HRH Prince Charles visited WHR (Caernarfon) on July 30th 2003, as one of a number of engagements in North Wales that day. He travelled by a special train hauled, appropriately, by the FR's Prince, and comprising carriages nos. 24, 23 and 10. Special headboards depicting the Rheilffordd Eryri crest including the Prince of Wales's Feathers were carried by both Prince and service train loco Millennium.

The Prince arrived at Waunfawr from his first engagement of the day at Llanfairfechan, and was greeted by a trainload of invited guests brought up from Dinas by Millennium. A smaller number of guests travelled on with the Prince to Rhyd Ddu, as the inaugural train's capacity was limited to 80 seats. The train was run under a works possession. Your webmaster made a late decision to photograph from the lineside rather than attending as one of the remaining guests staying at Waunfawr or travelling back to Dinas; other pictures below are by Chris Price, Dave Waldren, Clive Briscoe, John Dobson and Colin Hill.

Vantage points along the line showed a very healthy number of enthusiastic spectators despite indifferent weather.

The train is seen below arriving, standing at and then departing from Snowdon Ranger. The train halted at the platform for the Prince to move from carriage 24 onto Prince's footplate, and he then drove the train onwards to Rhyd Ddu.

On arrival at Rhyd Ddu the train breasted a banner bearing the Welsh flag. Having stepped down from the footplate, the Prince unveiled a slate plaque commemorating the occasion.

In addition to the Royal inauguration, the occasion was also used to announce WHR(C)'s twinning with the Sandstone Heritage Trust in South Africa.

The train is seen below at Rhyd Ddu following the Prince's departure by motorcade for his next engagements in Nefyn and Portmeirion. Prince took water from a bowser at the south end of the station before the train was reversed with the aid of a shunt using Conway Castle (in place of the originally rostered Castell Caernarfon), as the loop remained incomplete.

The train is seen below leaving Rhyd Ddu to return to Dinas - the echo of the whistle across and down the valley is truly wonderful but hard to convey here! - and on arrival at Waunfawr passing loop, where the train crossed with the Caernarfon-Waunfawr service train.

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