This page is primarily a route description of the long section of the WHR which opened in 2003; there is a large separate area of the site detailing rebuilding work, the two may usefully be read in conjunction, so the above link will open in another window to facilitate this. Pictures on this page are a mix of views from the closure period, reconstruction, and the reopened railway.
South of Waunfawr, the route runs close to the A4085 road, indeed immediately alongside it for part of the way.
Soon after leaving the station, on the right travelling southwards, the Parc Dudley nature reserve and trail on the far side of the road occupies the site of a former granite quarry, once served by a short tramway from the WHR which branched off towards the southern end of the station.
After just over half a mile, the site of Betws Garmon station is reached. In true narrow gauge style it was not very adjacent to much of the community it was meant to serve; its position was dictated by mineral sidings to nearby quarries. This may explain why it seems to have been so camera-shy when in use. On one side a tramway crossed the road and ran (course still clearly visible) to Hafod-y-Wern slate quarry (closed mid-1920s), which more recently has been a source of the crushed slate waste laid on the WHR trackbed prior to ballasting. Further back towards Waunfawr, a sharply curved tramway on the opposite side crossed the river to serve the Treflan and Garreg Fawr slate quarries and an iron ore mine, half a mile from the main line.
The dates of this tramway are not entirely clear; it is thought to have been opened in about 1901-2 and the NWNGR's junction layout was amended in WHR days, but the c.1916 Ordnance Survey shows just the course of the tramway, without a rail connection.
The shell of Betws Garmon station building stands, on the right of the train travelling south from Waunfawr; the south end wall is visible in the "before and after" pictures below, beyond the river bridge. It was in the process of conversion to a dwelling when the old railway closed, but this was never completed.
Under present regulations, the building is too close to the track to be brought back into use; if it is eventually restored, it will either have to be relocated, or the embankment will have to be altered to move the track. These views show the southern end of the building; the north end is even more ruinous.
Immediately beyond the old station the railway meets the Afon Gwyrfai once more - it also crosses it back at Bontnewydd. Within this section the WHR crosses it three times - originally on light wrought iron bridges, which were not strong enough for modern safety requirements and have thus required extensive refurbishment or sympathetic replacement. They are inaccurately described as bowstring bridges in many sources, but do not feature this type of construction. Two have been strengthened with rebuilt abutments faced with stone to recreate the original appearance, and with the original main beams incorporated in strengthened spans. However the first bridge has been entirely replaced; its beams are in store at Dinas, but could not be reused as the span of the bridge was increased to ease the flow of the river. This is the bridge which was known for its "Wot no railway?" graffito, faded but visible in the 1998 picture below.
The replacement span is a fine illustration of the resourcefulness of the rail professionals who give of their time and ingenuity to the WHR. It was made to a custom design re-using components from an almost new standard gauge bridge, and has given a solid but elegant structure at well below the cost of an all-new fabrication.
Immediately past this point the railway runs on a low embankment across the floodplain of the river. There is a flood relief spillway here, which has been completely rebuilt - from the side it is hard to tell from the original, but it has a sturdy modern concrete structure within.
The railway now passes under the A4085 at Pont Betws, an overbridge of quite different design to all the others - though the bridge at Rhostryfan on the Bryngwyn Branch was similar. The original bridge was narrow and weak from the road point of view.
The highways authority undertook a major reconstruction of the bridge at the same time as the railway was being rebuilt, doubling its width and providing a much stronger deck than the old iron beams could offer. The new parts of the structure have been clad throughout to give a sympathetic appearance, and one of the old beams, made across the road from Caernarfon Station at the De Winton foundry, has been re-mounted on the Waunfawr side (left-hand picture) as a decorative feature.
The adjacent St Garmon's churchyard is the resting place of two of the great characters of the Festiniog Railway in the 20th Century, Bessie and Will Jones, formerly of Tan-y-Bwlch Station.
Immediately beyond Pont Betws the trackbed passes through Bryn Gloch caravan park, a site where sensitive planning has been necessary to reconcile the needs of the railway, the existing amenity, and Welsh Water, whose water main had to be moved from the trackbed. The accommodations reached mean a deep cutting and new overbridge have been constructed at this point, replacing the disused and heavily overgrown original farm bridge, which was far too narrow for caravans, and has now been demolished.
As it is an entirely new structure, the replacement bridge has to conform to current regulations on clearances, which is why the opening is so much wider than at the other overbridges between Dinas and Rhyd Ddu.
Bryn Gloch is also the point where the line enters the Snowdonia National Park. Adjacent to the site of the modern water works just beyond Bryn Gloch, there was once a junction with a tramway serving the ironstone and copper mines whose workings pock-mark the slopes of Moel Eilio.
The last of these mines closed in 1920, and the branch and junction were removed during the 1922 refurbishment of the railway.
The WHR crosses the river again at Cae Hywel, on the approach to the hamlet of Salem, the centre of the small community of Betws Garmon.
In the case of this river bridge it was possible to retain the original beams, with new steel crossbeams and waybeams strengthening the span; the bridge was lifted and placed on the northern bank of the river for this work to be done. The abutments are new concrete structures, clad to closely match the originals; the southern abutment incorporates a spillway.
The valley now narrows dramatically between two mountains: Moel Eilio to the east and Mynydd Mawr to the west; at this point the railway, the river and the A4085 road are in close proximity as the railway passes the picturesque hamlet of Salem, the heart of the community of Betws Garmon.
Reminders of the old railway can be seen (and used) at various points in this area, in the form of stiles made from old rails; while this one is at a point where a footpath crosses the railway across the river from Salem, others are to be found some distance from the trackbed, particularly around Rhyd Ddu.
It is thought that the rails, also used as fence posts along parts of the lineside and elsewhere in the vicinity, are original NWNGR materials from the 1870s, replaced in 1922 when this section was refurbished in the run-up to opening of the WHR. This was also the period when the halt at Salem (as well as others) was created, or at least formalised; it is thought that Salem Halt may originally have been close to the footbridge over the river, but a 1936 photograph shows that it had been moved slightly south, adjacent to the small lineside quarry from which the railway took its ballast; there was a siding here.
The small overbridge at the southern end of the Salem section represented an interesting rebuilding task, given its situation so close to the stone embankment under the line.
Like the similar arched bridges between Dinas and Waunfawr, this bridge has been underpinned to allow greater vertical clearance for the rolling stock now in use.
The trackbed now runs on a stone embankment immediately next to the river as the Gwyrfai pours down a picturesque cascade at the site of the former Nant Mill. The reverse curves at this point are the sharpest on the old NWNGR route from Dinas to Rhyd Ddu, and they show off the articulated locomotives to advantage.
Almost immediately beyond to the South, the last of the river bridges is adjacent to the road at Plas y Nant, where the Gwyrfai suddenly swings away from the road. Beyond the bridge, the crags of Mynydd Mawr make an impressive backdrop at what was once the site of a halt. Additional land has been purchased alongside the trackbed at this point, to allow installation of a passing loop.
This bridge has been rebuilt in a similar manner to the one at Cae Hywel, though it represented a more involved job as the track describes a curve across it, and also because the contractors chose to carry out the strengthening work with the span jacked up while the abutments were rebuilt, rather than lifting it out to do the work on dry land.
In early NWNGR days there may have been a nearby tramway branching off near here, crossing the road to the modest Plas y Nant slate quarry (closed about 1889). There is now a straight run across marshy ground - the dip visible below is not noticeable when riding over it - and you will see a siding to the left of the train travelling from Waunfawr, possibly with a works train.
A halt was opened at Plas y Nant in May 2005, serving both Plas y Nant and the community of Betws Garmon. Alongside the path leading to the halt a relic of the closure era can be seen; this is the base for a WW2 "Blacker Bombard" mortar launcher, which was originally in the middle of the trackbed on the other side of the river bridge, and which was recovered for preservation during rebuilding.
It was intended to extend the Plas y Nant siding into a passing loop, and the components for a set of points at the southern end were deposited by the lineside before opening. In the event it has been decided not to pursue this option; the pointwork and sleepers which had been laid out were recovered by volunteers using an evening works train in early July 2006.
In the light of experience the siding has also proved to be redundant, having only seen infrequent use since reopening. The siding point is thus due to be removed during December 2006, as it can be better used elsewhere.
Beyond Plas y Nant the railway moves away from the road, from which it is separated at this point by a farm and a rock outcrop, and runs close to the river.
Jim Comerford's picture below gives an overview of much of this area during reconstruction. The southern end of the loop formation is in the foreground, then the trackbed disappears behind the outcrop. It can then be picked out again in front of the Castell Cidwm Hotel, as it approaches the partly hidden Castell Cidwm road bridge. Snowdon Ranger is visible in the middle distance.
The trackbed then passes under the final NWNGR overbridge, which carries the A4085. The train slows here, as clearances are quite tight. The bridge opening has been deepened and underpinned like the others, and the drainage has been much improved.
The wide formation at this point (often known as Castell Cidwm, after a rock formation across the lake, and a nearby hotel) is the site of the original and temporary Quellyn terminus used by the first NWNGR services (goods only) in 1877-8. The cutting has been deepened to suit the deepened bridge opening, but this has been achieved in a subtle and sympathetic manner.
The valley broadens out once more and passes the long, deep lake named Llyn Cwellyn, which provides water for much of the district.
The peak of Snowdon appears to the left, with (on a fine day) a wisp of steam from the Snowdon Mountain Railway visible near the summit.
Jim Comerford's picture below was taken from above Snowdon Ranger during reconstruction, and shows most of this section of the Railway. The Castell Cidwm bridge is visible towards the right.
Climbing away from the road, the trackbed passes behind the Snowdon Ranger youth hostel, where there was a further temporary terminus (1878-81), then known as Quellyn Lake station; this was where trains took water, and it is recorded that NWNGR engine crews were occasionally known to take rather more refreshment at the adjacent hotel than their duties should have allowed! The old station building is now part of a private dwelling.
In both directions, trains come to a full stop for the level crossing at the northern end of Snowdon Ranger, which forms the popular Snowdon Ranger Path up Snowdon, as well as a farm access.
The halt here has been reinstated - others between Waunfawr and Rhyd Ddu may follow later - with a new platform at the southern end of the site.
Beyond Snowdon Ranger the line climbs further away from the road, and the views become still more spectacular.
The next major feature is the crossing of a river (Afon Treweunydd) on the Glan yr Afon Bridge, adjacent to a pair of waterfalls. This is the most substantial bridge on the old WHR route. Its position high above the river in a remote wooded gorge makes it difficult to photograph from below. The massive wrought iron beams of this structure have been strengthened with new steelwork.
Some mystery surrounds how and when this bridge came by its usual current name, as it is known that the old NWNGR and WHR generally referred to it as the Dingle Bridge. The spelling "Glan yr Afon" is the correct version if it is taken that the name comes from its immediate surroundings (it is the name of an adjacent property) rather than the quarry a little further on, which always seems to have been known by the contracted form "Glanrafon". Also, the bridge has often been referred to as a viaduct - despite its size this is not accurate as it only has a single span, unlike the viaducts across the Seiont and Gwyrfai between Caernarfon and Dinas.
Shortly after this point the line passes the former Glanrafon Quarry, much the largest in the valley and one of the reasons the railway came here to begin with; the ruin of the weighbridge building remains in place. By coincidence or design, the view up the inclined plane that led down from the vast quarry pit (twll) to the railway points straight at the summit of Snowdon (centre picture).
The views below were taken from the far side of the valley, before and after rebuilding; quarry's tips of waste rock are prominent, as is the course of the incline. The railway passes across the picture below the tips, on top of a retaining wall. This is the site of the former Glanrafon Siding.
The remainder of the run to Rhyd Ddu mostly comprises a spectacular series of sweeping reverse curves around the head of the valley. In the closure period the trackbed was much easier to follow here than at many other points; the indentations left by sleepers lifted almost 60 years ago could be seen quite clearly, as in the 1990 view on the left.
Rhyd Ddu village appears in the distance; before reaching it the train will swing out of view of it again as it climbs through the bends.
On this section the line passes the site of yet another quarry connection, to the Rhos Clogwyn (a.k.a. Snowdon) slate quarry. This was originally (and briefly, in the 1880s) linked to the NWNGR by a short but prominent incline; when modest working of the quarry resumed in the 1920s, produce was brought down to the WHR by an aerial ropeway.
For the viewer waiting for the train at Rhyd Ddu, this section is deceptive; the train seems almost to have arrived, then it "disappears" again around a "hidden" set of curves at Ffridd Isaf, before it re-emerges shortly before the station; the picture is clearer from higher up, as seen below.
Emerging from the curves, there is a final straight, and the line bears left into Rhyd Ddu Station.
Nothing remains of the old station, though the blocked off original entrance from the road is still visible; the site has long been a car park. The picture below shows the site looking towards Waunfawr; the station buildings were just beyond the toilet block in the trees on the left.
There has been a realignment of the historic railway route at this point, to accommodate the car park. The new site is immediately beside the car park, and its creation involved a mix of excavation at the southern end, and building up the ground at the northern end.
From 2003 to 2006 the station (as seen below) was a basic affair. A building has now been added and the platform has been extended ready for when Rhyd Ddu will become a passing loop rather than a temporary terminus.
Rhyd Ddu Station is a starting point for fine walking in several directions. In particular this is the start of the popular Rhyd Ddu Path to the summit of Snowdon (cross the line by the crossing at the Waunfawr end of the station), the first part of which follows the cart road down which slate used to be brought from the quarry on Bwlch Cwm Llan.
Starting on the other side of the road, there are various fine but less well known walking routes, for instance into the rural upper end of Dyffryn Nantlle, to Beddgelert Forest, or over into the head of Cwm Pennant, former destination of the ephemeral Gorsedda Junction & Portmadoc Railways in the late 19th Century.
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