The most scenic railway in Europe: how an old Welsh mining line became a world

The train steams across the Cob embankment: on the right are the peaks of Snowdonia and on the left glitter the waters of Tremadoc bay. The smartly painted locomotive, Merddin Emrys, built in 1879, puffs towards the undisputed European capital of scenic railway journeys: Porthmadog. “It’s a stunning panorama,” says local resident David Jones, “The best possible start or finish to any railway journey.” Jones is chair of Great Little Trains of Wales, a group that promotes a dozen heritage lines around the country. It comes as no surprise to him that, according to a new survey by consumer body Which?, Wales is home to three of the 10 most scenic railway lines in Europe. “I think we could have filled the entire top 10,” he says.

The survey sampled the opinions of Which? members on aspects of Europe’s most picturesque lines, from views to comfort, cleanliness and value for money. The result is a star-studded array of Europe’s finest, including Switzerland’s spectacular Glacier Express and Norway’s vertiginous Flam Railway, which climbs 867 metres from fjord to mountaintop on one of the steepest standard-gauge tracks ever constructed.

Yet all came second to the Ffestiniog, a former industrial line that was hauled from oblivion by teams of volunteers over three decades. While all the contenders scored highly on scenery, the North Wales line edged out the competition with its superior customer service. “It’s very gratifying,” says Paul Lewin, general manager who started out as a teenage volunteer 43 years ago. “Part of that service is telling the story of the landscape, particularly the slate mining. We know that can enrich the experience.”

The track descends from the old slate quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog, where it meets another top-scoring line, the Welsh Highland, coming in from Caernarfon. A few miles down the coast at Tywyn is another beauty: the Talyllyn, also a top 10 entry. It was here in the early 1950s that author Tom Rolt saw the potential in great scenery and industrial heritage. The route ran up to the failing Bryn Eglwys slate quarry and possessed one dilapidated locomotive, Dolgoch, that was already almost a century old. In places the track was only held in place by grass. A pioneer of canal boating as a leisure activity in the late 1940s, Rolt put together a mixed gang of former miners, clergymen and railway buffs to start the world’s first heritage railway. His experiences led to a book, Railway Adventure, and inspired the 1953 Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt.

Though the group were dismissed by many as crackpots, the Talyllyn established a successful business model that is still being emulated worldwide. In Wales there are now 16 heritage lines, seven of them connected to a mainline service, the unsung classic Cambrian Coast line.

But competition in the scenic railway world is growing stronger as routes are rediscovered and reopened. In Romania the restored Mocanita train, an old logging service, is attracting new visitors; in Slovenia the classic Habsburg empire line from Bohinj down the Soča valley is a thrilling end to a ski trip, and France has the stunning Pignes route up from Nice to Digne les Bains. Britain has other contenders, too: the North York Moors Railway and the Settle-Carlisle line among them.

Lewin is not worried that Wales might lose its crown as scenic rail champion. “Great work is still going on,” he says. “There’s a big push for quality, helped by increasing diversity – it’s not just about old white men with beards any more.”

David Jones picks out the Vale of Rheidol line from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge. “It has become a real success after years of restoration.” His own passion is the Bala Lake Railway, a 4½-mile lakeside route hauled by a collection of five classic Hunslet locomotives built in Leeds between 1885 and 1904. “We’re not so well-known yet, but it will happen: the views are stunning,” he says.

Back in Talyllyn, the ancient locomotive that was there at the beginning, Dolgoch, built in Cumbria in 1866, is being lovingly restored by volunteer engineers. After a summer overhaul, she will be back this winter pulling the Christmas specials.

The top 10

1 Ffestiniog Railway, Wales
2 Bergen Railway, Norway
3 Bernina Express, Switzerland and Italy
4 Glacier Express, Switzerland
5 Brocken Railway, Germany
6 Talyllyn, Wales
7 Welsh Highland Railway, Wales
8 West Highland Line, Scotland
9 Flam Railway, Norway
10 Golden Pass, Switzerland