Snowdon Mountain Railway

Snowdon Mountain Railway Welsh: Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa
Caernarfonshire
Snowdon Mountain Railway
	Rack and pinion mountain railway
Gauge:	2 feet 7½"
Information
Operated by:	Heritage Great Britain plc
Website:	www.snowdonrailway.co.uk

The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge rack and pinion mountain railway which climbs to the summit of Snowdon in Caernarfonshire, the highest mountain outside the Highlands. Unlike other heritage railways, the Snowdon Mountain Railway has been a tourist railway from its very inception.

It is known in Welsh as Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa.

The route of the railway is 4.7 miles, up from Llanberis to the summit, following the gentlest slope up the mountain, and so it generally shadows the most popular path, the Llanberis Path, which begins in Llanberis, close by the station.

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. The line is owned and operated today by Heritage Great Britain plc, 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 the inspiration for the fictional Culdee Fell Railway, appearing in the book "Mountain Engines", part of the "The Railway Series" written by the Reverend W Awdry, and in the books the distinctive shape of Snowdon appears in the illustrations.

Travelling the railway

This is a very popular railway, and booking in advance is a necessity. Almost all passengers are tourists and travel on a return trip, which involves being booked on a specific train for a round trip to the summit, with just a half hour break at the top. Down-only journeys can also be made, but with no assurance of finding a seat, particularly at busy times.

Trains depart from Llanberis Station at regular intervals, up to every 30 minutes at busy times, although trains are only run if a minimum number of tickets have been sold. During the summer when the weather is favourable, most trains are sold out. Passengers are not allowed to leave or join trains at Halfway or Hebron, but they may join down trains at Clogwyn Station if there is space.

Including stops at the passing loops, the train takes an hour to climb to the summit and an hour to descend again, at an average speed of around 5 mph.

History

Construction

Llanberis station

The idea of a railway to the summit of Snowdon was first proposed in 1869, when Llanberis was linked to Caernarfon by the London & North Western Railway. No action was taken, as the landowner, Mr Assheton-Smith, thought a railway would spoil the scenery.

In 1893 the Rhyd Ddu terminus of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways was renamed 'Snowdon', attracting many of the tourists who previously visited Llanberis and affecting the livelihoods of the accommodation providers who were Assheton-Smith tenants. Rival railway companies appeared to be planning a railway up the mountain from Rhyd Ddu, on land not owned by Assherton-Smith, which would have had a devastating effect on the hotels and shops of Llanberis, so at last he gave his assent to the construction of a railway to the summit. Still the principal landowner in the area, Assherton-Smith was not a major influence in the company. No Act of Parliament was required, as the line was built entirely on private land obtained by the company, without any need for the power of compulsory purchase. This was unusual for a passenger-carrying railway, and also meant that the railway did not come under the jurisdiction of the Board of Trade.

The railway was constructed between December 1894, when the first sod was cut by Enid Assheton-Smith (after whom locomotive No.2 was named), and February 1896, at a total cost of £63,800 It is said that by April 1895 the earthworks were 50% complete, a sign of the effort put into the construction work as much as of the lack of major earthworks along much of the route.

Llanberis Pass from near Clogwyn station

All tracklaying had to start from one end of the line, to ensure the rack was correctly aligned; so although the first locomotives were delivered in July 1895 very little track was laid until August, when the two large viaducts between Llanberis and Waterfall were completed. Progress up the mountain was then quite rapid, with the locomotives being used to move materials as required. Considering the exposed location and possible effects of bad weather, it is surprising that the first train reached the summit in January 1896. As the fencing and signals were not then ready, the opening was set for Easter.

The line was opened at Easter 1896. In anticipation of this, Colonel Sir Francis Marindin from the Board of Trade made an unofficial inspection of the line on Friday 27 March. This included a demonstration of the automatic brakes. He declared himself satisfied with the line, but recommended that the wind speed be monitored and recorded, and trains stopped when the wind was too strong.

On Saturday 4 April a train was run by the contractor consisting of a locomotive and two coaches. On the final section, the ascending train hit a boulder that had fallen from the side of a cutting and several wheels were derailed. The workmen on the train were able to rerail the carriage and the train continued.

Opening day accident

The railway was officially opened on Monday 6 April, and two trains were dispatched to the summit. On the first return trip down the mountain, possibly due to the weight of the train, locomotive No.1 "Ladas" with two carriages lost the rack and ran out of control. The locomotive derailed and fell down the mountain. A passenger died from loss of blood after jumping from the carriage, while those who said aboard remained safe as the safety braking systems operated. After a miscommunication the second downward train hit the carriages of the first, with no fatalities.

An inquiry concluded that the accident had been triggered by post-construction settlement, compounded by excess speed due to the weight of the train. As a result of the inquiry's recommendations the maximum allowed train weight was reduced to the equivalent of 1½ carriages, leading to lighter carriages being bought and used on two-carriage trains. A gripper system was also installed on the rack railway.

The new line

On 9 April 1897 the line re-opened. This time there were no incidents and the train service continued. It proved immediately popular, passengers borne to the lofty height in open carriages. The winds on Snowdon are cutting, and part of the Llanberis Pass was known as Cwn Hetiau; the Valley of Hats, as so many were blown down here from the railway carriages and collected by local folk. A visitor on returning to Llanberis might find his own lost hat being sold in the town.

Passengers were still carried during the early years of Second World War, but they were not permitted at the summit.

After the War

Hebron station sign

Normal service resumed after the War in 1946. The shortage of coal led to the railway attempting to burn old army boots as fuel. The British Railways Llanberis–Caernarvon line closed to passengers in 1962. A share issue was made in 1985, primarily to raise money to purchase the first two diesel locomotives. Between 1986 and 1992 the railway company was involved with the airfield and aviation museum in Caernarfon.

Materials brought to the new summit building, 2007

As part of the Centenary Celebrations the railway held an enthusiasts' weekend in September 1996. This was one of the few occasions when the public were allowed to visit the railway's workshops. Scrap pinion rings were also sold as (rather large) souvenirs. From this time the locomotives were painted in differing liveries, but by 2005 this practice had ended.

As part of the Centenary Celebrations the railway held an enthusiasts' weekend in September 1996. This was one of the few occasions when the public were allowed to visit the railway's workshops. Scrap pinion rings were also sold as (rather large) souvenirs. From this time the locomotives were painted in differing liveries, but by 2005 this practice had ended.

Summit building project

Materials brought to the new summit building, 2007

In 2006 the Snowden summit café was demolished and construction of a new visitor centre was started. While this construction was taking place passenger trains terminated at Clogwyn, but the line and a works train was still used to transport workers and materials to the project. On some days, however, the train could not reach the summit and the workers had to walk down to Rocky Valley. The new building, Hafod Eryri was officially opened on 12 June 2009.

Route

Scale map of the route

View from Summit station platform

The lowland terminus is Llanberis station, at the side of the main road. The railway is a single track line with passing loops. It is 4 miles 1188 yards long, with an average gradient of 1 in 7.86. The steepest gradient is 1 in 5.5, and this occurs in a number of places. The railway rises a total of 3,140 feet, from 353 feet above sea level at Llanberis to 3,493 feet at Summit station.

• Llanberis station (53°6’59"N, 4°7’10"W) (353 feet) has two platforms. The first stretch of line is uphill at 1 in 50, steep for a main line but shallow compared with the 1 in 6 incline that begins shortly afterwards.
• Waterfall station (53°6’40"N, 4°7’36"W) (now closed, but the station building remains), built by a spectacular waterfall close to the line.
• Hebron station (53°6’17"N, 4°7’4"W) (1,069 feet), named after the nearby Hebron Chapel. It had originally been hoped that agricultural traffic could be carried to and from this station.
• Halfway station (53°5’44"N, 4°5’46"W) (1,641 feet), halfway along the line and close to the 'Halfway House' on the nearby footpath. A short distance above the station is a path that leads down to the 'Halfway House' café.
• Rocky Valley Halt (53°5’20"N, 4°5’2"W); a narrow platform sheltered by a rocky outcrop. Immediately beyond the platform the line joins the exposed ridge on which it runs for about half a mile.
• Clogwyn station (53°5’3"N, 4°4’49"W) (2,556 feet), on the exposed ridge and overlooks the Llanberis Pass and the Clogwyn Du'r Arddu cliffs.
• Summit station (53°4’5"N, 4°4’42"W) (3,493 feet), just 68 feet below the summit (3,560 feet). The station has two platforms that link directly to the summit building and to a path to the summit.

Operation

Hebron Station passing loop

Traffic and train movements are controlled from Llanberis. The line is single-track, with three passing loops, around 15 minutes’ travelling time apart, at Hebron, Halfway and Clogwyn stations.

Passenger trains normally run from Llanberis to the Summit. The wind speed is measured at Clogwyn Station and used to determine if trains can continue to the summit. Trains terminate at Rocky Valley Halt when the weather is too bad to allow them to proceed safely to the summit.

It is possible for two trains to run together 'on sight', which involves the second train following shortly (more than two minutes but less than five) after the first, and keeping a safe distance throughout the journey. This is known as a 'Doubler'. All platforms and passing loops are long enough to accommodate two trains.

The two Llanberis platforms are dedicated, one for arrivals and the other for departures. Arriving trains empty of passengers then shunt to the other platform. At the Summit station arriving trains generally alternate between the two platforms.

When steam and diesel trains run together, it is normal for the diesel to lead up the mountain. This allows the steam train to enter the departure platform and load at its leisure, while the diesel moves across from the arrival platform from a quick turn-around.

Coaling equipment at Llanberis

Both steam-hauled and diesel trains operate on the railway: at Halfway Station steam locomotives also take water from a water crane, fed from a large tank located just above the station, and for emergency may use another large water tank is situated near Clogwyn Station which can feed two water cranes.

Rack railway

Pinion wheel (centre), running wheels (outside), automatic brake gear (right), rack and gripper rail (centre bottom)

The line has a track gauge common to other mountain railways of 2'7½" gauge. The rails are fastened to steel sleepers.

The line uses the Abt rack system devised by Roman Abt, a Swiss]] locomotive engineer. The system comprises a length of toothed rail (the rack) between the running rails which meshes with a toothed wheel (the pinion) mounted on each rail vehicle's driving axle. The traditional logo for the railway is a pinion ring engaged on a rack bar. At the stations and passing loops, the real items are mounted on steel frames.

The entire railway is fitted with the rack rail. On sidings and around the yard at Llanberis it comprises a single rack bar, but on the running line, and through all the loops up the mountain, two rack bars are used, mounted side by side with their teeth staggered by half a pitch. This is one of the major features of the Abt system, and helps to reduce the shock of the pinions running along the rack. It also ensures the pinion maintains continuous contact with the rack. The joints between rack bars are also staggered and align with the sleepers - each sleeper supports the rack rail as well as the running rails.

The locomotive pinions engage the rack and provide all the traction and braking effort - the wheels are free to revolve on the drive axles, to allow for the inevitable difference between the wheel radius and the effective radius of the pinion. The wheels serve only to support and guide the vehicle; if the pinion were missing, handbrake on and locomotive crank locked, the vehicle would still roll down the mountain. (The wheels are not capable of providing useful adhesion on such a gradient, so this is not the disadvantage it might seem.) The two driving axle pinions on a locomotive are mounted with a half a pitch difference between them. Combined with the half pitch difference in the two rack bars, this feature aims to make the transfer of power more continuous, and thus smooth the hauling of the train. In spite of this, the vehicles still suffer from very high levels of vibration.

See also

• Llanberis Lake Railway

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Snowdon Mountain Railway)

• Snowdon Mountain Railway official site