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Fairbourne and Barmouth Railway |
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Region |
Beach
Road, FAIRBOURNE, Gwynedd. LL38 2PZ Tel: +44 (0)1341 250362 Fax: +44 (0)1341 250240 Location:
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Preserved: WalesRails: Back to Welcome page |
The Fairbourne and Barmouth Railway opened in 1895 as a 2-ft tramway by self-raising flour
magnate Sir Arthur MacDougall. In 1916 it was regauged to 15-ins, and underwent another
change of gauge to 12¼ inches in 1986.
Acquired by its present owners in April 1995, the railway is celebrating a Tenth
Anniversary this year. Among the features of the two-and-a-half
mile seafront line is a tunnel through the sand-dunes.
To outdo Llanfair PG on the
Gorsafawddachachaidraigddanheddogleddollonpenrhynareudraethceridigion
which is certainly accepted by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest place name in the British Isles. It translates into English as: The Mawddach station with its dragon's teeth on the northerly Penrhyn Drive on the golden beach of Cardigan Bay.
Far less of a mouthful is Beach Halt, serving that golden beach; and the northern terminus of the line, Porth Penrhyn, where the line connects with the ferry to Barmouth. There is also the Pullman Pavilion Cafe.
Adjoining, Fairbourne is the Rowen Indoor Nature Centre
F&BR Locomotives
| Steam locomotives | Diesel locomotive |
| Curwen 0-6-2T Yeo, built 1978 | Fairbourne Locomotive Works A1-1A Lilian Walter, built 1985 |
| Milner 0-4-0ST Sherpa, built 1978 | |
| Curwen 0-6-4ST Beddgelert, built 1979 | Other locomotive |
| Milner 2-6-4T Russell, rebuilt 1985 | Fairbourne Locomotive Works 4 wheel battery electric Gwril, built 1987 |
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Days of operation 2008
The F&BR is open (all dates inclusive):
| February 10th to 18th |
| March 21st to 31st |
| April 1st to 6th; 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th |
| May 3rd to 22nd (except Fridays) and from 24th to 31st |
| June 1st to 30th (except Fridays) |
| July 1st to 10th (except Fridays); and from 12th to 31st |
| August 1st to 31st |
| September 1st to 21st (except Fridays); 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th |
| October Saturdays and Sundays between 4th and 19th; then daily October 25th to November 2nd |
| December 13th and 14th |
Times
Please note: Services can be affected by adverse weather conditions,
contact the railway if in doubt.
The P&BR operates to Low Season, Intermediate
Season and High Season timetables.
A special timetable applies for Special Events dates (see below) with
half-hourly services. Contact the FBR for details
Santa trains in December depart Fairbourne at 1.30pm.
| Low Season | Intermediate Season | High Season |
| February 10 to 18 March 26 to 31 April 1st to 6th; 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th May 6 to 22 (except Fridays) and 31 June 1st to 30th (except Fridays) July 1st to 5th; 9th to 12th, September 1st to 21st (except Fridays); 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th October Saturdays and Sundays between 4th and 19th; then daily October 25th to November 2nd |
March 21, 22 and 25 May 3, 4, 5, 24th, 29 and 30 July 12 to 19; and 25 August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 29, 30, 31 |
March 23 and 24 May 25 to 28 July 20 to 24; and 26 to 31 August 1 to 31 (except 1, 2, 8, 915, 16, 29, 30, and 31) |
| Trains run at | ||
| Dep. Fairbourne 11.00am,
12.30pm, 2.00pm and 3.30pm Dep. Barmouth Ferry 11.30am, 1.00pm, 2.30pm and 4.00pm |
Dep. Fairbourne 11.00am,
12.20pm, 2.00pm, 3.20pm and 4.30pm Dep. Barmouth Ferry 11.40am 1.00pm, 2.40pm, 4.00pm and 5.00pm |
Dep. Fairbourne 10.40am,
11.30am, 12.10pm, 1.00pm, 2.20pm, 3.00pm, 3.40pm and 4.20pm Dep. Barmouth Ferry 11.30am, 12.10pm 1.00pm, 2.20pm 3.00pm 3.40pm, 4.20pm and 5.00pm |
Special events
May 26th to 28th,
The Friendly Fairbourne Engines with Lord Bart, the Stout Director.
July 23rd Lifeboat Day. Ride a lifeboat along the line at Penrhyn Point.
RNLI inshore display (weather permitting)
July 27th and 27th Little to Large - Steam engines in action from
our locos, miniatures and a traction engine.
August 11th to 13th The Friendly Fairbourne Engines with
Lord Bart, the Stout Director.
December 13h and 14th Santa Specials.
The railway also operates extra trains by arrangement, and runs footplate experience courses out of season. Contact the railway for details.
Fares
(including admission to Nature Centre)
|
2nd Class Single |
2nd Class return |
|
| Adult | £4.60 | £7.20 |
| Child | £2.70 | £4.00 |
| Senior Citizen | £4.00 | £5.80 |
| Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) | £11.80 | £18.00 |
| Dog | Free | Free |
Children under three travel free (except on Santa Specials).
Daily return tickets valid for unlimited travel on day of purchase, except for evening
events.
Things to do
The railway museum has a display showing a century ion
the life of the Fairbourne Railway and includes a model of the line. Adjacent to the Fairbourne terminus is the Rowen Indoor Nature
Centre. Take an imaginary journey through the Freshwater, lowland and mountain Zones of
Wales on the Habitat Trail, or explore the wildlife of
Mid-Wales by viewing individual enclosures of birds, mammals, lizards and
snakes; and fish located along a busy trout stream.
Alight at Gorsafawddachachaidraigddanheddogleddollonpenrhynareudraethceridigion for the 9-hole Fairbourne golf course.
The Fairbourne and Barmouth Railway can also be
used as part of an exhilarating half-day's pleasure with stunning views of sea- and
mountainscape.
From Fairbourne, take the train to Porth Penrhyn, and join the ferry for the crossing to
Barmouth, where, among other attractions, there is a lifeboat museum and leisure centre.
From Barmouth walk the 800-yards along the toll footbridge which shares the railway
crossing to Morfa Mawddach - a mostly timber structure of 113 spans plus two steel spans
over the bed of the river (if you encounter a train during the crossing - don't worry: The
bridge always shakes!). From Morfa Mawddach, walk, or take the
How to get there
The F&BR is adjacent to the national network station of Fairbourne, served by
Arriva Trains Wales. It is on the A493 between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, served by Arriva Cymru bus No 28 between Aberystwyth and Dolgellau.For details of connecting services, including travel planner and timetables, visit the Traveline Cymru website.
Select here for the FBR's own web site
Copyright © 1997/8/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 by Deryck Lewis. All
rights reserved.
Page created March 24 1997; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated May 25 2008
If you have any suggestions, comments, or glitches to report, please contact the author at
WalesRails