Welsh Highland Railway Maps and Plans

This section is based on the 'WHR Maps' website originally authored by Steve Harris. It was also available to be purchased as a cd as part of the Society's fundraising for the rebuilding of the Railway. Once the railway was complete the Maps website passed to the care of Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri. The Welsh Highland Heritage Group is now continuing the task of preserving the collection for future users.


There are several sets of maps or plans to choose from. They can be located and navigated by clicking on the links below or to the left. This will then allow areas to be selected by clicking inside the rectangles until the desired map is displayed. Some of the maps are also available in large resolution.

  • Gradient Profile (as proposed) of the new railway between Dinas and Porthmadog. There will be many places where this turned out to be slightly different once the railway was finally constructed.

  • TWA Plans or Transport & Works Application plans submitted as proposed construction plans (including limits of deviation) of the railway from Dinas to Porthmadog.

  • Large TWA Plans details as for the 'standard' sized plans above.

  • Standard WW1 Ordnance Survey Maps dating from before 1916, which, while not actually showing the W.H.R., do show the N.W.N.G.R., the P.B.& S.S.R. earthworks, and the Croesor tramway (see "Background", below).

  • Large WW1 Ordnance Survey Maps (c. 1916) which are probably best viewed on a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.

Background to WW1 Maps

The railway being re-instated between Caernarfon and Porthmadog in North Wales, called the Project Rheilffordd Eryri or Welsh Highland Railway Project, consists of several sections of previous railways :

Caernarfon - Dinas This is part of the former standard gauge line from Caernarfon to Afonwen. The 1916 maps reproduced here show this railway as the L.& N.W.R., Carnarvonshire branch. These maps also show the Nantlle tramway where it deviated from the standard gauge route.
 
Dinas - Rhyd Ddu The trackbed of the former North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway. This became part of the Welsh Highland Railway (1923-1937), but is shown on the 1916 maps as the N.W.N.G.R. There was also a branch to Bryngwyn which it is not planned to re-instate.
 
Rhyd Ddu - Croesor Junc The trackbed of the Welsh Highland Railway (1923-1937). This railway is not actually shown on the 1916 maps, but has been drawn on by hand to show its (later) route. The earthworks and forestry sidings of an earlier attempt to build this section are shown (the Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway or P.B.& S.S.R.).
 
Croesor Junc - Porthmadog The trackbed of the Croesor Tramway, which became part of the Welsh Highland Railway (1923-1937). The 1916 maps show this as the Croesor Tramway and include a short section towards the Croesor valley from Croesor Junction. Also note there is no connection with the Festiniog Railway in Portmadoc.

Please note that the TWA Plans are © Ffestiniog Railway Company (FRC), the Gradient Profiles are © FRC and John Sreeves, and the WW1 Ordnance Survey maps are no longer under copyright because they are more than 50 years old. The OS maps were collated in this format by Cedric Lodge and Ernie Preston.