The Welsh Highland Railway was the longest of the Welsh narrow gauge railways, running all the way from Dinas Junction to Porthmadog. The line's origins dated back to the 1870s when the first section of the line was opened as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway. The route's completion throughout however, only dated from the 1920s, when under the influence of Colonel Stephens the line was extended to Porthmadog. This represented the last major expansion of the narrow gauge network of North Wales.


Unfortunately the resulting line was, despite all the high hopes, financially suspect, and even with the support of the Festiniog the line closed completely in the late 1930s. There the story might have ended but with the growth in interest in the Welsh narrow gauge, a society was launched in the early 1960s to rebuild the line.


Today it is possible to travel on a rebuilt WHR, partly over the ex-standard gauge line from Dinas to Caernarfon and partly over the previous formation of the route to Rhyd Ddu, whilst the remainder of the original route is being rebuilt as part of Britain's most ambitious preservation scheme. The scheduled completion date, which the line is well on course to achieve, is Easter 2009.


This expanded and updated volume has been designed to complement reputed author Peter Johnson's first edition of 'An Illustrated History of the Welsh Highland Railway' published in 2002. Incorporating many stunning colour images, and published to coincide with the reopening of the line in the spring, it is a must-have for all those who fondly remember this line.Containing a vast amount of new information, this important new volume brings the story of the line's rebuilding up to date.