Mountain Climbing
Britain’s toughest railway. The 25 miles of the Welsh Highland provides the ultimate challenge for loco crews as the route climbs from sea level at each end up to 650 feet near the foot of Snowdon. And the toughest part is the six miles of one in forty gradient between Bryn y Felin and Rhyd Ddu.
Not only is this the longest continuous gradient of this severity in the UK, it also includes two double reverse curves through the Beddgelert Forest. To illustrate what this gradient means in real terms, Beddgelert station platform is a staggering six metres higher at one end than the other...