The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways hosted one of the most highly anticipated narrow-gauge railway events of the year - the ‘Railway 200 – FR Platinum Jubilee Weekend’ - during the Summer Solstice weekend. This memorable event spanned four days, from June 19-22, marking the 70th anniversary of passenger trains running in the ‘preservation’ era of the Ffestiniog Railway whilst also linking in with the national Railway 200 celebrations - the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway. The action kicked off on Thursday evening with a re-enactment of the first passenger train run on July 23, 1955, as Mary Ann ran two return trips across the length of the Cob, Porthmadog with carriage 23 and Van 12. There was no run-round facility at Boston Lodge back in 1955, so the train set back to Pen Cob and performed the ‘chain shunt’ to get the locomotive to the other end of the carriages. Among the passengers on one of these two special Simplex hauled trains was Rob Smallman, one of the few surviving volunteers/staff from the running of that first train. "I was the refreshment manager that day - I had a folding table, a huge pile of boxes of Smith’s crisps, the ones with the blue paper wrap of salt, and crates of pop,” recalled Rob. “I can’t believe that we have now arrived at the 70-year anniversary - and what a huge place this has become. I am so very grateful to be able to say I was there.” The second day of the event continued to focus on the earlier part of the preservation era as the railway pushed on to Tan y Bwlch. Upnor Castle hauled the Early Bird train to Blaenau Ffestiniog, once a regular sight in the 1970s, closely followed by Britomart which set off with Vans 11 and 12 to mark 60 years since it arrived on the railway. Memorable moments were scattered throughout the Friday with a particular highlight taking place at Harbour Station where three stalwarts of the early days – Mary Ann, Prince and Merddin Emrys - gathered for an excellent photo opportunity. The event organisers chose two appropriate vintage trains to represent this era – the first being ‘Garraway’ set with Vans 11 and 12 and other carriages in the very fetching ‘Woolworths’ livery of green and cream. The second was the Flying Flea set which was used for the relief service and basically made up of whatever could be pressed into service the quickest, namely some bug boxes and a couple of vintage bogie carriages. Both of these sets ran shuttles to Minffordd / Tan y Bwlch with a variety of appropriate motive power including Prince or Merddin Emrys in their fetching new green liveries. There would have been regular clearance trains to get the line up to scratch and reopened to Tan y Bwlch and beyond, back in the day. These were recreated on Friday by Moelwyn, back in green and running between Minffordd and Dduallt with some empty wagons and Van 10. There were opportunities to compare and contrast with modern-day Infrastructure Train, hauled by Harlech Castle with purpose-built vacuum-braked carriages and wagons in smart matching livery. On the Welsh Highland Railway, the Penrhyn ladies, Linda and Blanche, took a Ladies Day Out special to Caernarfon whilst the morning ‘Aberglaslyn’ service was hauled by K1. In the evening, Prince and Merddin Emrys hauled a non-stop special service from Harbour Station to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Regular corridor trains also ran to Blaenau throughout the day – with a variety of motive power and interesting double-headed combinations – culminating in the Sunset Special hauled by Taliesin. During the event weekend, Boston Lodge Engineering Works was a focal point of the action with numerous exhibits and stalls, locos under restoration, footplate rides and a chance to look at some of the changes that have taken place, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Amongst the engines on display were Earl of Merioneth, Welsh Highland Heritage Railway’s Russell and Mountaineer whilst the Carriage Works played host to Kerr Stuart, the chassis of 2050, the Ashbury brake carriage and Spooners boat, amongst others. The newly restored Top Yard at Boston Lodge was the social hub of the event, with award winning local brewery, Purple Moose, running the ‘Top Yard Bar’ and music throughout the evenings courtesy of ‘The Travelling Sessions’. The Saturday took things up a notch as the focus turned to the Deviation – a significant and historic undertaking, without which the Ffestiniog Railway would likely never have made it back to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The action kicked off with the Early Bird service hauled by Taliesin… still hot from the night before! This was immediately followed by a heritage goods train hauled by Merddin Emrys which formed part of the railway’s nod to the Railway 200 celebrations - the wagons in this mammoth train came to a total of 200 wheels! The train was hauled to Blaenau Ffestiniog and back to Dduallt, where the loco was shunted into the siding before it was “brakes off” and the wagons returned to Porthmadog by gravity alone. This proved particularly popular with photographers at Tan y Bwlch Station. Once the gravity train had made its way back to Porthmadog, eyes began to turn to the spiral at Dduallt, which would play host to another series of memorable highlights in the afternoon. Visitors made their way to this iconic station via a special train of bug boxes, hauled by Palmerston. Linda and Blanche arrived with a train from Blaenau Ffestiniog and locked into the Bay Platform, allowing Prince to arrive with a train of wagons representing the works trains that ran while the Deviation was being built. What followed was a series of run pasts which allowed visitors the opportunity to see trains passing ‘over and under’ Rhoslyn Bridge, a sight not seen regularly since the early 1980s. Once Prince had headed off towards Blaenau Ffestiniog, Merddin Emrys arrived with another train from Porthmadog with both trains departing in their respective directions at the same time. This allowed a rare opportunity for visitors to see, or ride on, passenger trains passing ‘over and under’ the bridge. The best was most certainly left until last, as Sunday played host to the highly anticipated ‘200 Wheels on the Cob’ cavalcade. This was a historic moment as the entire Ffestiniog Railway & Welsh Highland Railway fleet, whether they were ‘in steam’ or not, made their way onto the famous Cob Embankment. The majority of the locomotives were assembled at Minffordd Station in the correct order, the Welsh Highland engines assembling at Boston Lodge. This was done both to make best use of the space at Boston Lodge and to provide a run past for those viewing from Boston Lodge. Locomotives appeared in the order they entered service in the preservation era. Those lucky enough to be in the cavalcade viewing area at the end of the Carriage Shed were treated to commentary from Tim Dunn and Anthony Coulls who talked visitors through a short history of each engine as they rounded Boston Lodge curve onto the Cob. Once all engines had crossed the Cob on their first run and had arrived at Porthmadog Harbour Station, a small ceremony took place whereby the first engine, Prince, drove through a banner to officially start the cavalcade. The ceremony was attended by MP Liz Saville Roberts and Lord Richard Faulkner who were joined by a group of young local railway supporters who held up the ceremonial banner. What followed was a truly spectacular site as all 25 steam engines lined up along the Cob. This extraordinary cavalcade amounted to 234 wheels, a very fitting nod to the national Railway 200 celebrations.
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