Book your event rover tickets for the historic Welsh Highland Railway Centenary event weekend at Dinas!
Tickets can be purchased on our website or by calling Porthmadog Harbour Station Booking Office on 01766 516024
The Booking Office will be open daily between 09:00 – 16:00, during which time, walk-ups can also purchase tickets.
Please Note: The ticket structure for the event has been amended and we are now selling;
‘Saturday and Sunday Event Rover’ tickets (priced at £60.00 for adults and £30.00 for children)
If you have already purchased a day ticket, you will now be able to use this as an event rover on both days of the weekend. This will give you more time to see everything as well as visiting the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway at Porthmadog.
Our event weekend will be primarily centred at Dinas where we will be operating heritage trains between Dinas and Rhyd Ddu (as South Snowdon is now known) to celebrate the reopening of this section of line.
The only surviving original Welsh Highland Railway steam locomotive, ‘Russell’, based at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway at Porthmadog, will be running along the Welsh Highland Railway during the event.
Here is an overview of everything that’s happening during the event weekend…
Trains
We can guarantee that there won’t be a shortage of trains during the weekend…
- Recreation of services Dinas – South Snowdon from July 1922:
- 1906 Hunslet Locomotive ‘Russell’, built by to the order of the Portmadoc, Beddgelert and —South Snowdon Railway (PB&SSR) and one of the original to be used on this service. Locomotive and heritage carriages with thanks to Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
- 1864 England locomotive ‘Palmerston’ built for and owned by FRCo but used for construction of the NWNGR in 1876, working out of Dinas, then in 1922 working for William McAlpine on the Welsh Highland Railway construction further south. Locomotive and heritage carriages with thanks to FRCo.
- Saturday evening: Photographic special with Russell & heritage carriages, including run pasts and 1920’s costumes. (supplement applies)
- Regular shuttle trains Caernarfon – Dinas. Locomotive will be NGG16 No. 87.
Coaches
The Welsh Highland Railway’s success was short lived, and one of its competitors was Whiteways buses of Waunfawr, vying for passengers in the valley. Buses with thanks to owner John Williams.
- 1955 Whiteway Bedford SB3, DCC 125, will be running the first shuttle service from Caernarfon each morning and will then be running to Waunfawr and Rhyd Ddu with photostops along the way.
- 1949 Whiteway Bedford OB, LTT 913 with be on show in Dinas yard.
Dinas
Dinas junction was an important hub in 1922 and it is once again a busy place with workshops, loco and carriage sheds and some historic buildings spread over the site. We are pleased to have the workshops open and also be able to show you some of the more private parts of this hard working area.
- Workshops: Open Saturday and Sunday from 1100 with tours on the hour.
- See NG15 locomotive reconstruction now well in progress and take the opportunity to discuss this interesting project with some of the team.
- Also in the works, NGG16, No. 143 is coming towards the end of a major overhaul.
- 2-6-2T Lyd was completed at Boston Lodge in 2010 and is a replica of a locomotive that used to run on the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. It has moved to Dinas for the summer and will be availble to see during the workshop tours.
- Engine in steam and available for footplate rides: 1100 to 1630
- 0-4-0 Quarry Hunslet Hugh Napier worked originally at the Penrhyn Quarries. It is owned by the National Trust but was restored to working order by FRCo and resides at Boston Lodge.
- Vintage Cars: a number of pre-1939 cars will be in the yard for photographic opportunities
- Goods Shed: This historic building has seen many uses over the years, including the popular Cwrw ar y Cledrau beer festival. This weekend it will house a 16mm live steam model railway with models of many of the original NWNG and WHR locomotives. Also a model of Dinas, old film and information boards, Society stands, NG15 sales stand. Café, cakes and real ale bar.
- Catering: In addition to the café and real ale bar, there will be hot snacks from catering van, Blas Môn which will be situated outside the shed.
Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, Porthmadog
There will be complementary activities at Gelert’s Farm, Porthmadog on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway over the weekend.
- Intensive steam service with ‘Gelert’ engine
- Recreation of a construction train hauled by what is believed to be the only surviving internal combustion locomotive used in the building of the original Welsh Highland Railway.
More details will be available on the WHHR Facebook www.facebook.com/WHHRly and website www.whr.co.uk pages.
Day tickets will be available for purchase in person at the time of visiting, at the WHHR ticket office and shop on Tremadog Road.
The prices for each day are set at Family £37.50, Adult £14.50 and Child £7.00, but Dinas Day Rover holders, FRS, CRhE, WHRHG and WHHR members and Ff&WHR staff will be welcome to travel at normal prices (Family £30.00, Adult £11.50 and Child £5.50) on presentation of their Day Rover ticket, valid membership card or staff pass.
Caernarfon Station
Our station at Caernarfon will be open on both days from 08:30 – 17:00
- Caffi De Winton open 09:00 – 15:00 for freshly baked hot and cold snacks and cakes
- Shop open 09:00 – 17:00
Cei Llechi
Whilst in the area, it is worth taking a visit to newly opened Cei Llechi in Caernarfon, opposite the station. This area is a mix of original and quirky new buildings from the area’s slate quay heritage. One of the buildings was once part of Brunswick Ironworks and the forge of the artist blacksmith, DJ Williams who established his workshop in 1906. Artisan blacksmiths Chris and Bethan Mace have relit the forge and will be operating over this weekend as part of their mission to make blacksmithing more accessible to the public. They would love to see you.
We look forward to welcoming you all to what will be a hugely enjoyable and historic event for the Welsh Highland Railway.