Today, the 2nd of January, marks a significant anniversary for the Ffestiniog Railway, for it is 50 years since a spade was driven into the ground to begin work on the Llyn Ystradau Deviation, an epic volunteer-led project to reconnect the historic railway which had been severed when an upper section was flooded as part of a hydro-electric scheme near Tan y Grisiau.
The idea of setting out to build a brand new formation in such a remote spot remains a daunting enough proposition in 2015 – it is hard to imagine how immense the undertaking must have seemed when a small group gathered at a spot near Dduallt station at the beginning of 1965.
So the building of the spiral, the New Moelwyn tunnel and line along the lakeside, behind the power station, ranks with the achievements of the Victorian pioneers in the railway history books.
Below is an extract from a 1973 map showing the intended (and ultimately completed) route.
