Ffestiniog Railway

Ffestiniog Railway Rheilffordd Ffestiniog
Two trains passing at Tan-y-Bwlch, c. 1900
Locale	Wales
Terminus	Porthmadog
Commercial operations
Name	Festiniog Railway Company
Built by	Festiniog Railway Company
Original gauge	1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm)
Preserved operations
Operated by	Festiniog Railway Company
Stations	10
Length	13.5 miles (21.7 km)
Preserved gauge	1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	20 April 1836
Closed	1 August 1946
Preservation history
1954	Restoration started at Boston Lodge works 20 September 1954
1955	Reopened from Portmadoc Harbour to Boston Lodge – 23 July
1956	Reopened to Minffordd
1957	Reopened to Penrhyn
1958	Reopened to Tan-y-Bwlch
1965	Start of the Deviation construction work
1968	Reopened to Dduallt
1974	Restoration of Rhiw Goch passing loop
1977	Reopened to Llyn Ystradau
1978	Reopened to Tanygrisiau
1982	Reopened to Blaenau Ffestiniog

v t e Ffestiniog Railway
Legend
Slate quarries Duffws Bala & Festiniog Railway to Bala Junction Festiniog & Blaenau Railway to Festiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog 13 mi 50 ch 21.93 km Blaenau Ffestiniog North Blaenau Festiniog Junction Conwy Valley line to Llandudno Junction to former slate quarries Dinas Glan-y-pwll Engineering Depot 13 mi 11 ch 21.14 km Later deviation to Dinas First deviation to Dinas Original main line to Dinas Tanygrisiau 12 mi 10 ch 19.51 km Cwmorthin Waterfall Llyn Ystradau (1977) Original line flooded by Tanygrisiau Reservoir Moelwyn Halt New and Old Moelwyn Tunnels Dduallt 9 mi 44 ch 15.37 km Campbell's Platform 9 mi 07 ch 14.62 km Coed-y-Bleiddiau Tan-y-Bwlch 7 mi 35 ch 11.97 km Hafod y Llyn Plas Halt 6 mi 19 ch 10.04 km Plas Private Rhiw Goch passing loop 4 mi 16 ch 6.76 km A4085 Penrhyn Level Crossing MG Penrhyn 3 mi 08 ch 4.99 km Pen y Bryn Halt Cae Ednyfed Minffordd 2 mi 05 ch 3.32 km Cambrian Line to Pwllheli & Shrewsbury Minffordd Depot (former exchange) Boston Lodge Halt 1 mi 05 ch 1.71 km Boston Lodge Works The Cob Pen Cob Halt Ffestiniog Railway Welsh Highland Railway Porthmadog Harbour 0 mi 00 ch 0 km Welsh Highland Railway to Caernarfon

The Ffestiniog Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park.

The railway is roughly 13+1⁄2 miles (21.7 km) long and runs from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, travelling through forested and mountainous terrain. The line is single track throughout with four intermediate passing places. The first mile of the line out of Porthmadog runs atop an embankment called the Cob, which is the dyke of the polder known as Traeth Mawr.

The Festiniog Railway Company, which owns the railway, is the oldest surviving railway company in the world. It also owns the Welsh Highland Railway, which was re-opened fully in 2011. The two railways share the same track gauge and meet at Porthmadog station, with occasional trains working the entire 40-mile (64 km) route from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Caernarfon.