The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge rack-and-pinion railway in Gwynedd, north-east Wales. It runs for 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from the terminus station at Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, and has become a popular tourist attraction. It served as the inspiration for the Culdee Fell Railway in the Railway Series.
History
Since its opening in 1896, visitors from around the world have traveled on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Trains scale the highest mountain in England and Wales - 1085 metres - where Snowdon boasts dramatic landscape and scenery. This is the only public rack and pinion railway in the United Kingdom, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in North Wales.
For more than 112 years, holidaymakers and day-trippers have been appreciating the views they have experienced while claiming the ascent of Snowdon is a lifetime adventure.
Locomotives
The Snowdon Mountain Railway owns eleven locomotives, seven steam, four diesel, and two hybrids. This section only covers engines with counterparts from the Railway Series.
Name | RWS counterpart | No. | Notes | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|
L.A.D.A.S. | Godred | 1 | Named after Laura Alice Duff Assheton-Smith, wife of the major landowner in the area. Destroyed in an accident on the railway's opening day and was broken up for spare parts. | |
Enid | Ernest | 2 | Named after the daughter of Laura Alice Duff Assheton-Smith, whom L.A.D.A.S. was named after. She arrived at Llanberis in August 1895. | |
Wyddfa | Wilfred | 3 | Arrived at Llanberis on 7th December 1895. | |
Snowdon | Culdee | 4 | Named after the mountain the railway climbs. Currently awaiting overhaul. | |
Moel Siabod | Shane Dooiney | 5 | Named after a neighbouring mountain. | |
Padarn | Patrick | 6 | Named after the lower lake at Llanberis. Originally named Sir Harmood after the chairman of the company, Sir John Sutherland Harmood-Banner. Renamed Padarn in 1928. | |
Ralph | Alaric | 7 | Originally named Aylwin until October 1978 when it was renamed Ralph Sadler, later shortened to Ralph. Currently dismantled and stored off-site; it is unlikely to return to service. | |
Eryri | Eric | 8 | Arrived at Llanberis in 1923. Currently dismantled and stored off-site; it is unlikely that the locomotive will ever return to service. |
Appearances
The Railway SeriesCompanion Volumes
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Books
Miscellaneous
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Gallery
External Links
- Official Website
- Snowdon Mountain Railway on Wikipedia
Locomotives | L.A.D.A.S. | Enid | Wyddfa | Snowdon | Moel Siabod | Padarn | Ralph | Eryri |
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Rolling Stock | Coaches | The "Trucks" |