The Other Tal
As a child, our family holidays in Wales would usually include a trip north and take a ride on the Ffestiniog Railway. The other Tal- Taliesin stands ready to depart Porthmadog Harbour station. These were the early eighties just after the railway had reached Blaenau Ffestiniog again. My memories are of red carriages hauled by noisy oil fired green locos, either The Square or a square-ish Merddin. Slatted windows, rainy Blaenau and a sense of being hurried about like a London commuter. Whilst we enjoyed a brief bout of hustle and bustle, we were quite happy returning to the more easy going Talyllyn for a relaxing rest of the holiday. Six year old me adjusts the window to my liking in prime gricer position on the FR in 1983. It is interesting what stuck in my youthful mind. The Ffestiniog has evolved in many ways over the intervening decades. The newer stock is most impressive, but I find it a little cramped for my 6’ 3” frame. I much prefer the heritage side of the Ffestiniog, it is the...
