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The Snowdon Mountain Railway

The Snowdon Mountain Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa) is a narrow gauge rack-and-pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels 7.6 km from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. A return journey, including the stop at the summit, takes 2½ hours. The Snowdon Mountain Railway is the only public rack-and-pinion railway in the United Kingdom, and after more than 100 years of operation it remains a popular tourist attraction, carrying more than 140.000 passengers annually. The line is owned and operated by Heritage Great Britain, operators of several other tourist attractions in the United Kingdom. The railway is operated in some of the harshest weather conditions in Britain, with services curtailed from reaching the summit in bad weather and remaining closed during the winter from November to mid-March. Single carriage trains are pushed up the mountain by either steam locomotives or diesel locomotives. It has also previously used diesel railcars as multiple units. The railway was conceived in the late 19th century to provide a more accessible route to Snowdon's summit, capitalizing on the growing interest in tourism. Construction began in 1894, led by the Snowdon Mountain Tramroad and Hotels Company Limited. When the railway was being planned, only the Swiss had significant experience in building rack locomotives, so it was they who won the contract to build the engines for the line. In comparison with some Swiss railways the line is not very steep, and this is reflected in the design of the engines, which are all classified 0-4-2T. The boilers of the locomotives are set at an angle of 9°, to keep the water level over the tubes when the locomotive is ascending the mountain. The railway opened to the public in 1896. Tragically, on its first day of operation, an accident caused the derailment of a train, resulting in a passenger fatality. Safety measures were enhanced, and operations resumed successfully. After the opening the railway quickly became a popular way to experience Snowdon's stunning views, even attracting royalty and celebrities. Steam locomotives were the mainstay of operations, with engines specifically designed to handle the railway's gradients. In 1936 it was reported that the railway carried 30,000 people to the summit during the season. During World War II, the railway was closed for military purposes from 1942 until the end of the war. It reopened in 1946. After the war the railway underwent gradual modernization and maintenance to ensure its continued operation as a major tourist attraction. In the 1980s and 1990s, the railway introduced new diesel locomotives to supplement the historic steam engines. The Hafod Eryri, a state-of-the-art visitor center, was opened at the summit in 2009, providing a modern facility for passengers arriving at Snowdon's peak.

January 3rd 2025

 

 
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