I traveled this line many times as a child and can honestly say it was a truly memorable experience . To travel it in the snow was a magical memory. The nearest thing to the polar express. As the train swept out over Cwm Prysor viaduct in the snow it felt like you were flying. The people who manned the little stations were always kind and helpful like a extended family. It was a experience that today’s children will alas never know strapped in their car seats.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Arthur

@dorsetdumpling5387

3 жыл бұрын

My father went to school in Bala, travelling on this line, from Traws Station (just known to locals as “Steshon”) He too, would tell of snow in Cwm Prysor, the drifts often crossing the line and bringing the train to a halt. It was, apparently, accepted technique to drive the engine into the drift, which would lift the front off the rails, the heat of the boiler soon melting the snow, dropping the engine down gently, hopefully back onto the rails. In later life he, and my mother bought a house in Steshon, where I was raised, along with my brother. (I believe it’s the one with the red car outside in the video). I have a vague, child’s memory of the villagers having a send off for the last train to leave. I certainly remember playing in the abandoned station buildings, which were derelict for a period of time.

We used to come this way when going to Porthmadog via Ffestiniog for holidays! such a spectacular train line! today i'm sure it would be a favourite run for many,

Fantastic video, many thanks. I was in primary school in the Home Counties when the line closed but have been a regular visitor to the area for years since, up to the present day. I’ve visited many of the points along the line and walked several sections of the track bed. Great to see the line in its entirety though and join it all up.

Thank you, from a new subscriber! I know this part of Wales well; and with my life-long interest in railways I remember reading of the closure of this line; though I never travelled on it. The photography is excellent, especially in the way you place the route into its surrounding landscape. And your sparse, plain-speaking commentary is just as informative as something like this needs. In short, it's about the subject, not about your reactions to it or how you feel. The latter in shown in the loving care over detail. Thanks again.

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much.. more to come although currently involved in a big film project that is taking up a lot of time. Best J

What a fantastic video. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into making the film.

How much I have enjoyed this film, yet with some sadness as my father is no longer with us, and it was him who loved this railway, traveling on it regularly in his army days when he was stationed in Wales in the 1950s, and a few years later after many stories about the route, he showed me and my brother many of its remnants, which included the viaduct which looked like a phantom serpent in the mist, and where the line ran into Lyn Celyn. My dad knew that line and the Cambrian so well, every detail, and he was well known amongst his army men (he was a drill instructor) as a man who was at peace travelling on trains but a right bastard on the parade ground, the latter of which I suppose he had to be. No guesses to how my childhood went! He was very strongly opposed to the flooding of Capel Celyn and at the time had written to his local MP about it. He told me how if he felt helpless then what about the Welsh MPs who were supposed to be in a position of power, steamrollered completely. We always went by Lyn Celyn on our way to Criccieth or Llangwnadll on our holidays and each time we would get stories from my dad and find a new location where he used to ride by. We found a few track bolts from time to time. You've made a superb film, fascinating in many ways, railway and landscape, and I only wish my dad was still here, no doubt he'd want to be involved. His vocal delivery was remarkably similar to yours, so it half sounds like him. Brilliant effort, something I will recommend my friends take a look at. Many thanks.

@julesdingle

2 жыл бұрын

thank you so much for sharing.

What a fantastic heritage line this would be nowday,s.

Absolutely fascinating, I have been travelling from Nottingham to Porthmadog via Bala and Traws since 1969 and this is so interesting to someone who is particularly interested in railway history.

Such a shame that all what was cleared a few years ago has grown back! Need this line preserved ASAP,before Network Rail decide they want to rip it all up! Imagine it as a steam/diesel line, running down to Bala Town, to connect with an extended Llangollen Railway, that in turn at Bala Junction connects with the Bala Lake Railway. Who knows.

@julesdingle

2 жыл бұрын

nature has the habit of reclaiming what is hers, but I think the potential for the line is just too good.. the trackbed is good, the current government in Cardiff is pro trains... I think it is just waiting for the right group to get it going again

I can only imagine the sheer amount of hard work that must have been put into creating this. Both beautiful and informative.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. but it was a real pleasure.. and every trip I do I learn some more history and discover more beauty in this country.

Nice

Very fond memories, of the line. as my mums family are from Llanuwchllyn. In the 50s we used to travel by train from Ynys Mon. Mum's youngest brother was station master at Llanuwchllyn. 3/10 for the "pronunciation" ...Barlar, I've only heard that pronunciation once befor, hmmh.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it, as for pronunciations I grew up on the Borders so Anglicised, and do try to ask al local for the local pronunciation .. so yes Ba- la.. will remember next time when I do the trans Welsh line to Barmouth. [and I have a slight speech impediment that means I sometimes fall over English pronunciations!] Always happy to be corrected.

Good looking video, nice views of the town from above. Keep up the flying and thank you for sharing

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

thanks a lot, a new video is in the process of being scripted... Brecon to Merthyr.. thankfully had days of sunshine and no wind!

Excellent thank you. Particularly interesting history notes along the line. Love this area.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

thank you, very glad you enjoyed it.. I was surprised how much history surrounds this little railway and wonder if any little lost railway will come close to matching it in scenery and history!

Thank you - great info and drone filming. Am I hearing a soundtrack from the Ffestiniog Railway?!

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

Wow, I'm impressed.. I found it very difficult to find sound samples of proper trains .. so had to find my own and Ffestiniog is ideal, it has stations, hills and the correct clatter. I've recently upgraded sound recording equipment and slowly introducing real sounds into videos as I get the opportunity to record them

That line would be a wonderful route for a narrow gauge line linking the Ffestiniog and Bala lake railways, With an extension to Corwen.

@abloogywoogywoo

3 жыл бұрын

I agree and would be happy with either narrow or standard gauge returning and being diverted where required due to the reservoir, but the section to Trawsfynydd needs to be mothballed due to the power station's decommissioning, the cost of which and storage continue to spiral into astronomical figures that don't justify its creation (it would have been kinder to the planet to just burn coal). In order words, not in our lifetime, or our children's lifetime.

@mjpm2409

3 жыл бұрын

Indeed - linking up with the Llangollen Railway

@abloogywoogywoo

2 жыл бұрын

@@mjpm2409 That's unlikely as the trackbed has been built over in several places in that direction (it should've been safeguarded but that's the councils for you).

Fascinating and very relaxing video. Many thanks.

Great informative video - well done.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, more to come although perhaps not so jam packed full of history.

Great footage and very well narrated! 👍

Thanks for a really interesting video.I have seen a reconstructed railway simulation of trains on this route previously.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

you are very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip.. look out for another journey sometime in June.

Are you the rocket man? great video.

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed the video.. I don't think I'm the rocket man who ever he is

@jeremythomas6980

Жыл бұрын

@@julesdingle ok thanks

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

@@jeremythomas6980 I'm now curious to know who the rocket man is

@jeremythomas6980

Жыл бұрын

@@julesdingle it's just that you have a similar voice and delivery to the rocket man, a guy who does motorcycle video's and lives in Portugal.

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

@@jeremythomas6980 I shall check him out, thanks

Hi, I really enjoyed this, I took photograghs of a gunpowder train hauled by a Class 47 on this line, I also remember the nuclear waste trains. I would love to see New Zealand style rail-carts or rail-bikes on the section between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd.

@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf

2 жыл бұрын

Likely to be a full preserved line with locomotives etc.

Did my eyes deceive me or is a lot of the track still down? Thanks for the video, it is great.

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

yes, the line to the nuclear power plant is still intact and was used to ship the last of used fuel to Sellafield for reprocessing about 20 years ago.. and a lot of talk about restoring the line.

@getnyrb

Жыл бұрын

@@julesdingle There is talk of a Small Modular Reactor for the Trawsfynydd site. Hopefully that may involve the re opening of the line....ps great video.

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

@@getnyrb yes, there has been talk of a SMR [or a flock- or is it a herd?] and I'm sure the local population would welcome the jobs... but SMRs have been spoken about for sometime. There is a charitable /Facebook group who do go out and clear back the trees.. so who knows?

I dropped on this video by chance and pleased I did. Excellent aerial footage with informative commentary. Great stuff. Knew this line when operational and have a group photo, including myself as a 7 year old in 1952, on the Brymbo over bridge at Capel Celyn halt.. Seems like a lifetime ago, which, of course it was. You must have spent a great deal of time in the making of this film but well worth it.

@julesdingle

2 жыл бұрын

glad you enjoyed it, will be doing more disused lines although autumn was wet and windy so a few projects have been shelved.

such a pitty this line couldnt be restored to its former glory , it would have made an excellent tourist attraction nowadays.. anyone know if there are any plans to try and restore the line ???

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

the track remains between Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd nuclear power station, and the trackbed continues [bar a garden] all the way to Tryweryn reservoir and there has been a number of attempts to reopen the tracked section. It is simply the cost of reinstating a service whether heritage or tourist on the existing track.

@willp2406

Жыл бұрын

@@julesdingle thanks for that info...

Just found your channel and I am considering subscribing. Why am I only considering? Because there is a load of other stuff on your channel that is of no interest to me at all, and I don’t want notifications about any of that material when you sdd to it. I think other viewers may feel the same. But you could have a really good channel with your railways material as this is really good and you’d get loads of viewings. So my suggestion is to split your channel up and have one specific to the rail theme. Hope this is useful. Well done and good luck .

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the input, I may put the train stuff into one channel at a future date, but my main interest is story telling and the landscape which include railway lines but also history and narrative. You never know the upcoming story of Owain Glyndwr or the Merthyr uprising may get your interest! Glad you enjoyed the railway stuff

@wexfordwaster7423

3 жыл бұрын

@@julesdingle Thanks for the very prompt reply. I think that there's nothing wrong (at all) of having a wider focus such as you say - history and story telling is fine. And I would watch some of that too. But the key issue I think is to keep that focus as the channel's identity and to think carefully before uploading other material as it might "dilute" that focus and make the channel less attractive to possible subscribers (and maybe have a trawl through previous uploads also). And subscribers can come from all over the world - for instance, I've discovered this US channel called "Searching for the C&S Narrow Gauge" that focusses on what was the highest rail tunnel (Alpine Tunnel) at the turn of the 20th century. There's no chance that I'll ever visit, but the drone and go-pro footage is great, and also are the overlays using historic and modern photos taken at the same spot. (And don't worry about the comments re pronunciation - you are only doing your best. It's not that you are charging viewers for access!)

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks again for the input, i will see where things lead. A big issue is cost, doing old railways is expensive, days of filming and a lot of travelling, there is about 2 weeks work in each production so I don’t know how sustainable this is. Enjoy them when you can.

A good one to do would be the Clunderwen to Fishguard line. It has a facinating history. Origenly the only line to Fishguard or should I say Goodwick as thats where the line finished. Later, a line from Claberston Road was constructed to shorten the route. The route starts just west of Clunderwen and heads north through Maenclochog, Rosebush, Puncheston to a point just north of Letterston where the new line joined it for the rest of the run in to Fishguard Harbour. If you know what to look for the line can be followed in Gioogle Earth. My father as a child had a Sundayschool outing on this line as far as Rosebush. By the time I was born in 1947 the line was long gone.

@julesdingle

Жыл бұрын

I'll bear that route in mind.. I have a back log of routes partly done. The Carmarthen to Aberystwyth has been on my to do list as there has been talk of a major reopening ..And I have part of the London to New York route of IKB with the rail part terminating over from Milford Haven

If you happen to be devoted to this landscape (I am!) this is interesting, but rather let down by the failure to comment on the landscape (e.g. the names of the mountains seen) or the historic sites shown en route (e.g. the Roman fortress at Trawsfynydd and the early castle of Castell Prysor, pronounced 'Prussor') but also by the rather deplorable mispronunciation of Welsh. Tryweryn is perfectly good usage - the mutated form with a D is used in grammar such as in the memorable 'Cofiwch Dryweryn' painted as a resistance sign. Llandudno is pronounced 'Llandidno' (I live nearby!). Bala has short 'A's - not the English 'ah's - so it is 'Balla' not 'Bahlah'. Sorry!

@julesdingle

2 жыл бұрын

Guilty, and thanks for the pronunciation of Prysor.. it is not one I could find. I do make use of online help, and more recently now take out my audio equipment to get the local pronunciation [although for South Wales the local name varies with the 'correct' pronunciation ]. My hard vowels come from growing up in the 70s on the Borders and a time before the language was part of school curriculum. We did have a very Welsh teacher, she used to pronounce our town 'correctly' although criticise us for pronouncing it as our forebears did! I muddle with the Welsh language, and wish I could get it right but age seems to be against me. I did include the Roman fort with text [I think, if not that was an unplanned error].. as for naming everything I have to balance film making with information. You don't have to know the name of something to appreciate its beauty. Best J

Welsh placename pronunciations could do with improvement.

@julesdingle

3 жыл бұрын

Yes always struggle despite living here most of my life, I ask locally on travels for the local pronunciation that may vary. But always learning!

@DaiDant

3 жыл бұрын

Mostly phonetic. Though there are variations, you will seldom be criticised for using the phonetically correct version. Most Welsh beginners texts go through the ruless.

@highdownmartin

2 жыл бұрын

@@julesdingle recommend a paperback by tony leaver. Welsh placename pronunciation. About 3 quid off amazon or eBay. It’s helped me a lot and I’m starting to understand how it works.

@julesdingle

2 жыл бұрын

@@highdownmartin I'm working on it.. I carry a recorder to get the local pronunciation .. because pronunciation varies a lot especially in the south. Thanks for the recommend