uk

 

Date of visit: 6 May 2013

 

Key Facts

• The first part of what is now the Welsh Highland Railway was opened in 1863. This was the horse-drawn Croesor Tramway which ran from Porthmadog to the Croesor Valley. This has now been incorporated into southern part of the railway.
• In 1877, the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway opened a line from Dinas Junction on the LNWR mainline to the south of Caernarfon, initially to Snowdon Ranger and then in 1881 to Rhyd Ddu.
• In 1923, the Welsh Highland Railway was completed with the link from Rhyd Ddu, through Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass to link up with the Croesor Tramway.
• The Depression years of the 1920s was not the most lucrative time to open a new railway and from its inception the WHR struggled financially.
• The railway limped on until it was put into receivership in 1927 and closing in 1933 when it was leased to the Festiniog Railway Company. The FR tried to make the railway successful through development of the tourist trade but was eventually forced to abandon the railway in 1937 when the it was closed and the stock and track sold off.
• The restoration of the railway was mired in controversy with both the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and the Festiniog Railway initially seeking to purchase the trackbed and gain funding to reopen the line. Eventually, the Ffestiniog Railway was successful and through National Lottery funding was able to rebuild and reopen the railway in stages from 1997 to 2011.
• Restoration began with the completion of the railway from Caernarfon to Dinas along the trackbed of the former standard gauge railway.
• The final phase of construction was the completion of the link from the WHR, through the town of Portmadog to the Ffestiniog Railway station which entailed the re-installation of the crossing over the standard gauge railway near to the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway station.
• The original WHR inherited two locomotives from its constituent companies; a single Fairlie locomotive, Moel Tryfan, which survived until 1954 when it was scrapped by the FR; and a 2-6-2T Hunslet locomotive, Russell, which is owned by the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and is currently undergoing restoration by Alan Keef Ltd. The line also bought an ex War Dept Baldwin locomotive which did not prove to be successful or popular with crews on the railway.
• The railway now uses a fleet of Beyer-Peacock Garratt articulated locomotives to tackle the tortuous, steeply inclined route. Most of the locos are from South Africa, but the line also possesses a former Tasmanian Railways K class locomotive which was the world's first Garratt articulated loco and
• The line also has a fleet of diesel locomotives
• From time to time Ffestiniog Railway locomotives haul trains along the line as they did when the line was first opened
• The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway also has opportunities to run special trains on the railway, as part of an agreement between the two railways when restoration began. 

Route

Source: http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/welshhighlandrailway/

My Impressions

This was not the first time I had travelled along or visited the Welsh Highland Railway. I was fortunate enough to travel on the first public train through the Aberglaslyn Pass in May 2009, though for some reason I took only one photo to commemorate this auspicious event!

My visit on this occasion was as part of a visit to the Ffestiniog Railway's 150th anniversay celebrations when I took the opportunity to take a ride on the WHR as a respite from the events on the FR.

Prior to my trip on the railway, I took some lineside shots in the Aberglaslyn Pass. Mainly, I wanted to see the two ex-Penrhyn Hunslet locomotives, Blanche and Linda, hauling a special FR/WHR train non-stop from Blaenau to Caernarfon.

The following day, I travelled the line from Porthmadog to Rhyd Ddu, which I consider to be the most spectacular part of the railway. Mind you, the section from Rhyd Ddu to Waunfawr also has its attractions but it was more convenient for me to change trains at Rhyd Ddu.

Before boarding the train, I was able to watch our loco running round and taking on water at Harbour Station.

 Because the tracks at Harbour Station are not yet aligned for the WHR, trains have to be hauled out from the platform by a pilot loco before the WHR loco is then attached to take the train across the bridge and through the town.

WHR Beyer Peacock loco 138 negotiates the road bridge at Porthmadog

The station platforms at Harbour Station are presently being remodelled and so from Spring 2014, this interesting reverse manoeuvre will no longer be necessary.

The first part of the railway is unspectacular as the line crosses the farmland which was reclaimed from the salt flats when the Cob across the estuary was built in 1811 by William Maddocks who gave his name to the town of Porthmadog (Maddock's Port).

Before long, however, the train starts its ascent towards Beddgelert. Shortly after leaving Nantmor, the train plunges into a 280m long tunnel ......

 ...... before emerging into the Aberglaslyn Pass, where the railway clings to the hillside on a ledge above the river and passes through a further two short tunnels.

After crossing the river on a girder bridge the railway begins a steep climb through woodland towards Beddgelert Station which is located above a short way above the town.

 After taking on water, the train started the next and most tortuous stage of the railway's climb up gradients of up to 1:40 and taking in a series of S-bends to enable it to gain height.

Adapted from: http://web.bethere.co.uk/steven.harris/twa/std/images/map07.gif

Towards the end of the climb, the railway emerges from the woodland to cross some heathland and begin its descent towards Rhyd Ddu on the lower slopes of Snowdon. On this particular occasion, this marked the end of my journey and I waited on the platform for the arrival of the train from Caernarfon.

On the journey back, there was an opportunity to wait at Beddgelert for the arrival of a special train from Porthmadog, hauled by one of the Ffestiniog Railway's stalwart 0-4-0 England locomotive, Palmerston.

We passed once more through the woodland below Beddgelert .........

........ and through the Aberglaslyn Pass.

Before entering the town of Porthmadog once more, we passed the link with the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. ........

 ...... before crossing the standard gauge Cambrian Coast Railway ......

...... and then winding our way across the back of the town. We then negotiated the road crossing over Britannia Bridge and was pulled back into Harbour Station by one of the FR's ex Penrhyn Railway locomotives, Linda.

The Welsh Highland Railway is certainly one of the most spectacular of the preserved narrow gauge railways in the UK. As it is now connected to the Ffestiniog Railway the two now boast around 40 miles of continuous railway from Caernarfon to Blaenau Ffestiniog. It is possible on gala days such as this to travel the entire length of the railway non-stop (apart from when the locomotives have to take on water). Personally, I prefer to do the trip in stages as it provides opportunities for me to take lineside pictures. However, if you have not yet had the opportunity to travel on and/or view the railway as it passes through the Aberglaslyn Pass, then it must surely rank as one of the must-see stretches of narrow gauge railway in the country.

I will return! It's about time I traversed the northern end of the railway and gathered a few more lineside shots. Hopefully I'll do that sometime in the summer and can then complete the video of the journeys.

Video

[In preparation]