Some may consider it extravagant to attach the dates of 1864 to 1948 to the history of a line that originally only ran from 1923 to 1937. But the history of the Welsh Highland Railway in Gwynedd cannot be considered by itself. The part played by its two forerunners, the Croesor Tramway and the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways, must also be taken into account. This book gives a beautifully researched account of the history of all three railways, while also providing fascinating insights into the business of running a railway in times of intense competition from bigger players. Here are details of the day-to-day working of the line, and its final decline in the face of the rise of road transport. The story is not all gloom, however, as the company has been resurrected and now runs services over a small section of the original line. The story of this revival is also told. Thirty-seven period photographs give a flavour of life on the line and feature many rare shots of the railway's long-serving, but long-lost engines including 'Russell', 'Gowrie' and '590'. Included also are the stations of Beddgelert, Porthmadog, Nantmor, Dinas Junction, Bryngwyn (the only known photo of a passenger train there!), Rhyd-Ddu, Snowdon Ranger, Bettws Garmon, Rhostryfan, Tryfan Junction, and Waenfawr, and locations along the line such as Glanrafon and Aberglaslyn Pass. This railway is also featured, along with other lines, in Gwynedd's Lost Railways, also available from Stenlake

An extensively illustrated history of this Welsh railway—and the effort to restore it. One of Wales’ oldest narrow gauge railways, the 2ft 3in gauge Corris Railway was built to carry slate from several quarries in the Dulas valley to wharves on the river Dyfi. At first forbidden to use steam locomotives or to carry passengers, it overcame these obstacles and became an essential part of the community that it served. It was also a forerunner in encouraging tourists, offering inclusive tours to nearby Talyllyn, with passengers traveling on the train and on railway-operated road services. Taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1930, the railway was closed by British Railways in 1948, apparently for good. Fortunately, the last two steam locomotives and some rolling stock was saved by the nearby Talyllyn Railway, where it played an essential role in that railway’s preservation. Eventually, the thoughts of enthusiasts turned to reviving the Corris Railway, and, after many twists and turns, the first passengers were carried on a short section in 2002. In this book, historian Peter Johnson has delved into many sources to uncover the intricacies of the railway’s origins, development, operation, and revival.

The rebuilding by the Ffestiniog Railway of the Welsh Highland Railway / Rheilffordd Eryri, a narrow gauge line through the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, was one of the most controversial of the millennium projects. In this paperback illustrated album, compiled by the East Anglian Group supporting the Welsh Highland Railway from the photographs and memories of their members, the changes and memorable events (both positive and negative) that have occurred on the WHR between 1994 and 2019 are shown.