A
bustling and busy narrow gauge slate-carrying railway between
Portmadoc and Blaenau Ffestiniog that pioneered narrow gauge
steam and passenger services in the 19th. Century and demonstrated
the utility of such railways to the world. World War I conditions
reduced the line to a very poor state by the 1920s. Stephens
was appointed manager in 1923 and Chairman in 1925 until his
death. Stephens and Austen bought in very necessary management
skills and probably saved the railway from premature closure.
They were however only partially successful in reversing decay.
Austen resigned in 1936 in protest against the Board's unwise
economies. Losing a promising tourist trade because of World
War II the railway finally closed in 1946.
Resurrected in a pioneering effort by enthusiasts in the early 1950s, it has been refurbished and re-routed in part to become a highly successful preserved railway.
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Further reading The Festiniog Railway, 2 Vols. J I C Boyd. Oakwood Press. Various editions. An Illustrated History of the Festiniog Railway. Peter Johnson. OPC, 2007 See Also TOPICS articles |
