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56-397: The 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge railway has two steam-powered engines named Houston and Merriweather. Both were built by Crown Metal Products (CMP). The Merriweather locomotive had previously been named Old Ironsides when it ran on a now-defunct separate railway of the same gauge in the park named Pioneer Village Railroad. When that railroad closed, Old Ironsides was taken to

112-852: A Lagoon spokesman denied any abuse taking place and said veterinarians and staff regularly monitored the animals. In July 2016, two Utah teenagers started a petition in an effort to convince Lagoon to improve the living conditions of the animals. 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways Two foot and 600 mm gauge railways are narrow gauge railways with track gauges of 2 ft ( 610 mm ) and 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ), respectively. Railways with similar, less common track gauges, such as 1 ft  11 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 603 mm ) and 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ), are grouped with 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways. Most of these lines are tourist lines, which are often heritage railways or industrial lines, such as

168-620: A breakdown of relations between the two companies in 2008. Since then efforts have been made to improve relations and these are still ongoing. The original Welsh Highland never had an official Welsh translation of its name, despite the fact that North Wales has always been a heartland for the Welsh language. Local people tended to refer to it by informal names such as Y Lein Bach or Lein Bach Beddgelert (the little Beddgelert railway). In contrast,

224-419: A key on the token staff. This means the last train must use the token staff to pass through the section, so it can be used for trains to travel in the opposite direction. For additional protection, both the footplate crew and the guard must see the token or ticket before the train can depart. At some stations an additional "Shunt" token is used to allow shunting to take place (such as a locomotive "running round"

280-577: A lagoon, through a tunnel, past the animal exhibits, and returns to the station. In 2012, Lagoon became the focus of animal welfare groups' protests which called for a boycott of the park, citing USDA inspection reports that suggested poor care of animals in the Wild Kingdom Train Zoo. The Utah Animal Rights Coalition (UARC) and PETA pointed to a range of USDA citations over a 15-year span that included insufficient living space for and unexplained deaths of animals. While admitting to some problems,

336-437: A nominal 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge. The NWNGR had originally built a 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) narrow gauge line from a junction with the 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge London and North Western Railway line at Dinas to Bryngwyn with a branch from Tryfan Junction via Waunfawr to Llyn Cwellyn ( Snowdon Ranger ). The line

392-439: A number of awards. Originally running from Dinas , near Caernarfon , to Porthmadog Harbour , the current line includes an additional section from Dinas to Caernarfon. The original line also had a branch to Bryngwyn and the slate quarries around Moel Tryfan , which has not been restored. (This branch forms a footpath "rail trail", the lower section of which has been resurfaced and supplied with heritage notice-boards.) There

448-587: A number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass . At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway and to the short Welsh Highland Heritage Railway . In Porthmadog it uses the United Kingdom's only mixed gauge flat rail crossing . The restoration, which had the civil engineering mainly built by contractors and the track mainly built by volunteers, received

504-469: A railway that ran from Dinas to join the Festiniog Railway at Porthmadog. Like the modern day WHR, the railway was opened in stages. The former NWNGR section re-opened on 31 July 1922 and the remainder on 1 June 1923. The WHR venture was not a success and was beset with problems from the start. Indeed, 1923 was its most successful year. Much hoped-for revenue from quarry traffic never materialised as

560-428: A train). They are provided at Dinas, Rhyd Ddu, Beddgelert and at Pont Croesor. The shunt token can only be withdrawn (used) with permission from Control and if there are no trains approaching the station in the adjacent single line sections. Withdrawing the token causes two yellow lights to go out on a red warning board on the line approaching the station, preventing other trains from entering the station. The majority of

616-578: Is also a miniature railway and a tea room at its main Porthmadog station. Although WHR Ltd lost the battle for control of the WHR to the Festiniog Railway Company, they have also been involved in its restoration. On 12 January 1998, both companies signed an agreement, commonly known as the "98 agreement". In return, for dropping its objections to the Festiniog Railway Company's application to restore

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672-592: Is also the 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (1.2 km) long Welsh Highland Heritage Railway which runs from Porthmadog along the trackbed of the former Cambrian Railways exchange siding and connects to the WHR main line at Pen-y-Mount junction . The original Welsh Highland Railway was formed in 1922 from the merger of two companies – the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (NWNGR) and the Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway (PBSSR), successor to

728-557: Is the precursor of what eventually became WHR Ltd., which owns and operates the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR). Legal problems meant they were unable to take over the old company so, in the 1970s, the group purchased the former standard gauge exchange sidings (the Beddgelert Siding ) near Tremadog Road, Porthmadog , from British Railways to use as a base. In 1980, they began running passenger services over

784-408: Is used to control train access to single line sections. Communication between train crew and Control always occurs using a landline at stations. There is no in-cab radio system and current regulations forbid use of such whilst in motion. As a backup system only, the guard carries a company mobile telephone for use in an emergency. This is not a primary system as cellular coverage is intermittent over

840-497: The 1 ft  11 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 603 mm ) gauge Brecon Mountain Railway . Welsh Highland Railway The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR; Welsh : Rheilffordd Eryri ) is a 25-mile (40.2 km) long, restored 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) narrow gauge heritage railway in the Welsh county of Gwynedd , operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog , and passing through

896-532: The Aberglaslyn Pass as a destination by renaming Nantmor station as Aberglaslyn . They also tried to promote round trip (return) journeys, with passengers taking the standard gauge line to Dinas , travelling on the WHR and the Festiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog and then changing again to take the standard gauge railway to their original starting point. Despite these attempts, the FR Co. were unsuccessful,

952-628: The Electric Token System (ETS), a more advanced system in which tokens can be obtained at either end of a section from a token instrument. ETS has been used on the Ffestiniog Railway for many years and the FR Co. were anxious to obtain enough ETS instruments to equip the WHR. After a long search, sufficient ETS equipment to operate the entire railway has been obtained from the Irish railway company Iarnród Éireann . The equipment became redundant after Iarnród Éireann modernised its signalling systems in

1008-671: The Ffestiniog Railway in Wales and the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado . World War I trench railways produced the greatest concentration of 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways to date. In preparation for World War II , the French Maginot Line and Alpine Line also used 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways for supply routes to

1064-451: The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways or Rheilffyrdd Ffestiniog ac Eryri . The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway ( Welsh : Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru ) is a 1-mile (1.6 km) long heritage narrow gauge railway owned and operated by Welsh Highland Railway Ltd. (WHR Ltd.). It operates from its main station at Tremadog Road, Porthmadog to its terminus at Pen-y-Mount, where it connects to

1120-467: The Portmadoc, Croesor and Beddgelert Tram Railway . It was never a commercial success; the carriages of the 1890s were outdated and uncomfortable for so long a ride, the journey took too long and the service had a reputation for being unreliable. The Croesor Tramway had run from Porthmadog since 1863 up into the Croesor Valley and the slate quarries in this area. This was a horse-worked line laid to

1176-632: The South African Class NG15 2-8-2 locomotives started their career on the 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge. The Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa (now Namibia ) were transferred to the 2 ft gauge railways in South Africa and currently some surviving locomotives reside in Wales on the 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) gauge Welsh Highland Railway and

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1232-409: The FR Co. started to promote their operation as The Welsh Highland Railway or, in a largely Welsh-speaking area, Rheilffordd Eryri. In the end, WHR Ltd was only able to build around a third of the way to Pont Croesor, with trains terminating at a location known as Traeth Mawr Loop (opened in 2007). The reasons behind this and the consequences, continue to be a subject of debate and led directly to

1288-560: The FR would then operate trains from the WHR Ltd's Porthmadog (WHHR) railway station , to unspecified destinations on the WHR, using WHR Ltd locomotives, rolling stock and (where possible) WHR Ltd staff. Revenue from these trains would be retained by the FR, but they would, in turn, pay a hire fee for the use of the locomotive and rolling stock and a track access fee for the use of WHR Ltd's line between Porthmadog (WHR) and Pen y Mount. Another key part of

1344-506: The FR's highly restrictive loading gauge . Russell is now owned by WHR Ltd and has been restored to its original profile. 590 notably retained its original form until its demise. The railway is a single track line with passing loops at Dinas , Waunfawr , Rhyd Ddu , Beddgelert and Pont Croesor halt. There is also a loop at Hafod y Llyn , which is normally locked out of use as a stabling point for engineering trains. As with any single track railway, there are strict rules managing

1400-505: The Ffestiniog Railway Company owned Welsh Highland Railway. WHR Ltd's primary focus is on recreating the atmosphere of the original Welsh Highland Railway. This includes replicas of original buildings, using original and replica carriages and rolling stock and the staff wearing period costume. It also has a museum at its Gelert's Farm Works and every train halts there on the return journey to allow passengers to visit it. There

1456-618: The Ffestiniog Railway surrendered its lease and, in exchange for £550 compensation, it was allowed to keep 'Single Fairlie' Moel Tryfan (although it only paid £150). Various legal manoeuvres followed this, including a serious application to turn the route into a long-distance footpath. Although these plans were ultimately unfruitful, the statutory powers ensured that the trackbed was kept mainly intact, rather than sold off bit by bit, which would have made restoration much more difficult and potentially expensive. However, some parts, such as

1512-524: The WHR again. As there was no provision for the Ffestiniog Railway Company to hand back its lease and the WHR was bankrupt, the line became dormant. In 1941, the authorities decided to requisition the movable assets for use in the Second World War. Much of the rolling stock was sold off and most of the track was lifted. The Croesor Tramway section was left intact in case the slate quarries re-opened and remained until finally lifted in 1948–9. In 1943,

1568-616: The Wild Kingdom attraction and given its current name. Around the same time, one of the two other locomotives on the Wild Kingdom Train (also built by CMP) was taken out of service, put on static display, and re-themed to match the nearby Rattlesnake Rapids attraction complete with Rattlesnake Railroad decorum on the tender. Guests board the train at a train station located on the South Midway of Lagoon. The train travels clockwise around

1624-456: The agreement defined the names of the two companies' operations during the period that the line was restored. The FR Co. promoted their section as The Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) (WHR C) and WHR Ltd. changed its operational name from The Welsh Highland Railway to The Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) (WHR P) . When the two sections were connected in 2008, WHR Ltd. changed its operational name to The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and

1680-408: The costs of the crossing over its line at Porthmadog also caused problems, despite the crossing having been used since 1867 without any charges or problems. The railway even had to resort to escorting passengers across the crossing on foot. After 1923, it was unable to pay debenture interest and, in 1927, the county council sued and put the railway into receivership. Services continued and by 1933, it

1736-523: The early 2000s. As the WHR has no telephone cabling to connect the system, the FR Co. is developing a more modern alternative method of connecting the ETS machines. Until the system is finished, the WHR will continue using its current token systems. Just outside Porthmadog, the railway crosses the Network Rail -owned Cambrian Coast line using a flat crossing . It existed on the old Welsh Highland Railway and

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1792-536: The fixed border defenses. Australia has over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) of 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge sugar cane railway networks in the coastal areas of Queensland , which carry more than 30 million tonnes of sugar cane a year. Many 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge and 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways are used in amusement parks and theme parks worldwide. The interchange of rolling stock between these similar track gauges occasionally occurred; for example,

1848-459: The historian Peter Johnson , this would become a burden as the railway needed to generate the unlikely sum of £3,750 profit each year to service the debt. Two further LROs enabled improvements to the railway's alignment at Beddgelert , a new station site in Porthmadog and a link to the Festiniog Railway. McAlpine & Sons were contracted to refurbish the existing lines and complete the link between Rhyd Ddu and Croesor Junction, thus creating

1904-519: The last passenger train ran in 1936 and the last goods service in 1937. The early tourist industry did not provide sufficient visitors to make the railway pay, especially during the Depression . Competition from buses which ran a faster and more regular service from Caernarfon and Beddgelert also played a part. The last passenger train ran on 5 September 1936 and, in February 1937, the FR decided not to run

1960-444: The length of the line. His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate , the organisation responsible for safety on British railways, insists on landlines as the main form of safety critical communication. The signalling on the WHR is much simpler than that used on the Ffestiniog Railway or the UK national rail network. To enter any section of line, the train crew must obtain permission from Control and

2016-421: The line that is now known as the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway . They also acquired an original WHR locomotive Russell , which began working passenger services in 1987. In the mid-1980s, a number of FR Co. employees became concerned about impact of possible competition from a rebuilt WHR and passed this view on to the FR management. In 1987, this resulted in a confidential offer to buy the WHR track bed from

2072-400: The movement of trains to prevent more than one entering a section. The line is managed from a single " Control " office at Porthmadog Harbour Station , which also performs the same task for the Ffestiniog Railway . Control is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of trains, logs train movements on a train graph and acts as a single point of contact in emergencies. A system of tokens

2128-415: The official receiver for £16,000 to prevent the WHR being developed. In 1989, the offer became public, causing a backlash against the FR Co. In 1990, a change of directors resulted in the FR Co.'s decision to take over the restoration of the WHR. After a long legal battle between the two companies, the FR Co. won control of the WHR track bed and it re-opened the railway in stages, starting in 1997. The line

2184-453: The original narrow gauge site, with the line moving onto the original WHR alignment just south of the station. It is marketed by the FR Co. as The Welsh Highland Railway and Rheilffordd Eryri (In the Welsh language , Eryri = "Snowdonia"). The WHR's connection to the Ffestiniog Railway means that the FR Co. controls almost 40 miles of narrow gauge railway and it promotes both lines jointly as

2240-484: The points at passing loops are operated automatically using the Automatic Train Operated Trailable (ATOTP) system, rather than a manually operated lever or point motor. There are also no signals to indicate that a train can enter a section. A "Stop" board at the end of the platform orders the train to stop until the train crew have obtained permission to proceed from control and a token. At the end of

2296-531: The predecessor companies: Moel Tryfan and Russell . When these proved insufficient, Baldwin 590 was acquired by H.F. Stephens and several Festiniog Railway locomotives saw regular use on the Welsh Highland Railway throughout its entire pre-closure existence from 1923 to 1937. 590 was planned to be part of a larger fleet to replace Moel Tryfan and Russell but it gained so little popularity that Stephens never bought another. By 1936 Moel Tryfan

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2352-422: The railway; WHR Ltd would be allowed to construct the section of the railway from Pen y Mount to Pont Croesor and then operate their own services over it until such time as the "Head of Steel" arrived at Pont Croesor from the north. The Pen y Mount to Pont Croesor section would then be handed over to the FR's construction company for incorporation into the rest of the WHR. Finally, in between its principal services,

2408-415: The relevant token . Each section of line is a token block section . The WHR uses the traditional Staff and Ticket system in which trains can either be issued with the section token staff or a numbered ticket. Tickets allow multiple trains to pass one-at-a-time through a section in one direction. The Controller advises the train crew which method they will be using. Tickets are kept in a locked box opened by

2464-425: The restored lines are known as Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru and Rheilffordd Eryri . Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru (= Welsh Highland Railway ) has been used since 1980 by WHR Ltd. and its predecessors. Rheilffordd Eryri ( Eryri = Land of Eagles , the Welsh name for Snowdonia ) is the Welsh title used by the Festiniog Railway Company for its Welsh Highland Railway operations. Two locomotives were inherited from

2520-444: The section, the train can proceed into the platform provided the lights are lit on the home (shunt token warning) board, the point indicator is lit and the relevant platform is clear. One of the disadvantages of the staff and ticket system is that it is very inflexible. If a locomotive fails in a station, for example, a token staff may be at the wrong end of a section and will have to be moved by road. This situation does not occur under

2576-511: The sites of Rhyd Ddu and Dinas stations, were sold off. The Welsh Highland Railway's restoration has a long, complicated and controversial history and includes several court cases and public inquiries. The origins of the WHRL restoration efforts, tentatively began in 1961 when disagreements within the volunteers of the Festiniog Railway and a group of like-minded railway enthusiasts , joined to form The Welsh Highland Railway Society . This group

2632-492: The slate industry had fallen into decline. Its passenger services were also unsuccessful and could not compete with the local bus services, which often took half the time to complete the same journey. Its rolling stock was out of date, it lacked locomotives and carriages and its marketing was inadequate. In 1924, winter passenger services were discontinued due to poor traffic. A dispute with the Great Western Railway over

2688-408: The town to the national rail network using standard gauge. The modern Welsh Highland Railway is a tourist railway owned and operated by the Festiniog Railway Company. It is longer than the original line and starts from Caernarfon rather than Dinas. The extension was built on the trackbed of the former standard gauge railway. Dinas station is also built on the standard gauge railway site, rather than

2744-565: Was abandoned by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, although the tunnels through the Aberglaslyn Pass were mostly completed. The name Welsh Highland Railway first appeared in 1921 when a 1914 light railway order (LRO) was processed. It was originally drawn up by the local Caernarfonshire authorities and aimed to link the PGSSR and NWNGR but had been delayed by the First World War . It

2800-478: Was broken up at Dinas. Despite the unpopularity of 590 , the WHHR (Porthmadog) is currently refurbishing a similar Baldwin to act as a replica. During the ownership of the WHR by the Festiniog Railway Company, Moel Tryfan and Russell were cut down to allow them to traverse the Festiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Moel Tryfan proved suitable, but Russell , even in cut down form, was not low or narrow enough to fit

2856-498: Was completed in 2011. With Caernarfon Council having a longer-term plan to reinstate the town's rail transport link to Bangor , speculation mounted that the FR/WHR would potentially later extend itself. However, the Ffestiniog Railway wrote to the council in January 2014 to confirm that they would not themselves be supportive of such a scheme in narrow gauge, but supported the reconnection of

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2912-463: Was opened in 1877 and was extended to South Snowdon ( Rhyd Ddu ) in 1881, a total of 9 miles (14 km). This closed to passengers in 1914 but goods traffic continued up to its absorption by the WHR in 1922. In 1902, the newly formed PBSSR took over the failed Portmadoc, Croesor and Beddgelert Tram Railway with the aim of extending it to South Snowdon slate quarry in the Nant Gwynant Pass. Work

2968-588: Was out of use at Boston Lodge . When Russell and 590 were withdrawn the following year, they were placed in Dinas shed, but when the Second World War broke out, the Ministry of War came to see about appropriating them for the war effort. After some examination of the engines and questioning of those who had worked them, Russell (regarded as a good engine) was removed for further use, and 590 (seen as an unreliable, rough rider with difficult controls and inadequate adhesion)

3024-452: Was revived by two local politicians and a Scottish distillery owner, Sir John Henderson Stewart . In July 1921, Stewart also obtained control of the Festiniog Railway , to obtain extra rolling stock for the WHR. The LRO was passed in 1922, following a public inquiry. The budget was £75,000 and much of the funding was borrowed from the Ministry of Transport and local authorities. According to

3080-420: Was run down and the local authorities decided to close it. In 1934, the company agreed to lease the line to the Festiniog Railway Company for 42 years. It was a disaster, with the FR forced to pay rent even if the WHR made a loss. The FR Co. attempted to change the line's fortunes by re-focussing on the tourist market. This included painting the carriages bright colours, including yellow and blue and promoting

3136-486: Was the source of much conflict between the old company and the Great Western Railway over the cost of WHR trains using the crossing. On the modern WHR, the crossing is called Cae Pawb. Cae Pawb means "everybody's field" and is a reference to the nearby field of allotments. Information, from the engineers involved, is that the Network Rail line crosses on solid steel billets to the same head, foot and height measurements as

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