The Ffestiniog Railway (Past & Present Companion)

Having survived for over two decades as a horse drawn operation, shipping slate downhill between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Portmadoc and the empties back up the line, the Ffestiniog Railway was forced by constantly increasing loads and weight to switch to steam locomotives. Four 0-4-0STs - Princess, Prince, Welsh Pony and Little Wonder - were received from George England Co. in 1863 and immediately made their presences felt, producimg a step change in the railway's fortunes. This continued over the next decade, leading to orders for more powerful motive power, with delivery of a further 0-4-0ST - Palmerston - and the first of what would become the iconic emblem of the railway, Robert Fairlie's patent double-engines. As has been asserted on several oocasions, the Festiniog have always been at the forefront of forward thinking and innovation and this has continued through to the present day. 2013 sees the celebration of 150 years of steam and this book, a third vloume in Nostalgia Collection's Past & Present series, features a focus on the locomotive fleet, as well as showing a number of comparative views through the years, but there are also views that deserve to stand alone on their merit. What the book does show is both progress in the past by the railway and the health of current operations to take them into the next 150 years!