2005's main event offered a mixture of familiar and new features, adding variety to the established successful pattern. The event was also centred around the theme of the volunteer effort towards Phase 4 rebuilding to Porthmadog. In contrast to 2004's soaking, the weather was kind throughout.

Prince

A familiar visitor to WHR(C) from the FR, Prince was delivered to Dinas on Friday 16th, and worked a vintage special the same day over the whole line, extending Super Power events to three days for the first time. The rake comprised resident no. 23 plus the FR's "bug box" observation car no. 1 (the first four-wheeler to run on the restored line) and van no. 2, which was known as carriage no. 10 last time it came north, all in authentic 1920s livery. Carriage 26 also made another visit, to take no. 23's place in the F set.

Over the weekend Prince worked shuttles with the same rake between Caernarfon, Dinas and Waunfawr, variously solo and with Castell Caernarfon - whose height made a dramatic contrast with the bug box! Dinas-Waunfawr shuttles were "topped and tailed" as running round at Waunfawr was not feasible, and a very fast turnround was made possible.

Elidir

It wouldn't be Super Power without a Quarry Hunslet! This time, the oldest of the three ex-Dinorwic locos from the Llanberis Lake Railway attended, giving footplate rides at Dinas. Elidir was built in 1889 and was named Red Damsel when in quarry service.

K1

The pioneer Garratt, back from its appearance at Crewe and almost ready for further line trials, was in light steam over the weekend, and gave demonstration runs in Dinas yard.

NGG16 no. 140

The engine shed and south yard were open to the public, for the first time since the running line through the yard towards Waunfawr was opened in 2000. The items of interest here were the parts of NGG16 no. 140, with one power unit under overhaul in the machine shop, and the partly stripped boiler unit shunted into the loco shed after the working NGG16s had departed each day. Other smaller components were on display in the former "clip shed" in the north yard.

Other Dinas Exhibits

The WHR Construction Ltd offices were opened to the public for the first time, with a display of construction and engineering plans for Phase 4. The two shown below are for the replacement river bridge at Bryn y Felin, which was on the point of being ordered, and the south end of Beddgelert Station.

One of the Hudson wagons restored and modified by the WHRS East Anglian Group had been delivered from the restoration site near Cambridge, and was on display outside the station building.

The displays in the Goods Shed included the part-finished restoration of a WW1 American Army Fairbanks-Morse "Speeder", purchased by Colonel Stephens and used on the original WHR. This is a Boston Lodge volunteer project, using an original frame which had later been part of the FR's notoriously dangerous trolley Busta in the 1950s. Outside, a steam organ provided entertainment.

Last but not least, construction diesel Upnor Castle received a much-needed repaint in time for the event.

Mixed Trains

These are a familiar feature of Super Power, using the fleet of ex-South African wagons. As more of these have become available for service, extra mixed trains were possible this time, with the creation of a second rake of freight vehicles. This time there were no double headers, as the loads are easily within the limits of a single NGG16. On Saturday, a maximum length train was run between Rhyd Ddu and Waunfawr, with the passenger E set sandwiched between the two freight rakes, all behind no. 143. At Waunfawr, no. 138 shunted the freight rake from the Rhyd Ddu end of the train and added it to its own train, to take on forward to Rhyd Ddu and back to Dinas. The restricted length of Caernarfon loop does not allow these mixed trains to run north of Dinas.

The tool van was included in one freight rake for what is believed to be its first time on public trains; the curious piece of equipment attached to its side is the structure gauge used for checking clearances at overbridges etc.

To mark the Phase 4 volunteering launch, which was celebrated at a ceremony at Rhyd Ddu on Sunday lunchtime (the train going there was shadowed by a special photographers' bus service, using Express Motors' open-topped double decker), the wagons carried loads of construction material, equipment, and volunteers.

"Ordinary" trains ran throughout the weekend too. As another innovation, the 0915 from Caernarfon on each day ran non-stop to Rhyd Ddu. The Saturday non-stop was used for filming a route double DVD (one disk in each direction, using a special camera mount on the front of no. 138), which was duplicated and on sale on Sunday! Full details are on the Recommended Reading and Viewing page.

Guided Walks

These were organised for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's was the more ambitious, starting at Tryfan Junction, where passengers were set down for the first time since the 1930s (admittedly at the crossing rather than the former station) for a walk taking in as much of the Bryngwyn Branch trackbed as feasible, then going up via the spectacular route of the Alexandra Tramway into the quarries, where local expert Dr Gwynfor Pierce Jones was on hand to introduce the surroundings. The party then descended via paths south from Alexandra Quarry to catch a train at Plas y Nant.

Sunday's walk was on footpaths between Snowdon Ranger and Rhyd Ddu.

Even more Super Power 2005 pictures - external links to photo collections by Martin Cowgill and Bruce Brayne.

Reports from the 2002, 2003 and 2004 events.